Food, Folks, and Fun!?

Do you know where that slogan is from? Well McDonald's adopted it around the time I worked there in 1990. I think it is stupid, I like "I am Lov'in it", better. I went to McDonald's today and was waited on a girl who reminds me of me. She had a fake smile, and seemed less than pleased to be working during a busy lunch hour. I feel her pain...People can be so rude when they are in a hurry, and even when they aren't. So then I started telling Sabrina about my good ol' days, when I worked there.

I had friends that worked at McDonalds, and so I got my second job there. Some people think that is is a brainless job, but that is not true. It's a hard job! Out of all the jobs I have had, working there was really tough! But I still managed to have fun in my own way...The position I loved most was the drive-thru. I could hide back in there, if some boy I liked came in and if some boy that liked me, that I didn't like, I would do the same. I had this really tough little Vietnamese woman who was my manager, who talked really fast and was hard to understand. She always wore a headset and would butt in when I was talking to someone. I have to admit, I mocked her alot, and my fellow crew thought it was funny. I even had her own son laughing. BUT he laughed at everything I said because he liked me. When she wasn't around, I would give people a hard time through the drive-thru speaker. Especially, old men...when I would notice one drive up, I would change my voice and mimic Mrs. Tran. They would get so angry! I would just laugh and laugh! When they drove -up, I would speak normal, and they would tell me how they couldn't stand that other woman's voice! I never got in trouble, because the guys in the back, who wore head sets, didn't speak English. They were native Alaskans.

The other thing about working at Mickey Dees, was the fact, that I could cook my own food, and get food for free. On slow nights, we would make all the food we would want, right before closing time, and then take it home. Everybody did it! McDonald's has a throw away after ten mins. rule, and we took advantage of that all of the time. I also would be able to collect all of the toys that came in the meals, if I wanted to.

The disadvantages were the fact that I had to wear a hat or visor! I preferred the hat, because back in those days, I spent a lot of time on my hair. Also I got to see what really happens in the back where they cook. The old guys working, always cooked things that fell on floor. That is why I cooked my own stuff if possible. I also had guys picking up on me all of the time, they were of all ages and types. Gross! Speaking about gross, I have a gross thing to tell you...

When I cooked my stuff, I was sure to burn it, even my chicken nuggets. One day when I was on break, I was standing in the doorway eating a nugget, when someone noticed what I was eating. Sticking out of my nugget was a huge red vein! I spit it out all over a tray, since then, it took years to eat them again. And even now, I eat the crust off first to see what the meat looks like. Then I have had almost broken my teeth on bones that I have found in the burgers, at least four times! Now I can agree with the nickname my little brother would call MD, McDogfood's. But he was only three, and he thought it was really called that.

Embarrassing moments were, when every time my family came to eat there. My mom always special order things, and then send it back, in a huff. It got to the point that she wouldn't have to, because they got to know her. Once my manager had to call 911 because my little brother Timmy, got his head stuck in the metal bars of the indoor play ground. (this was before the plastic play set) Firemen had to cut him out, and my manager was worried about being sued. It was embarrassing when my boyfriend brought me a dozen roses in the drive-thru. When girls that were fighting with my sister came and asked me not to beat them up, because she told them I would. (like I would?)

I also worked in the downtown store in Juneau at the same time. The tourist would come off the ship and the would go to McDonald's first thing. I loved meeting different people, from all over the world. They would be so nice, and they were very trusting! I never took advantage of their lack of knowledge of our money. The first time I worked with a new boyfriend of two weeks, I broke up with him over what he did to the tourist. Some nice people came from Holland, and they dumped a pile of money on the counter to pay for the food. I only took what was needed to pay with, and Channing, took more! He bragged to me when he was on break about all of the cash he got, and I told on him! It wasn't a hard choice to make, I didn't like him that much anyways... But knowing what I know now from all of my fast food experience, I do make a effort to be patient with them, as long as they seem like they are trying. I only worked at McDonald's for a year and a half, and then never again.