I didn't have any 'training to work in a deli and I informed Kris of that when she interviewed me for the job at Russell Farms. I told her that to compensate for any lack of experience, I was a fast learner. Kris was an enormous lump of flesh and when I told her a funny story from one of my travel ventures, she added me to the payroll.
'Oh, you're hired,' she said, her belly wobbling with laughter. 'You'll catch on quickly enough. It's not brain surgery.'
The deli was busy as we walked in and Kris introduced me to the others. Cheryl, a tall, gray-haired woman of around 60ish, handed me an apron. She flung open three large refrigerators and pointed out all the condiments and various ingredients they used for sandwiches. She showed me where all the bread was stored and demonstrated how to use the meat cutter. She showed me the various cuts of meat in the meat case, then took me to the cash and showed me how to ring things in. Then she showed me how to turn on and off and cook and clean the grill for hamburgers and hot dogs. Finally, she pointed out all the ice cream flavours, where the ice cream was stored and the price list. I mentioned to her that I would be making sandwiches eventually.
After three or four weeks, it seemed I was stuck in front of the dishwasher, loading and unloading. I never did anything else, so my back was getting sore with all the bending. There were a few other younger women working there, one of them a nurse-in-training named Laura.
One day I was fifteen minutes late because I got a ride with another worker. My car was in the garage. She started half an hour later. It was unusual for me to ever be late, in fact, I was usually early, but it couldn't be avoided and there were no cellphones then.
'We didn't think you were coming,' Laura said as she brushed by me, 'because you were supposed to start at 10:45.'
I looked up at the clock and back at this young woman who had never said hello to me in the four weeks I had been there. And now this is her first how do you do? Well, let me tell you why I'm late as I kick your ass all over this kitchen, I thought.
'Oh, Rene and I carpooled,' I said, 'and she starts at eleven so...I appreciate your concern though,' I said.
I hadn't hit it off with her from our first shift together as I had found it unsettling that on our first shift together she had said nothing to me the whole day other than 'Slicer' 'Salad bar' 'Cash' I couldn't engage her in any small talk in order to connect and it didn't help when I couldn't find the pickles in the cold storage and I had to go back and ask her where they were.
'Pickles,' she said, tearing open the lid and walking away. By the end of our first day together, I was a little annoyed. There was no justifiable reason for her to act that way.
Later, I approached her as she was making a sandwich. 'Listen, maybe we should back it all up, we've started on the wrong foot. If I said anything to offend you, I apologize for that.' Why the fuck am I apologizing? I thought. But that's what I do better than making sandwiches - apologize to everyone for being alive.
'I think you're untrainable,' she said.
'Excuse me?' I said. Untrainable? You mean someone who couldn't slap two pieces of bread together with butter, stuff them with ham and lettuce and mustard and make them stick? I was hoping that my face didn't register the surprise that I felt. Now it was clear why no one was letting me make the sandwiches. I WAS UNTRAINABLE!
I didn't want to work a shift with her again, but lo, here I was stuck with her attitude and dislike of me for the rest of the week. I decided to ignore her, too. I headed over to the dishwasher, to my usual station as the day started to crank into gear. I was getting really good at Operation Dishwasher, especially on days when it was better to interact as little as possible.
My back started to ache as I lifted the dishes out of the dishwasher and walked around putting them in various cupboards. It was lunchtime, busy. People wanting sandwiches. A new woman had started a few days previously and she and Laura were standing there quietly at the sandwich table putting sandwiches and sides together. I was supposed to have been on the sandwich brigade weeks ago. I guess I won't be making sandwiches today, I thought.
I watched Heather making sandwiches while Laura helped her by putting together the side dishes when I thought 'hasn't Heather only been here for a minute? And already she's making sandwiches?' Cheryl was on her break so I went over to her and asked if I could ask her a question, if you don't mind.
'Sure, she said.
'When am I going to start making sandwiches? I was told I would be doing this and I've been doing little but dish-washing since I got here.'
'Well, Heather's had experience in a deli,' she replied.
