After the loading dock was opened and making sure everyone was at their’ post the mad rush would begin. The cooks prepared their stations and fired up the grills, while the salad ladies chopped lettuce and boiled eggs. The runners filled ice bins and placed food items on the lines, simultaneously brewing enormous quantities of coffee. Bagels and toast were all started in multi-slotted toasters. When the doors opened thousands of students passed through the cafeteria. This all happened within a six-hour period. At seven AM the mad rush would commence and slowly subside by one PM. He had never seen so many students and so much food consumed in such a short period of time. Although Japes was a college graduate this job would turn out to be quite an education. Massive productions in the world of grub; were not unusual, but the scope and volume at Grubland were unparalleled. It was hard physical work and it required a tremendous labor force. Organized chaos is what it was. The staff was nice and hard working, but many were limited in their abilities. This was the type of work that they would pursue for the rest of their lives. It was a far cry from the hotel …show more content…
He realized this was going to be a hard way to make a living. All the workers were of limited skills and the daily tasks were enormous. The dishwashing crew seemed to be the most organized and efficient. They were from the Subcontinent and only one of them spoke English. Their area was always spotless and they never had a bad day. The group had a melodious chant that permeated the kitchen. It was soothing and pleasant. An equal number of males and females performed the same job. He wasn't sure, but maybe this had something to do with greater harmony. Slinger was the one and only pots and pans guy. He was a little different than the other servers and was isolated at the pot sink. There was not a big future in being a pot washer, but Slinger had a secret skill. He liked to weld. This may have been something he learned in his home country nobody knew. Slinger's hobby was to weld all kinds of metal, including pots and pans, into works of art. Occasionally, he brought in pictures of his work. The work was amazing. He would make a large pot look like a mountain with stone faces and trees. All of his work was unique and, with a little help from everyone, it was displayed in a gallery. This was a great moment for Slinger. Although he never made any real money from his passion, he was able to share it with