Small things
A lesson learned today: My father and I are on a repair job at an Italian-themed chain restaurant. They have a steam table, which isn’t draining. For the reader who hasn’t worked in a commercial kitchen, a steam table is something that keeps sauces and soups warm for quick serving, and works by filling water in a basin and keeping it hot with burners underneath. At the end of the night, the steam table is emptied of its water to prevent corrosion, bacteria buildup, etc. It turns out a penny somehow got stuck in the drain. Since a penny is not, at last check, food, one has to assume that hijinks somehow played a part in the penny getting sucked into the steam table’s drain.
One penny of mischief: $100 service call.
Lesson learned? The small things can be important, too.
Another small thing: I love the translucent, colorful plastic that coats certain objects, like keys. I just got a spare set of keys with the most candy-like blue plastic coating the tops. I look at it and feel like a five-year old. My brain hums with oooh and aaahs as I touch the smooth plastic and see how the light plays with the color. Shiny. Smooth. Yum!
The first iMacs were these colors, too, no doubt lending to their immidate acceptance. I don’t think I am alone in my love for shiny plastic gumdrops.
And, incedently, colored flood lights are coated with the same material. Another tidbit picked up on the job, today.
Posted by Jonathan at 01:42 AM, 16 November 2002
