Saturday, January 5, 2013

Disney discussion: Shoulda, coulda, woulda, didn't

Wed, Dec 12, 2012

Before I embarked on this incredible journey as a Cast Member and College Program Culinary II intern with Walt Disney World, I had many reservations. So many people were very excited for me to have this opportunity. I appreciated their support and praise, and was thankful for their encouragement and advice.

But I also became keenly aware of the magnitude of responsibility such an opportunity presented. I knew this would be a demanding experience, and that I would likely be taxed far beyond any other employment or educational experience I had been through before in my life.

I was afraid that I would not be up to the task of completing the course or representing my school. Well wishers assured me that I would be fine.

And with a nervous smile, I jumped in feet first with goals for excellence and worst case scenario contingency plans.

The actual experience was familiar yet skewed into new surroundings. I had teammates, we had a set production menu for the day, and Chefs to report to. But the experience continued each day for twice as long as a normal class, instead of once or twice a week for a few hours. The menu did not change from week to week.

I could not familiarize myself with the recipes before or between production with recipe cards. The recipes were locked in the office, and I didn’t want to appear to be stealing company secrets by studying or copying them. Also, only the formulas were written, not the procedure.

But the worst part of all of this was that we didn’t get to taste what we made. The Chefs did not sample our product or critique it so we can learn what we have done correctly and what needs to change.

I had not realized before this experience how much I rely upon that constant feedback to hone my job performance and gain confidence that I am on the right track.

Even more than that, not tasting the product or receiving evaluation and feedback from the Chefs left me adrift without my main asset.

As a Culinary Student I created wonderful working relationships with my Chefs who became familiar with my work and the high quality of my products as well as my work ethic.

I would double check recipes and take precise measurements. I liked to get my mise en plas assembled before production so that I can completely focus on the process and finished product. I may take a few minutes more to get something done than those buzzing around me, but I made fewer mistakes, made consistently superior products, and was generally worth waiting for.

I work clean, methodic, and steady. I’ve always thought that was the most important thing.

Without knowledge of any of that the only knowledge of my ability or performance is based on did I or did I not clock in early. Did I or did I not work as quickly as those around me, who might I add, had been making these same products every day for years. And did I or did I not make product that looked about right. Not that anything I made was held up next to anyone else’s to at least see how the products compare.

So… I was measured and found wanting.

This experience changed my entire perspective of the Culinary Arts profession.

This is a business.
And the all mighty bottom line is more important than anything else as a deciding factor in what goes on in the kitchen.

In a high volume bakery, speed is much more important than accuracy or quality. As long as it looks about right and no one complains, then crank out as much as you can as fast as you can do it. And as long as we have enough product to fill client orders and keep their shelves stocked, then we’re doing a good job.

This experience made me realize a lot of things.

For example, perhaps I don’t want to be a Baker.

*gasp!!!*

While I do enjoy making tasty products, it’s the decoration and crafting of the finished product that excites me.

I like the variety of production that comes with a new challenge each day instead of making the same, undecorated, unfinished, naked products.

I think that was an important thing to realize before considering opening up a bakery of my own where the filled cupcake and cereal treat trays are what makes or breaks the business.

I spent much of my last few weeks fantasizing about what I would do differently if I were given the chance to create a company and run my own kitchen.
I would focus on special orders and food sculptures.
The artistry and challenge would keep me coming back for more.

Those in my employ would be paid by the project like a contractor and not just by the hour. The quality and consistency of their products would determine their pay rate. The better they work, the more money they make.

Also, when they complete their work, they can leave. So those impatient people who want to just get out of there? If they get the work done and get it done right, then they can go home early, and good for them. But if they mess up then they have to do it again.

This will help preserve resources since no one wants to do something over again, so they’ll take the time to do it right.

