What's an Enter Key?
September 21, 2023 5:22 PM Subscribe
A story about plumbing and people, and a man called Fran: Here was the amazing thing—both men were skilled, even brilliant plumbers.
They loved to talk about their craft, and I enjoy being around people like that.
They told stories about horrible, disgusting situations they’d been involved in,
Ones that left them covered in shit or “things you don’t want to know about.”
They admired our guest-room bathroom’s toilet, where the smoke had been.
It was vintage. “That is one of the best flushing toilets ever made,” Greg said.
He assured me that some people would pay real money to own one of those.
They cursed one another and Fran and their tools and the job and the house.
But they never quit. That was the power. You could call it whatever you want.
They never quit, and the hour came when I was working upstairs in my office.
Reads like a prose-poem. ʻAlī Riz̤ā Zarrīn once told me, better to be a good plumber then a bad poet. nice find.
posted by clavdivs at 5:34 PM on September 21, 2023 [7 favorites]
But they never quit. That was the power. You could call it whatever you want.
They never quit, and the hour came when I was working upstairs in my office.
Reads like a prose-poem. ʻAlī Riz̤ā Zarrīn once told me, better to be a good plumber then a bad poet. nice find.
posted by clavdivs at 5:34 PM on September 21, 2023 [7 favorites]
Great piece of writing, but yet again I find myself baffled by North American plumbing.
posted by nickzoic at 5:58 PM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by nickzoic at 5:58 PM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Blue-collar workers are our only hope
posted by robbyrobs at 5:59 PM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by robbyrobs at 5:59 PM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
I suspect I spend a lot more time thinking about how profoundly I lack any of the skills associated with home maintenance than plumbers spend thinking about their lack of skills in rare book librarianship.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:59 PM on September 21, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:59 PM on September 21, 2023 [14 favorites]
The plumber.
"When the plumber arrived to fix the water-
heater he eyed me with considerable suspicion. I
told him how grateful I was that he had come
and he actually growled at me. I asked him if
I could get him something to drink and he said,
“I don’t want your stinking water.” I pointed
him to the basement door and he spat at me
saying, “What, do you think I’m an idiot?” Then
I heard pounding and cursing from the basement
for the next forty-five minutes. I considered
calling the police, but knew they wouldn’t
believe me. I considered getting in my car and
just getting the hell out of there. As he came
up the steps I could hear him whimpering, actual-
ly sobbing. He opened the door and threw his
arms around me. “I can’t fix it!” he said. “I’m
a terrible plumber!” I held him in my arms and
we rocked back and forth with me gently patting
him on the back. A little while after he was
able to leave, his wife called to ask if he was
alright. I said that he was just fine and she
thanked me very sweetly."
-James Tate.
posted by clavdivs at 6:27 PM on September 21, 2023 [13 favorites]
"When the plumber arrived to fix the water-
heater he eyed me with considerable suspicion. I
told him how grateful I was that he had come
and he actually growled at me. I asked him if
I could get him something to drink and he said,
“I don’t want your stinking water.” I pointed
him to the basement door and he spat at me
saying, “What, do you think I’m an idiot?” Then
I heard pounding and cursing from the basement
for the next forty-five minutes. I considered
calling the police, but knew they wouldn’t
believe me. I considered getting in my car and
just getting the hell out of there. As he came
up the steps I could hear him whimpering, actual-
ly sobbing. He opened the door and threw his
arms around me. “I can’t fix it!” he said. “I’m
a terrible plumber!” I held him in my arms and
we rocked back and forth with me gently patting
him on the back. A little while after he was
able to leave, his wife called to ask if he was
alright. I said that he was just fine and she
thanked me very sweetly."
-James Tate.
posted by clavdivs at 6:27 PM on September 21, 2023 [13 favorites]
Conversation I had with a plumber today:
M: Do I need to pay this bill? This was for fixing a leak on something you installed two months ago.
P: Well, it's a fine line between between fixing an installation issue and wear and tear.
M: If you think I should pay this bill, I will, but I don't think I should have to.
P: Well, we did you favor (Ed: for doing the work we initially paid them to do) but I can void this bill without breaking me.
