Memoirs: DC Humor

As promised, here I'll start to go back and start as things generally start--that is, at the beginning.

Working at the DC requires job training.

It requires tapes on food sanitation and customer service that made me unsure of whether I should be banging my head against the table or laughing hysterically. Neither choice, though fitting, was appropriate at the time since there was always someone from the Human Resource Center there, as the "instructor." They were very nice and friendly each time, of course, and very insistent about doing their job right. However, I'm convinced that they have no idea what it's like to WORK in the DC, especially during the Rush (a term refering to the golden hours from around 6-7:30pm, where people come in groups of hundreds--and I'm not even joking). Which went a long way to explain why we have to fill out worksheets on the proper response to give to a customer when he/she is receiving his/her food.

In real life, you seldom have more than time to flash a smile (if you feel like you're up to it).

Then there's the other pleasantries, I suppose I should call them, such as something along the lines of making a eye contact with the customer when he/she is at about 10 ft away, and smile and greet him/her at a distance that's either five or three feet (don't remember exactly, and now I don't NEED to remember).

The Human Resource People--the ones who does the initial interviews and training, are very friendly--and a little too assumping. The Inspector video tapes (especially that one with the mad scientist and HACCIP or whatever the acronym was) are funny though. If you happen to like really, really, really cheesy jokes being made on food preparation and watch people who are not that talented actors pretend to be stupid.

Whoo-ee. Yes, it's as exciting as it sounds, and the training has to be renewed each year. (Which I found out much to my chagrin because if I'd known it ahead of time I wouldn't have gotten myself hired in December so I'd have to go through the stuff TWICE in two quarters). It cannot conflict with your regular shifts or your classes, and each class is only offered so many times at certain times, so you get all the joy of planning it out. Each DC's workers have to complete their renewal training before a certain date (ours was before Spring Quarter started). And at the end of each lovely hour-long sessions (there're multiple so--more fun with agenda) you come out feeling a little bleary, but knowing full well now that you ought to NEVER lean on the counters while working, slouch or in any other way look grumpy, and CHANGE YOUR GLOVES WHENEVER YOU TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE BESIDES THE FOOD THAT YOU ARE SERVING. (Sorry, but if you've had that reminded to you as many times as it had been reminded to me, you'd type in all caps too.)

But, if you're lucky, your "instructor" will turn out to be the nice ones who let you have a candy bar on your way out of your job-training sessions.

Next memoir--the first day of work.