Also, if they take their time to get something just right and get the product done, or if they are easily distracted and keep wandering off or something, then I won’t be out any additional money while they were screwing around. And since the quality of their work determines their per project pay rate, they will take the time to make amazing products. The all mighty dollar will motivate the workers and that bottom line will be preserved.

And the need to keep clients coming back will encourage growth and change. And that will keep me coming back as well. And at the end of the day, if you don’t like what you do, or you don’t have room to grow, then you’ll quit and do something else.

And no one wants to start all over again. So I’d better take the time to do things right.

And that is okay with me.

Disney week 10: Finale. (Finally?)

I never even finished this last one at the time. Here is what I wrote:

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Wed, Dec 12, 2012

As I write my final report of this experience, I am in the middle of driving home from Florida to Indiana.

Okay, I’m not driving right this moment.

That would be dangerous.

And probably beyond my mental capacity at the moment.

The end of my program came to an abrupt end. At the conclusion of my second to last week was the first day for two new college program students. There had also been a new professional intern the week or so before, and the other college program person had extended their program as well.

So with four extra people in the kitchen, the Chef pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to wrap things up a week early since he just has too many people on the payroll right now, and maybe it would be best for me in my "condition".

So, that became my last day of work. I thanked the Chef and finished working. Oddly, that was the hardest day I had experienced work wise in the entire program. And sadly, my favorite coworker was not there that day. So I promised to come back and say goodbye before I leave.

Returning the following day was bitter sweet.

It was sad to be there for a final time.

I timed my visit to be about when their lunch break would be so I wouldn’t bother them at work. When I walked into the cafeteria to say goodbye, said coworker, my Pueto Rico Papi, looked up and said “Oh, Mami, I’ve been crying all day. I haven’t gotten any work done because I’ve been crying and these one [gesturing to the new girls] is too slow.” He even offered to help me drive back to Indy.

After a few farewell hugs and pictures, I departed with as much professional dignity as I could muster.

And I miss all of them.

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*sad sigh*

My final days in the Disney College Program were filled with dread to leave because I knew I would never have an opportunity like this again, and impatience to return home to my family.

It took a few days to wrap up loose ends; make sure all of the paperwork and stuff was completed with each i dotted and t crossed. I turned in all uniforms, keys, and ID cards. I spent a couple fun nights saying goodbye to dear friends, and went back to my tiny apartment and packed some more.

Oh, and let's not forget the Christmas Shopping that needed to be completed!

I still feel guilty for missing both of my young children's birthdays. I was determined to make this the best, most generous Christmas ever.

Basically all of my tiny paychecks went to room & and board or presents for friends and family. What was the point of this whole ordeal if I didn't get to spoil my children, nieces, and nephews, and everyone who picked up the slack for me while I was away?

(And let me tell you, the loss of the cast member discount when I got back to real life was painful. lol)

But my main regret was that I didn't get to see anything of New Fantasyland before I left. And it doesn't seem likely that I will ever get such an opportunity to see it again. *sigh*

c'est la vi.

I miss a lot of it now. Particularly my best friends.

It was such a wonderful opportunity, and a beautiful nurturing place to live. ...

I brought home a couple house geckos with me that I caught outside my apartment before I left. They have adapted to their new terrerium, and grow fat and lazy under my lavish care.

*small smile* I look at them all the time with mixed feelings of accomplishment and sadness. Not just for now, but for opportunities lost all over. *staring whistfully into the distance*

...The drive home was an expereince all unto itself. I dislike roadtrips and closed in spaces. And I've never driven anywhere close to that far by myself before. But I knew it would have been so much more difficult to make room for another person to help drive me home. But more than that, I couldn't bare to have to talk about everything that's happened yet with no way out to get some peace. *sigh*

So, it took the drive slowly, stopped when I needed to, and listened to lots of showtunes. Each time I stopped for gas it seemed to be at least 10 degrees colder, and I was like, "Why the heck am I still driving north???!?" *laughs softly*



The hardest part has been the welcoming well wishers who want to hear all about the experience as they smile at me expectantly.
It is uncomfortable.
What can I say?
Pretend it was the best thing that ever happened to me?
Cop out and joke that it was humid?