'Really? It doesn't looks like it to me.'
In fact, Heather's hands were shaking like a leaf as Laura helped her make the sandwiches for the customers waiting in line. After, I asked Heather if she'd done this work before.
'No, I worked in a logging camp and as a waitress, but I didn't do this.' Well, she's full-time so it's important she gets with the program, I suppose.
Cheryl came back from her break and decided that I would help Heather with the sides and Laura could do the slicer. I went to Heather to assist, but soon we ran into trouble because now she didn't know what to do and I couldn't help her because I didn't either, having had no 'training' on sandwiches, plus the menu had been changed and by the way which of the new plates on the shelf does this damned side go on? Of course, I could make a decision as to which silly dish for the side, but if I don't get it right? Laura was standing at the slicer watching us with the expression of a battleaxe overseeing an unruly grade three class, Heather was flustered and I looked around for Cheryl, who was at the cash. I'm not going to ask Laura. Especially while we're getting backed up on the orders, which kind of made me chuckle inside. Then Cheryl came over and reached up for a plate inside some cupboard and looked at me.
'You've been here for weeks now and you don't know this?' in a tone of voice that made me want to bend her over and boot her up her fat ass.
'I haven't done the sandwiches nor the sides before. Remember?' So Cheryl took over, Heather went outside for a smoke and I walked away to do what I did best - the dishes.
Then Cheryl came up with another idea. I was to make sandwiches 'when it's not busy.' I totally regretted opening this can of worms with the request to make sandwiches. In fact, I couldn't believe I was going through all this pettiness over sandwich-making. But here's where it got fun. As I stood over the sandwich table, Cheryl called out what I was supposed to do while she roamed the room, then came and barked over my shoulder with 'NO, NOT LIKE THIS, LIKE THIS!' and 'IT DOESN'T GO LIKE THAT, IT GOES LIKE THIS!' One time, she pushed aside the sandwich I'd been making and redid it until I was so fed up with everything I couldn't see the sandwich table for the blood in my eyes. She then ordered me to get the egg salad in the fridge and it was disgustingly runny, but I put it in a side dish anyway. Fuck it.
'You can't serve that!' She got an out two eggs and started whipping them around a plastic container as Laura swooped in to see the mess, glared at me and swooped off again. I swiped the dish and the rotten egg salad sideways right into the garbage bin and walked off.
'You do it.'
I was going leave that minute, but God spoke to me in a soothing voice and said 'Nancy, you're only making 10.45 an hour.' So, being the responsible gal I am, I stayed until the end of the day and, as untrainable as a black bear at a culinary school, I never returned.
One day I was fifteen minutes late because I got a ride with another worker. My car was in the garage. She started half an hour later. It was unusual for me to ever be late, in fact, I was usually early, but it couldn't be avoided and there were no cellphones then.
'We didn't think you were coming,' Laura said as she brushed by me, 'because you were supposed to start at 10:45.'
I looked up at the clock and back at this young woman who had never said hello to me in the four weeks I had been there. And now this is her first how do you do? Well, let me tell you why I'm late as I kick your ass all over this kitchen, I thought.
'Oh, Rene and I carpooled,' I said, 'and she starts at eleven so...I appreciate your concern though,' I said.
I hadn't hit it off with her from our first shift together as I had found it unsettling that on our first shift together she had said nothing to me the whole day other than 'Slicer' 'Salad bar' 'Cash' I couldn't engage her in any small talk in order to connect and it didn't help when I couldn't find the pickles in the cold storage and I had to go back and ask her where they were.
'Pickles,' she said, tearing open the lid and walking away. By the end of our first day together, I was a little annoyed. There was no justifiable reason for her to act that way.
Later, I approached her as she was making a sandwich. 'Listen, maybe we should back it all up, we've started on the wrong foot. If I said anything to offend you, I apologize for that.' Why the fuck am I apologizing? I thought. But that's what I do better than making sandwiches - apologize to everyone for being alive.
'I think you're untrainable,' she said.
