First Day With Real Meals

Today was a little chaotic- it was our first day serving real meals, rather than prepping in the kitchen and eating from the winter kitchen, which is taken care of by other people. Today breakfast was still off our turf, but we served lunch buffet style and dinner for real, with CITs (who are our waiters) who had very little clue of what they were doing. But all in all, it went decently.

Of course, the day started even earlier than planned- our first delivery truck showed up at 6:45, rather than 7 which was what we were told the earliest would likely be. Luckily, I saw the truck going down the road as I was putting my tfillin away, so I put them down and headed down to meet the truck. And then, an hour later, after the kitchen steward and I checked everything in, I went, put things away, and had a bit of a break since we weren't making breakfast. That felt sort of confusing and chaotic, because I had no idea when I was supposed to be back in the kitchen. That's one weakness of this place so far- the schedule is very, very vague and poorly communicated.

Lunch wasn't bad, and I even got to sit down to eat it, with plenty of time- this is probably because it was set out buffet style, and was very simple food.

After we finished up for the day, I went to the meeting that was theoretically for everyone in camp, but was very much aimed at counselors- there was a reasonable chunk of information that just didn't apply to me. I mean, there was this whole shtick about no cell phones during regular camp hours- I'm finding that I need my phone to call the steward if he's off doing something, to add to the order for the next day. For a kitchen that feeds so many people, we have very little storage space (we have 2 walk-in fridges and a walk-in freezer and a large storeroom, but for feeding 1000 people during lunch- it's going to be tight, so orders happen last-minutely, almost). I'm just finding that my life is very separate from most of camp really- different life, different hours, etc, etc. It's both a blessing and a curse- I feel sort of alone and cut-off this way, but I think I'd feel really lonely in that "I'm all alone in a crowd" way that is the worst sort of loneliness, if I were with the regular counselors and such staff.

So tonight, (after dinner, where I and the other kitchen staff ate standing, in between handing things to CITS, and trying to keep them from treifing anything up or burning themselves or whatnot while getting food out on the tables), there's some other program- ice breakers, interspersed with line dances (they're playing Zodiac now- it's making me a touch nostalgic, but not enough to get me to go down there), and I just decided to skip it. It seems pretty clear from the last meeting that kitchen staff doesn't really have the same obligation to go to the stuff everyone else does- after all, half their activities are while we're working already.

On the other hand, I had a very nice conversation with our usually slightly taciturn kitchen steward, after we finished cleaning and locking up after dinner. That was both rather more beneficial and fun than icebreakers. And I'll go down for the ice cream party after the ice breakers.

Today's realization: I'm going to need more clothing with pockets on it. Maybe I'll get some fabric (and a needle and thread, since I left mine in NYC) and sew some patch-pockets onto my kitchen shirts when I get them, or onto my apron or some such.

First Day With Real Meals

Today was a little chaotic- it was our first day serving real meals, rather than prepping in the kitchen and eating from the winter kitchen, which is taken care of by other people. Today breakfast was still off our turf, but we served lunch buffet style and dinner for real, with CITs (who are our waiters) who had very little clue of what they were doing. But all in all, it went decently.

Of course, the day started even earlier than planned- our first delivery truck showed up at 6:45, rather than 7 which was what we were told the earliest would likely be. Luckily, I saw the truck going down the road as I was putting my tfillin away, so I put them down and headed down to meet the truck. And then, an hour later, after the kitchen steward and I checked everything in, I went, put things away, and had a bit of a break since we weren't making breakfast. That felt sort of confusing and chaotic, because I had no idea when I was supposed to be back in the kitchen. That's one weakness of this place so far- the schedule is very, very vague and poorly communicated.

Lunch wasn't bad, and I even got to sit down to eat it, with plenty of time- this is probably because it was set out buffet style, and was very simple food.

After we finished up for the day, I went to the meeting that was theoretically for everyone in camp, but was very much aimed at counselors- there was a reasonable chunk of information that just didn't apply to me. I mean, there was this whole shtick about no cell phones during regular camp hours- I'm finding that I need my phone to call the steward if he's off doing something, to add to the order for the next day. For a kitchen that feeds so many people, we have very little storage space (we have 2 walk-in fridges and a walk-in freezer and a large storeroom, but for feeding 1000 people during lunch- it's going to be tight, so orders happen last-minutely, almost). I'm just finding that my life is very separate from most of camp really- different life, different hours, etc, etc. It's both a blessing and a curse- I feel sort of alone and cut-off this way, but I think I'd feel really lonely in that "I'm all alone in a crowd" way that is the worst sort of loneliness, if I were with the regular counselors and such staff.

So tonight, (after dinner, where I and the other kitchen staff ate standing, in between handing things to CITS, and trying to keep them from treifing anything up or burning themselves or whatnot while getting food out on the tables), there's some other program- ice breakers, interspersed with line dances (they're playing Zodiac now- it's making me a touch nostalgic, but not enough to get me to go down there), and I just decided to skip it. It seems pretty clear from the last meeting that kitchen staff doesn't really have the same obligation to go to the stuff everyone else does- after all, half their activities are while we're working already.

On the other hand, I had a very nice conversation with our usually slightly taciturn kitchen steward, after we finished cleaning and locking up after dinner. That was both rather more beneficial and fun than icebreakers. And I'll go down for the ice cream party after the ice breakers.

Today's realization: I'm going to need more clothing with pockets on it. Maybe I'll get some fabric (and a needle and thread, since I left mine in NYC) and sew some patch-pockets onto my kitchen shirts when I get them, or onto my apron or some such.

On Camp and Dances

Now they're doing Neshika Turkit- all the dances that were oh-so-exciting when I was in the beginng to middle of high school, give or take. I can see why this would work to gear these folks up, and to get close with eachother and drop some boundaries in the enthusiasm of the moment. And they're fun now- but they're not where I am, even if I get how the music gets you going. I guess that's growing up for you. Either that, or it's getting up-tight. I'm not sure which- maybe both. But then, I was never as loose as these folks, I think- never got into the shouting for a particular song or whatnot that they're doing now. I'm glad on the one hand- I mean, it's sort of embarassing and seems to present a lack of awareness of the self as a separate self. On the other- it seems like it would be fun, once you drop the whole self-consciousness thing.

On Camp and Dances

Now they're doing Neshika Turkit- all the dances that were oh-so-exciting when I was in the beginng to middle of high school, give or take. I can see why this would work to gear these folks up, and to get close with eachother and drop some boundaries in the enthusiasm of the moment. And they're fun now- but they're not where I am, even if I get how the music gets you going. I guess that's growing up for you. Either that, or it's getting up-tight. I'm not sure which- maybe both. But then, I was never as loose as these folks, I think- never got into the shouting for a particular song or whatnot that they're doing now. I'm glad on the one hand- I mean, it's sort of embarassing and seems to present a lack of awareness of the self as a separate self. On the other- it seems like it would be fun, once you drop the whole self-consciousness thing.