I've mostly given mixed responses like, "It was an incredible opportunity. It was extreme and difficult. I am so thankful I was able to be there. I would do it again in a heartbeat. But hopefully not anytime soon, because it is just so wonderful to be home."

So that's the truth of how I feel. And now you know something of the sad details that played out in the background.

Disney week 9: Revealed. The raw truth.



Written: Wed, Dec 5, 2012

So, we have made it to the end, and are coming to a close on this life altering journey. As I reviewed the weeks prior to this one, all of the signs were there. I started out strong and optimistic. Things began to get tough but I put a smile on my face and muscled through it. Calamity struck, but I tried to laugh it off and kept going.

Things were getting pretty tough and I found myself lonely and questioning what to do next. I had to re-evaluate why I was here and what I was going to do about it. The façade was gone; this job is hard and the experience isn’t much like I’d anticipated it would be. Then I dropped the “everything will work out for the best” act and talked about the screw ups I’d made, and how that was affecting my performance and ability to persevere.

Finally, the confessions of how my health had been playing a major role in preventing me from reaching the potential this opportunity had afforded me.

I didn’t make it all the way through this experience without a complete mental and physical breakdown.

I feel ashamed that I shared so much of the unhappiness of this experience. But I am also glad because there would be no way to capture the raw feelings and the truth behind them without doing so in the moment.

So what happened?

Well, my breakdown culminated in the medical result of a miscarriage. I am no longer or not pregnant.

*long pause*

Sorry to share something so personal with you. But it is the truth and is not of little consequence.

Everyone at work have been so kind, and more than fair in their treatment of me. Either out of mercy or punishment they cut the remaining hours for my final two weeks to a handful of working days. I have gratefully accepted this, and it is only because of the eased burden that I can even consider sticking it out one last week instead of packing it in now and running home with my tail between my legs.

The tragedy and perhaps irony (it’s so hard to determine irony sometimes) of the situation is that now that I’m about done with the program, and after all of the sadness, that I actually get to shine.

It is only now that the nausea and everything is gone. I no longer feel constantly ill. I have grown confident in certain recipes and tasks that I am more familiar with, so my proficiency and speed have increased.

This passed week, I finished the spot in record time and impressed even the fastest worker with my speed. I haven’t made any mistakes to note, and I haven’t been tardy. There was even a day when I arrived early and was told they’d changed my schedule, so I wasn’t even scheduled that day. So I finished my Christmas shopping and spent the rest of the day at The Magic Kingdom while I had the chance.

I am so very thankful for the courtesy afforded to me in what appears to be an opportunity to finish out my program.

Everyone one else here seems to be surprised that my allotted time out here was so short by comparison to the average term. But I have never been more thankful for this because I know I would not last a day longer, much less six more weeks.

As a coworker put it, “This experience has been different [for me] than most, and not for the best. But part of being a professional is to get back in there and follow through despite the consequences.”

Or something like that.



(...and yes. I drew that.)

Disney week 8: Revealed. The Nervous Breakdown.

Again, I wrote this several weeks ago. But I'm ready to open a dialogue to discuss it now.

Finally, I admit the personal, intimate, details to my nervous breakdown.

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Tues, Nov 27, 2012

While preparing our belated Thanksgiving feast over the weekend, one of my roommates put in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” which talks a lot about career, drive, and the sacrifices you might and maybe shouldn’t make as you work your way to the top.

The main character confides to a coworker that her personal life is hanging by a thread.
His response is “That happens when you start to do well at your job.
Call me when your entire life goes up in smoke.
That’s when it’s time for a promotion.”

That pretty much sums up my feelings and experiences this passed week and especially today.