M: I would appreciate that.
posted by mollweide at 6:36 PM on September 21, 2023 [4 favorites]
M: Do I need to pay this bill? This was for fixing a leak on something you installed two months ago.
P: Well, it's a fine line between between fixing an installation issue and wear and tear.
M: If you think I should pay this bill, I will, but I don't think I should have to.
P: Well, we did you favor (Ed: for doing the work we initially paid them to do) but I can void this bill without breaking me.
M: I would appreciate that.
posted by mollweide at 6:36 PM on September 21, 2023 [4 favorites]
Being baffled by North American plumbing is the correct reaction. Much like English ring mains, it made sense at the time, and has since been heavily superseded by evolving safety standards, building standards, material standards, and just standards period. (See for example, the famous Pittsburgh toilet)
Also, because of so many standalone houses, septic tanks are a thing that exist too.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 8:48 PM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also, because of so many standalone houses, septic tanks are a thing that exist too.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 8:48 PM on September 21, 2023 [1 favorite]
That was a fine piece of writing.
posted by gwint at 9:30 PM on September 21, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by gwint at 9:30 PM on September 21, 2023 [5 favorites]
I tried to get Mike to join me in laughing about how crazy they’d been, But he didn’t want to go there. He wouldn’t talk shit about them.
We've been in our place for 27 years and gone through - counts - five plumbers; three from the same family. Each of them has made big theatre amazement at what a terrible job the last bloke did.
A pal of mine worked hard to become tenured professor at a real University. With three small kids, and a fancy salary, they decided to buy an executive home with five bedrooms and four baths. After a couple of years, they noticed a faint waft of drains upstairs. It was eventually tracked to the en-suite in the guest room at the far end of the house. They hadn't put visitors in there and the water in the U-bend had evaporated. Solution: courtesy flush every month.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:04 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
We've been in our place for 27 years and gone through - counts - five plumbers; three from the same family. Each of them has made big theatre amazement at what a terrible job the last bloke did.
A pal of mine worked hard to become tenured professor at a real University. With three small kids, and a fancy salary, they decided to buy an executive home with five bedrooms and four baths. After a couple of years, they noticed a faint waft of drains upstairs. It was eventually tracked to the en-suite in the guest room at the far end of the house. They hadn't put visitors in there and the water in the U-bend had evaporated. Solution: courtesy flush every month.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:04 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
unclogged that gated version for you, that'll be $20
posted by chavenet at 1:26 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 1:26 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
A six-foot length of cast-iron pipe, like a piece of an antique artillery weapon,
And along the top of the pipe ran a narrow but unmistakable foot-long crack.
this piece is a poem, and a very lovely one at that.
posted by chavenet at 1:51 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
And along the top of the pipe ran a narrow but unmistakable foot-long crack.
this piece is a poem, and a very lovely one at that.
posted by chavenet at 1:51 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
If you're on a phone, read this in landscape.
That's an exceptional piece of writing. I think the structure of the ending was superfluous, but that's a quibble. I deeply envy the skill to so vividly realize multiple characters with such economy.
I've done a bit of plumbing myself; kind of the standard "handy about the house" that men around my age (early gen x) and older grew up learning how to do. (What's different/unusual about North American plumbing?)
For those entirely unaware of the details of plumbing, the smoke bomb thing works because all the drains/toilets have water-traps, like the u- bends you see under sinks, that allow the water to flow while preventing noxious air from coming back out. But in this story the smoke will be forced out through a crack/leak or where the water trap is empty. (It should've also come out of the air intake pipe on the roof.)
When I was a teen, we had a persistent clogging problem in the outflow from the house, which later proved to be caused by tree roots. But before a plumber eventually dug it all up and replaced it, my dad and I dug down and broke into it with a temporary opening for occasional snake access and that was the first time I'd ever had to directly handle and smell the sewage. It's so gross, and worse because it's your family's crap, but you surprisingly just sort of accommodate it because you have to and then you don't notice as much. I mean, that's true for me when handling anything extremely disgusting — I can be a bit fastidious usually and I'm always surprised that I'm able to overcome that barrier as quickly as I do.
