Lessons from the Lunchlady: anything is possible as long as you take the damn temp
We were only in the kitchen for three days this week but, like always, I have learned a lot.
About a year ago, I shared this post about school hamburger. Two products posing as the same thing but containing totally different ingredients,
Pink Slime IS NOT in all school burgers. This week we served 100 percent beef patties that were not precooked. They looked just like the hamburger many of you would buy at the local grocery store. Considering the negative publicity concerning pink slime I expected our hamburger count to plummet. Nope. The count was up. Who'd have thought?
Towels not folded properly can be upsetting. Remember when I talked to all of you about toilet paper and how I don't care about the way it rolls. I kind of feel the same way about the cleaning towels at work. If they are clean and if they are folded I am happy. Apparently, my boss really gets annoyed by my inability to line up all the towels by width and stripe and color. Um..I swear...I didn't know.
Take the temperatures, dammit! In case you didn't know, we temperature EVERYTHING just like I am sure you do at home. Wait? You don't temperature your tots? Seriously? How do you know they're done? LOL All the temps need recorded and sometimes we get distracted. My boss, who rarely says anything harsher than fiddlesticks, told me she didn't give a damn who got the item out of the oven/steamer it still needed recorded. Holy crap...between the towels and the temps she may be looking forward to retirement.
What would you do for a marshmellow treat? The kids were soing funny faces or silly dances for Rice Krispy treats this week. Some of our first graders dance like this. Funny and disturbing all at the same time.
Kids believe anything is possible. . An elementary is an amazing place and often I am so grateful that I get to hang out there. Most of those kiddos believe wholeheartedly that anything is possible. The smallest 1st grader can be a monster truck driver. The goofiest kindergartener...future President of the United States. The smartest sencond grader...they just might cure juvenile diabetes. Having a bunch of third graders telling you to not give up on your book...well it doesn't get much better than that.
What did you learn this week?
About Me
- kisatrtle
- I'm a 41 year old (gasp) freelance writer, school cafeteria manager, wife and mother. I have three children and one anxious and overweight beagle. I use my blog to make others laugh, to share some cool crafts, to document my lunchlady adventures and to lament about the challenges faced by us all on the journey called life. Thanks for visiting. Please leave some crack...um...I meant some comments.
9 random thoughts:
That is CRAZY the hamburger count has been up with all of this uproar about pink slime. That stuff is sooooo gross.
Elementary kids are so sweet and full of dreams :)
I work with kids too. Much prefer them to the adults. Smarter and funnier with far fewer agendas.
I learned to never again watch that particular "Chippendales" video while eating.
Most certainly why I love younger children. I work with troubled teenagers and, while they teach me stuff frequently, it's not always as fun as the littler kids.
--I've been hearing so much about that pink slime. YUCkkk.
Love that clip of Patrick & Chris.
Classic. <3
Again you amazed me with what you have learned.
Although everyone is talking about this pink slime stuff, I haven't seen the reports about it and I really don't want to.
I know the butcher shop in my grocery store makes their own hamburger, they do it right there where the customers can see. It goes into the grinder and onto the tray and into the case.
I'm glad I have a great grocery store!
I don't really know about the pink slime stuff … and I'm not sure I want to.
I love the pureness of elementary school and how much they do believe in all possibilities.
Do you think the mechanically separated chicken scandal will make a comeback?
I always trusted my school lunches more than fast food - schools have barely a budget and work miracles with it, while food chains make tons of money but look to cut costs. Two entirely different intentions for their customers.
Sarcasm alert: Your new boss sounds FUN!