Another example from the movies (hey, it’s okay, I work at Hollywood Studios after all!):

In every thematic drama there is a point about 2/3 the way through the movie where the main character is at a major crossroads.
You know they are either going to make a life changing decision or move, or they’re going to mess it all up and leave you yelling at the screen about what they should have done instead.
Or both.
That is where I am right now.

Anyone that knows me knows that I run on Hawaiian Time. Anyone who has been to the islands knows that things are more laid back and anyone that arrives less than five minutes late is actually early. But then we stay as long as is needed to get the job done, we do a great job, everyone loves us.

But that doesn’t work in the business world here on the mainland. And Disney doesn’t care if you’re one minute late, an hour late, or didn’t go in at all; it is all bad, goes on your permanent record and you’re done for. And even though I plan to leave like an hour early for work, those little things pile up that cause delays and suddenly you’re racing through traffic and trying to politely dash through the parking lot to clock in on time.

Add morning sickness to this and there can be no more wiggle room to getting to work on time.

...

I’d been doing so well! *frustraited sigh*

I finished work on the Spot the other day in record time! I was working with the fastest worker in our group and I had to wait on him to get some things ready because I had already completed my tasks. Several days in a row I got compliments from my manager that I had done a really good job that day.

We overcame unimaginable odds in terms of the massive amounts of production we had to accomplish each day, and worked later and later to get everything done.

While I was at work of course I was AT WORK and working my tail off. I didn’t wander away from my station or start messing with my phone, or just disappearing for maybe ten minutes at a time as some of my coworkers are known to do. I wouldn’t even stop for a drink until I had all of my production done at that point. But I still clocked in a minute or two late and more than once. And that is all that matters.

As the week came to a close, I got sick during the middle of the shift and rushed out of the room. I took care of stuff, came right back, re-washed my hands and went back to working.

Before I even said anything, my supervisor came over and said she heard I was sick, but she couldn’t send me home because I already had a report against me and I’d be fired.

Really?

I didn’t even request to go home or anything, yet I felt like I'd been hung out to dry.

Through the preceding days I would be stumbling to work feeling like I couldn’t take another step, but knowing that we were so busy I just couldn’t call in and give up on them. I’m part of the team and they need all hands on deck to make it through.

But I comforted myself that if worst came to worst, at least they’d know I tried and I wouldn’t get in trouble if they sent me home early. But now I can’t leave? Wasn’t it better that I came in and did what I could? No. I guess that is not better than nothing.

The harsh reality: one minute or one day, you are still docked.

So, this morning I got to work. Started heading in to costuming, and got really sick. Someone told me to just call in and go home. By the time I pulled myself together I knew I would be late, since there is that long walk and hundreds of people between me and that time clock. So I gave in. I called in and I went home.

And the whole way home I was like, this is crazy! I should call them and tell them what happened and ask them if I could still come in. But they would have already gotten someone to cover my shift by then, and I didn’t want to trouble them further. And I was too scared to cause more of a scene by calling and bothering them. So I went home and stayed there.

...

*deep breath*

...

I had a nervous breakdown. I could already envision the introduction of my biography: “In the Fall of 2012, Dalyn had a mental break and was admitted into a suicide watch ward.” …

While I was bent over the sink of our apartment vomiting up my meal for the day which was now streaked with blood in it, I considered going to a hospital.

Surely that would be proof enough of something or other, right? ...Then I could go home and get some help, and not just be labled a failure or a quitter, right?

When someone starts considering ways to create their cry for help, that is when things get real. Fast.

...

And it scared me.

I can’t pretend that working here isn’t a big head game. I have spent most of the week coming to grips that I just don’t have “what it takes to hack it” in this industry.

This brings my education and my career choices into question.

Do I drop out of school?
Do I quit before they fire me or something?

It’s so hard to understand everything said to me at work sometimes because I wasn’t smart enough to learn Spanish before I came out here.

I feel like I have had this amazing opportunity down here and I just blew it.