My very first job (not counting delivering newspapers on bicycle) was as a restaurant dishwasher at 15 and I still vividly remember how initially disgusted I was but then just sort of embraced the mess of it as part of the job. To be fair, the only fun thing about commercial dishwashing is the miracle of a 45-second wash and the contrast between the mess on one side and the squeaky clean, hot dishes on the other, which is satisfying. But I never figured out how to avoid being soaked to the skin from the waist up by the end of the night. Years later when I waited tables, I always made a point of being nice to the dishwashers and not to make their job more difficult than it needs to be.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 4:00 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
That's an exceptional piece of writing. I think the structure of the ending was superfluous, but that's a quibble. I deeply envy the skill to so vividly realize multiple characters with such economy.
I've done a bit of plumbing myself; kind of the standard "handy about the house" that men around my age (early gen x) and older grew up learning how to do. (What's different/unusual about North American plumbing?)
For those entirely unaware of the details of plumbing, the smoke bomb thing works because all the drains/toilets have water-traps, like the u- bends you see under sinks, that allow the water to flow while preventing noxious air from coming back out. But in this story the smoke will be forced out through a crack/leak or where the water trap is empty. (It should've also come out of the air intake pipe on the roof.)
When I was a teen, we had a persistent clogging problem in the outflow from the house, which later proved to be caused by tree roots. But before a plumber eventually dug it all up and replaced it, my dad and I dug down and broke into it with a temporary opening for occasional snake access and that was the first time I'd ever had to directly handle and smell the sewage. It's so gross, and worse because it's your family's crap, but you surprisingly just sort of accommodate it because you have to and then you don't notice as much. I mean, that's true for me when handling anything extremely disgusting — I can be a bit fastidious usually and I'm always surprised that I'm able to overcome that barrier as quickly as I do.
My very first job (not counting delivering newspapers on bicycle) was as a restaurant dishwasher at 15 and I still vividly remember how initially disgusted I was but then just sort of embraced the mess of it as part of the job. To be fair, the only fun thing about commercial dishwashing is the miracle of a 45-second wash and the contrast between the mess on one side and the squeaky clean, hot dishes on the other, which is satisfying. But I never figured out how to avoid being soaked to the skin from the waist up by the end of the night. Years later when I waited tables, I always made a point of being nice to the dishwashers and not to make their job more difficult than it needs to be.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 4:00 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Would also like to know about non American plumbing (or what's weird about American plumbing). Speaking as someone whose job has been "mostly plumbing" for a few decades.
posted by booooooze at 5:03 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by booooooze at 5:03 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
$2000 for a day's work, salt of the earth stuff i tell ya
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 5:12 AM on September 22, 2023
posted by AlbertCalavicci at 5:12 AM on September 22, 2023
I have a couple of friends at work that have bought their first homes recently, older homes in older neighborhoods. I suspect they are going to learn a lot over the next couple of years. I have been urging them to watch "The Money Pit" with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long (some of the greatest slapstick filmed since Buster Keaton). Also one of the best lines ever in a film, that I saw as a young teen the first time and finally understood the brilliance of as a homeowner, 20 years later:
(I can't find an exact quote) "You gave a five thousand dollar cheque to a complete stranger?" "But HE WAS WILLING TO TAKE IT!"
anyway. this piece is great, and I just sent it to them.
posted by hearthpig at 5:46 AM on September 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
(I can't find an exact quote) "You gave a five thousand dollar cheque to a complete stranger?" "But HE WAS WILLING TO TAKE IT!"
anyway. this piece is great, and I just sent it to them.
posted by hearthpig at 5:46 AM on September 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
"demonic swamp-Yankee energy"
posted by heyitsgogi at 6:12 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by heyitsgogi at 6:12 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Of course, that's John Jeremiah Sullivan. He really is one of the best writers of our time.
posted by heyitsgogi at 6:18 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by heyitsgogi at 6:18 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
I live in a post-WWII home, in a neighborhood that went up shockingly fast in 1946. I've heard stories - never verified - that they brought in a big trencher and dug all the basements on the block in one big go, then backfilled the dirt between them. This house was built with some interesting design decisions.