'Excuse me?' I said. Untrainable? You mean someone who couldn't slap two pieces of bread together with butter, stuff them with ham and lettuce and mustard and make them stick? I was hoping that my face didn't register the surprise that I felt. Now it was clear why no one was letting me make the sandwiches. I WAS UNTRAINABLE!
I didn't want to work a shift with her again, but lo, here I was stuck with her attitude and dislike of me for the rest of the week. I decided to ignore her, too. I headed over to the dishwasher, to my usual station as the day started to crank into gear. I was getting really good at Operation Dishwasher, especially on days when it was better to interact as little as possible.
My back started to ache as I lifted the dishes out of the dishwasher and walked around putting them in various cupboards. It was lunchtime, busy. People wanting sandwiches. A new woman had started a few days previously and she and Laura were standing there quietly at the sandwich table putting sandwiches and sides together. I was supposed to have been on the sandwich brigade weeks ago. I guess I won't be making sandwiches today, I thought.
I watched Heather making sandwiches while Laura helped her by putting together the side dishes when I thought 'hasn't Heather only been here for a minute? And already she's making sandwiches?' Cheryl was on her break so I went over to her and asked if I could ask her a question, if you don't mind.
'Sure, she said.
'When am I going to start making sandwiches? I was told I would be doing this and I've been doing little but dish-washing since I got here.'
'Well, Heather's had experience in a deli,' she replied.
'Really? It doesn't looks like it to me.'
In fact, Heather's hands were shaking like a leaf as Laura helped her make the sandwiches for the customers waiting in line. After, I asked Heather if she'd done this work before.
'No, I worked in a logging camp and as a waitress, but I didn't do this.' Well, she's full-time so it's important she gets with the program, I suppose.
Cheryl came back from her break and decided that I would help Heather with the sides and Laura could do the slicer. I went to Heather to assist, but soon we ran into trouble because now she didn't know what to do and I couldn't help her because I didn't either, having had no 'training' on sandwiches, plus the menu had been changed and by the way which of the new plates on the shelf does this damned side go on? Of course, I could make a decision as to which silly dish for the side, but if I don't get it right? Laura was standing at the slicer watching us with the expression of a battleaxe overseeing an unruly grade three class, Heather was flustered and I looked around for Cheryl, who was at the cash. I'm not going to ask Laura. Especially while we're getting backed up on the orders, which kind of made me chuckle inside. Then Cheryl came over and reached up for a plate inside some cupboard and looked at me.
'You've been here for weeks now and you don't know this?' in a tone of voice that made me want to bend her over and boot her up her fat ass.
'I haven't done the sandwiches nor the sides before. Remember?' So Cheryl took over, Heather went outside for a smoke and I walked away to do what I did best - the dishes.
Then Cheryl came up with another idea. I was to make sandwiches 'when it's not busy.' I totally regretted opening this can of worms with the request to make sandwiches. In fact, I couldn't believe I was going through all this pettiness over sandwich-making. But here's where it got fun. As I stood over the sandwich table, Cheryl called out what I was supposed to do while she roamed the room, then came and barked over my shoulder with 'NO, NOT LIKE THIS, LIKE THIS!' and 'IT DOESN'T GO LIKE THAT, IT GOES LIKE THIS!' One time, she pushed aside the sandwich I'd been making and redid it until I was so fed up with everything I couldn't see the sandwich table for the blood in my eyes. She then ordered me to get the egg salad in the fridge and it was disgustingly runny, but I put it in a side dish anyway. Fuck it.
'You can't serve that!' She got an out two eggs and started whipping them around a plastic container as Laura swooped in to see the mess, glared at me and swooped off again. I swiped the dish and the rotten egg salad sideways right into the garbage bin and walked off.
'You do it.'
I was going leave that minute, but God spoke to me in a soothing voice and said 'Nancy, you're only making 10.45 an hour.' So, being the responsible gal I am, I stayed until the end of the day and, as untrainable as a black bear at a culinary school, I never returned.
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