I can’t blame my failing health for it completely. An unplanned pregnancy right now is just REALLY bad timing. I wish I could just reset to my last save point before all of this started and just do it all again.

...

When following a competition reality show, there always seems to be someone who has a crisis meltdown and like walks out of the competition. I understand it now.

The competition to get into this position was so fierce. I wanted to do it so badly. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to leave my children for so long. I was afraid I wouldn’t remember everything I learned in school and bring shame. I was afraid that I would mess it all up.

But I went for it and told myself that it was precisely BECAUSE I was so scared that this would be a good experience for me. I should learn a lot about myself and regardless of how long I am able to be here, I need to make the most of every moment of it.

Well, I’ve done all of that.
The fear?
Oh yes.
I deal with all of that not day to day but just moment to moment.

Was the experience good for me?
I knew that I would regret it forever if I gave up before I even started.

But my problem is that I just don’t feel adequate enough to be here anymore, and I just don’t want to waste their time or something.

And I don’t have any witty comments or scenarios to get me through this one.
So I’m at a quandary.

My personal life does indeed feel like it’s hanging by a thread tonight.
And it looks like my entire career is about to go up in smoke.
And there is nothing I can do about it either way tonight.

So I wrote this report. I’ll submit it and go to bed. I’ll get to work early tomorrow. They’ll either send me packing or send me to a station to work. At least then the worrying will all be over and my fate will be decided for me. What more can I do tonight?

In last minute news, we switched from these “Happy Chef” logo baseball caps to the new kufi style hats. Here’s what the old logo looked like. I’ve liked it all along.

Disney week 7: Revealed. Surrendering.

This is the week that I finally admit what had been going wrong during my externship. And you may begin to understand why I was reluctant to start talking about it publicly.

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Wed, Nov 28, 2012

I think I have finally run out of things to ramble about with this experience. I continue to help wherever I am assigned to do so. If I work the spot then I portion out hundreds of cupcakes (mostly pumpkin or chocolate these days), cheesecakes, mousses, carrot cakes, chocolate cake, ganache, parfaits, and so forth. The never ending stream of pumpkin cupcakes seems unimaginable.

If I work the back end of the bakery then I make the 7 layer cookies, yellow, chocolate, or red cakes in layers or rounds. I actually got to do some marble sheet cakes the other day, which was fun. I also bake brownies, cupcakes, help divide the forcaccia dough, and I am pretty sure I have mastered the rice krispies treats. . . Do I get a merit badge for this? Because it seems like I did get one for that when I was six. :/

Regardless, I am getting better and faster at working around this high volume production bakery, and I did MUCH better dividing the cake layers into even quarters for the grapefruit cake. Of which, I finally tracked down a picture of the plated dessert itself:

[Both of these desserts were plated and photographed by a co-worker.]



And here’s one of our plated “Celebration” mousses that are given out for birthdays and such:



I have been able to work fast enough to catch a few moments at times to observe the cake decorating and cocoa butter painting of molded chocolate characters. I have decided to focus on observing what I can of their work in the last few weeks of my externship.

*long pause*

I have finally concluded that I cannot, at this time, extend my externship.

With a possible pregnancy causing me to be sick all the time, and young children who miss their mother; on top of the confirmation that I am a lousy student when it comes to on-line classes… it can only be concluded that I must return to my little growing family in Indiana for the moment.

I have resisted this at every turn because I fear that I will never have another opportunity to do this.

And it feels like I am trading in my dream as I look at my final weeks here.

*deep sigh* But that’s part of being a mother, isn’t it?

And children are worth every sacrifice.

Disney week 6: Revealed. Changing the subject.

As was previously stated, this was written several weeks ago, and I'm just about ready to talk about everything that happened. Here is what I was thinking and feeling at the time.