Anyway, we're reaching the end of the lifespan of the original plumbing - galvanized pipe, so I've learned a fair amount about plumbing and made some calls.
I feel fortunate to have developed a relationship with a guy who works for company in town who will gladly bill me $150 to take me on a tour of my own home and show me what I need to do. It's like the ultimate life hack, a plumber who will take your money for an hour of his time and coach you through what you need to do to avoid paying $3000.
"You're going to need to learn how to do this, and you can," he tells me. "I can do it, but I don't want to, and it'll cost you a lot if I do."
I love this man.
posted by rocketman at 6:27 AM on September 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
Anyway, we're reaching the end of the lifespan of the original plumbing - galvanized pipe, so I've learned a fair amount about plumbing and made some calls.
I feel fortunate to have developed a relationship with a guy who works for company in town who will gladly bill me $150 to take me on a tour of my own home and show me what I need to do. It's like the ultimate life hack, a plumber who will take your money for an hour of his time and coach you through what you need to do to avoid paying $3000.
"You're going to need to learn how to do this, and you can," he tells me. "I can do it, but I don't want to, and it'll cost you a lot if I do."
I love this man.
posted by rocketman at 6:27 AM on September 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
(The title of this post indicates that the poster didn't view this on a wide enough screen, I think?)
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 6:33 AM on September 22, 2023
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 6:33 AM on September 22, 2023
I don't understand the post title. ("What's an Enter Key?") I expected the story to include some crusty old plumber who didn't know computers.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 6:46 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 6:46 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Rocketman, where do you live or alternatively will your plumber travel for work?
posted by saturday_morning at 6:57 AM on September 22, 2023
posted by saturday_morning at 6:57 AM on September 22, 2023
This is a great piece.
Greg was Fran’s partner, number two, helper, assistant, and right-hand man.
Also his rival, underminer, frenemy, worst enemy, and designated shit-eater.
They had been working together and against each other for about ten years.
posted by nubs at 7:22 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Greg was Fran’s partner, number two, helper, assistant, and right-hand man.
Also his rival, underminer, frenemy, worst enemy, and designated shit-eater.
They had been working together and against each other for about ten years.
posted by nubs at 7:22 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
For those entirely unaware of the details of plumbing, the smoke bomb thing works because all the drains/toilets have water-traps, like the u- bends you see under sinks, that allow the water to flow while preventing noxious air from coming back out. But in this story the smoke will be forced out through a crack/leak or where the water trap is empty.
And it's literally called a smoke test, and is pretty common, though generally done by professionals, and I assume not the smoke bomb way he suggested - that was just to save some bucks.
Also why plaster and lathe interior walls aren't that common anymore. They are great, as long as you never have to remove the stuff to get behind them.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:37 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
And it's literally called a smoke test, and is pretty common, though generally done by professionals, and I assume not the smoke bomb way he suggested - that was just to save some bucks.
Also why plaster and lathe interior walls aren't that common anymore. They are great, as long as you never have to remove the stuff to get behind them.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:37 AM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Let me try to summon and draw him as he was when I first set eyes on him.Is that straight from the Iliad?
(Portrait mode and use the font-size adjuster at the top, IME.
Wonderful. Thank you.)
posted by clew at 7:45 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Of course, that's John Jeremiah Sullivan. He really is one of the best writers of our time.
I get to the end, it's like "Oh, JJ Sullivan!" He's done some of my fave music essays.
posted by ovvl at 7:50 AM on September 22, 2023
I get to the end, it's like "Oh, JJ Sullivan!" He's done some of my fave music essays.
posted by ovvl at 7:50 AM on September 22, 2023
I read this vertically in my phone at first, and thought a stray capital letter at the beginning of a line was a typo. Then it dawned on me that this might be an epic poem in the grand tradition of epic poems, turned my phone landcape, and realized it was indeed. It’s exquisite, and perfectly captures the sheer joy of being a somewhat clueless homeowner in the presence of a tradesperson who loves what they do.
The tags at the end took me out, though. I literally laughed out loud as I sat here on the porcelain throne, having already performed the courtesy flush before I came to that line.