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Wed, Nov 14, 2012

Let’s talk about something more fun this week. Let’s talk about the one product we make that has anything to do with what I want to specialize in: The Grapefruit Cake. We make some portion of this dessert every day. We make about two dozen of the cakes every other day, which get portioned out into 8-12 slices. That’s a rather successful turnover with a $8 price point per slice.

I absolutely love working with the grapefruit because it is such a light fresh scent when I am constantly surrounded by all of these heavy sweet smells. The little notes of citrus flung wild in the bakery come to me at unexpected moments and I almost swoon every time.

I feel that my training has given me all of the skills necessary to prepare these layered cakes, and I have done well with them. Like many of the cakes featured in my Euro Cakes and Tortes class, this dessert is made as follows:



Prepare, bake, cool, wrap 10” rounds of yellow cake. Label, date, and freeze.



The cakes are leveled, sides and bottom trimmed, and split into four layers. I love filleting off the delicate layer of brown from the bottom.



Ring molds are lined with strips of acetate and placed on cake rounds. The cake rings are lined with jacond to hold the whole product together.

The cake layers are soaked with a grapefruit maceration, and slathered with layers of grapefruit jam and a cream cheese based grapefruit puree filling. The process is repeated until all layers are used, ending with a leveled layer of filling. The cakes are chilled and later finished with a thin grapefruit glaze, sliced and plated, and topped with a dried slice of candied grapefruit. It is glorious.

Here are the tips I have picked up that were not learned in school:

Instead of preparing the jacond in the traditional method with a contrasting batter that creates a unique design, they carefully thinly spread the jacond onto transfer sheets and baked, which guarantees a consistent product. They have a dedicated rotary blade device which cuts the jacond sheets into the correct sizes for lining the rings. When the jacond is trimmed to make a perfect seal around the ring, it is cut slight longer than needed, overlapping by about half - one centimeter, and then pushed into position which creates a tight lining.

The layers of fillings are spread out with a standard plastic icing smoother which has been cut in half to facilitate getting into those small spaces without giving up the benefit of having a wide blade to work with.

Like most everything else, the fillings are portioned out with specific sizes of ice-cream scoopers to get a quick consistent distribution of product.



Finally, the candied citrus slices are made by slicing the grapefruit while frozen, laying out the slices on halved silpats on small racks, dusted with powdered sugar,



and left in a dehydrator overnight instead of cooking and soaking in increasingly dense syrups.

The whole process and experience is what has made this internship useful to me and my future in this industry.

Disney week 5: Revealed. The FNG.

The following posts were written at the time, but not posted because it was all very complicated, and I wasn't ready to share with the world everything that was going on.

This was the week that I could no longer pretend that everything was going well or even mostly well.

If you go back and look at all of these posts about my Disney Externship, you will see a pattern:

Week 1, everything is wonderful and I am so excited and blessed.

Week 2, I have never been so happy to be anywhere in my life, and I never want to leave.

Week 3, okay so things have been rough, but I am thankful to be here. Maybe now that I've worked passed the blahs then things will work themselves out.

Week 4, okay, so some rotten stuff has happened to me, and it was embarassing, but I am determined to look on the bright side of things, put on a brave face, and keep going.

.... When Week 5 came along, I felt like I had failed everyone who had supported me and encouraged me, everyone who has instructed and inspired me. I felt like a let down, and I was ashamed to come clean that the can-do-push-on-through attitude was worn off and I was... well... misserable.

So, I hear you asking:

"Why talk about this now? It was months ago. No one cares anymore."

*pause*

Yeah, well be that as it may, I'm ready to work through what happened to me out there and try to find that silver lining at the end. And the best way to do that is to look back with those supposedly 20/20 hindsight goggles on. And away we go. *deep breath*

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Wed, Nov 7, 2012

This was a bad week. I have never felt more like an FNG than I have now. If you don’t know what an FNG is, I’ll just tell you that the NG stands for New Girl… It’s a term I learned from a Chef I worked with years ago.

Anyway, it seemed like all of the hard work I’ve been doing to measure everything correctly, double check stuff, and do things right, have all been replaced by getting everything wrong. Not on purpose of course, but it’s just one of those times when everything seems to go wrong.

So, what have I learned? Well, let’s talk about what happened. First of all, Florida is hot and humid. Just because we’re into late October and November doesn’t mean that things have cooled down enough that the daily mad dash I make from the back end of cast member parking, through costuming, down the back-lot, and across the park to the production bakery without arriving in a sweat. Also, there is no time to catch my breath because I am working from the moment I enter the bakery. I try to move swift and there is a great deal of bending, lifting, carrying, and basic non-stop cardio from the get go until almost the end of the shift.

In addition to sweat streaming down my face and into my eyes, my glasses steam up as I’m running around and moving in and out of freezers. So, I have taken to removing my glasses when I first get to work and not bother with them until things cool down after the lunch break. I am nearsighted, but can basically see what’s going on around me and work without incident. I just can’t read a sign on the other side of the room for example.

Besides all of that, things have progressed from me assisting someone else, to me working with someone else, to someone working with me, to me working alone with supervision, and now me just working alone. So the stage is set: I’m left unsupervised and I can’t always see clearly. I guess when you put it that way, it’s no wonder things began going wrong all the time. Okay, no more disclaimers. What happened??

Well, I was mise-ing out ingredients for both batches of the Sugar Cookie Dough and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough while waiting for the largest mixer and its bowl to be available for use. These are huge recipes which result in one to two hundred pounds of product at a time. I was just finishing mixing together the sugar cookie dough when a coworker walked by and noticed that one of the ingredients I had measured out was incorrect. Here’s what it was:



Hmm. What is that, I hear you asking yourself. It looks like sugar maybe? But something seems a bit off. I did have that vague unease about it. But it was in the bin for the sugar and what else would it be? Well, I was supposed to measure out sugar. This is not it. Here’s a picture of granulated sugar for comparison:



Ahh, that looks more like it. Or is it salt? Hmm. These things are all starting to look alike. Let’s try a side-by-side view:



Well, as you’re probably guessing, it was discovered that I had the wrong 10lbs of stuff measured out when it was supposed to be 10lbs of sugar. The correction was not made before the first 10lbs went into the sugar cookie dough, however. Did I mention that neither Chefs nor the bakery manager were there that day? No? Well, now they both know since a call had to be made that the FNG put the wrong thing in the dough, is there a way to save it? No? Okay, throw it out and start over.

Now my shame gets to be shared not only with the whole bakery and the people that weren’t even there, but now with the Brown Derby staff and the dish tank workers since I have to wheel the entire thing over there and scoop all of the dough out of this waist high bowl into the trash can. Then, of course, I need to re-measure and mix everything for the sugar dough, and then get to portion the dough out into 8lb logs for fabrication by the morning shift. Then finally get to do it all for that chocolate chip cookie dough, and get that portioned out. Then clean up before I can go to lunch. Obviously it was all a waste of money, a waste of product, and a waste of time. I felt so ashamed.

Oh, wait. You want to know what the mistaken ingredient turned out to be, don’t you? It was granulated Fructose. . . I didn’t even know such a thing existed. I still don’t know what they use it for.

Upon closer inspection, the fructose bin isn’t even labeled. When I asked if we could label it they said no, it’s just the bin with no label. All of the other bins have large red plaques on them with clearly readable lettering. Except the sugar bin which has a tiny black label just under the lip of the bin. And apparently, the bins frequently move around so you can’t just grab the ingredients from the normal spot. Well, one thing is for sure. I haven’t made that mistake again.

And? I don’t think I can talk about the Brownie incident. Suffice it to say, I added too much water. So I had to increase the recipe to make up for it. And it resulted in 250lbs of brownie batter. That then had to be portioned out and baked and set everything back yet again. *sigh*