TAGS
bowel movement contractor crackhead Plumbers Plumbing Sewage Smoke bombs Toilets
posted by flyingsquirrel at 7:53 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
The tags at the end took me out, though. I literally laughed out loud as I sat here on the porcelain throne, having already performed the courtesy flush before I came to that line.
TAGS
bowel movement contractor crackhead Plumbers Plumbing Sewage Smoke bombs Toilets
posted by flyingsquirrel at 7:53 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't understand the post title.I believe it refers to the lack of paragraphs/stanzas. (But I think it’s unfair, because this poem actually has very deliberately and precisely-placed line breaks.)
posted by mbrubeck at 7:59 AM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
restaurant dishwasher at 15 and I still vividly remember how initially disgusted I was but then just sort of embraced the mess of it as part of the job
Ivan Fyodorovich, on the subject of smells and also dishwashing...i too did some dishwashing (better than retail!), did your place have a grease trap? I worked at friendly's, which served up a moderate amount of grease, and there was some plumbing set up under the sink that kept it from going into the sewer system.
The grease trap guy came by regularly (twice a month?) to empty it out. The grease trap is probably the worst thing I've ever smelled. I can still smell it, ~15 years later. I can still smell HIM because he smelled just like the grease trap. All the BOH wondered in a sort of horrified way if the smell could get on you like grease smell does when you're cooking with it, or if it was permanently in his clothes & gear, or if he just always exuded scent of grease trap. Not being able to smell it to know if you were giving it off seemed a fate worse than having to smell it all day.
Nice guy, and as far as I recall, every one of us was perfectly normal to him & of course we were all very grateful for the work he did. Woo that smell though. I hope he was paid EXTREMELY well.
posted by Baethan at 7:59 AM on September 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
Ivan Fyodorovich, on the subject of smells and also dishwashing...i too did some dishwashing (better than retail!), did your place have a grease trap? I worked at friendly's, which served up a moderate amount of grease, and there was some plumbing set up under the sink that kept it from going into the sewer system.
The grease trap guy came by regularly (twice a month?) to empty it out. The grease trap is probably the worst thing I've ever smelled. I can still smell it, ~15 years later. I can still smell HIM because he smelled just like the grease trap. All the BOH wondered in a sort of horrified way if the smell could get on you like grease smell does when you're cooking with it, or if it was permanently in his clothes & gear, or if he just always exuded scent of grease trap. Not being able to smell it to know if you were giving it off seemed a fate worse than having to smell it all day.
Nice guy, and as far as I recall, every one of us was perfectly normal to him & of course we were all very grateful for the work he did. Woo that smell though. I hope he was paid EXTREMELY well.
posted by Baethan at 7:59 AM on September 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
The tags at the end took me out, though.
Literally just came in here to comment about the tags, and the fact that the Metafilter post tags don't echo them, and that is criminal.
posted by dlugoczaj at 8:00 AM on September 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Literally just came in here to comment about the tags, and the fact that the Metafilter post tags don't echo them, and that is criminal.
posted by dlugoczaj at 8:00 AM on September 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
The piece was really nice, the writing terrific but the tags were sublime.
I worked as a plumber in NYC for about ten years. I saw some shit. Literally and figuratively, and all the plumbers he describes align with types I've met for example the "Mike Sullivan" of the story sounds like Dan Holohan, previously.
I can say that here in Germany the plumbing is completely familiar, the shit's brown, the water runs down and payday is Friday - but deposited directly to your account.
(Curiously, or not, we had a similar problem here in the hallway of our apartment building. In the forties a new waste-line had been added and a branch left unused but still connected and when there was enough waste, it would fill with water. Over time, this original, 140 year old pipe rotted out - at the top! - so it only leaked sporadically and for no rhyme or reason. My god was that satisfying to see resolved.)
posted by From Bklyn at 8:22 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
I worked as a plumber in NYC for about ten years. I saw some shit. Literally and figuratively, and all the plumbers he describes align with types I've met for example the "Mike Sullivan" of the story sounds like Dan Holohan, previously.
I can say that here in Germany the plumbing is completely familiar, the shit's brown, the water runs down and payday is Friday - but deposited directly to your account.
(Curiously, or not, we had a similar problem here in the hallway of our apartment building. In the forties a new waste-line had been added and a branch left unused but still connected and when there was enough waste, it would fill with water. Over time, this original, 140 year old pipe rotted out - at the top! - so it only leaked sporadically and for no rhyme or reason. My god was that satisfying to see resolved.)
posted by From Bklyn at 8:22 AM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
I wonder if the issue with american plumbing people are bring up is our siphonic toilets vs washdown style toilets in Europe? I always hear about how washdown toilets never clog, but they never mention they smell terribly during use and need scrubbing nearly every time.
posted by Ferreous at 9:06 AM on September 22, 2023
posted by Ferreous at 9:06 AM on September 22, 2023
Mod note: [btw, this post has been added to the sidebar and Best Of blog]
posted by taz (staff) at 2:02 AM on September 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 2:02 AM on September 23, 2023 [3 favorites]
This is one of the best things I’ve ever read. I am from North Carolina-and my family is specifically from eastern NC, where this epic plumbing took place-and I swear I know a version of every character in the story. I can hear them talking. Just a great piece of writing!
posted by little mouth at 9:24 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by little mouth at 9:24 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm amused by "the only man I ever met named Fran," because I knew a different man named Fran, a photography teacher, who was also a very laid-back, soft-spoken guy.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 3:24 PM on September 23, 2023
posted by Mister Moofoo at 3:24 PM on September 23, 2023
restaurant dishwasher at 15 and I still vividly remember how initially disgusted I was but then just sort of embraced the mess of it as part of the job
Ivan Fyodorovich, on the subject of smells and also dishwashing...i too did some dishwashing (better than retail!), did your place have a grease trap? I worked at friendly's, which served up a moderate amount of grease, and there was some plumbing set up under the sink that kept it from going into the sewer system.
My first corporate (as opposed to cutting grass and other neighborhood odd jobs for teenagers) job was working in the pit at what was actually one of the nicer restaurants in town. We had a grease trap that needed emptying every few days and it seemed to always fall on me to do it because the other dishwashers would conveniently “forget” to do it when it was their turn and so the manager would make sure that it got done the night I was working. It was so nasty smelling that you couldn’t clean it until the last customer had left, which made for a late night (even if I was on the clock). I learned a lot on that job, not least of which was that I did not want to work in F&B. Although a friend of mine also started out as a dishwasher at about the same time, went through busboy and waiter, studied the F&B business in college, and last I heard was doing well as GM for a number of restaurants in a national chain, so I guess some people are just a good fit for it.
posted by TedW at 2:18 PM on September 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ivan Fyodorovich, on the subject of smells and also dishwashing...i too did some dishwashing (better than retail!), did your place have a grease trap? I worked at friendly's, which served up a moderate amount of grease, and there was some plumbing set up under the sink that kept it from going into the sewer system.
My first corporate (as opposed to cutting grass and other neighborhood odd jobs for teenagers) job was working in the pit at what was actually one of the nicer restaurants in town. We had a grease trap that needed emptying every few days and it seemed to always fall on me to do it because the other dishwashers would conveniently “forget” to do it when it was their turn and so the manager would make sure that it got done the night I was working. It was so nasty smelling that you couldn’t clean it until the last customer had left, which made for a late night (even if I was on the clock). I learned a lot on that job, not least of which was that I did not want to work in F&B. Although a friend of mine also started out as a dishwasher at about the same time, went through busboy and waiter, studied the F&B business in college, and last I heard was doing well as GM for a number of restaurants in a national chain, so I guess some people are just a good fit for it.
posted by TedW at 2:18 PM on September 25, 2023 [1 favorite]
Sent this to my dad today, who's kind of a tough sell, and he said
"That's beautiful! I think I knew those guys."
Fran & Greg, archetypes <3
posted by Isingthebodyelectric at 10:59 AM on September 29, 2023
"That's beautiful! I think I knew those guys."
Fran & Greg, archetypes <3
posted by Isingthebodyelectric at 10:59 AM on September 29, 2023
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