What's your take on this?

Sorry, but I really hate Ginsu knives and druggy scales.

A lot depends on the supervisory arrangement too. When you are there, do you have full unimpeded discretion to purchase, replace, dispose of food and equipment as you see fit, or do you need to have such things approved before money is spent?

If you need prior approval for such things, why didn't she? If she did, and got it, who approved it? Why didn't that person take a more respectful position such as "don't dispose of it, just put it aside in this storage box?"

If such an approval process does not exist does it need to in order to prevent such wasteful duplication of expenses from the overall project budget?

Discuss these things with your supervisor. If they make such a high profit on the project that they don't need to monitor such wasteful expenses, don't sweat it, and just tell the boss you need to spend some more money to replace the items that were destroyed by the other cook.

If the profit margin on the project requires a tight budget, it's his job to monitor expenditures. Tell him what happened and let him deal with the problem temp cook.

If you don't want to involve the boss in it at all you could just talk to the temp cook about the disruption a rearranged kitchen and missing equipment causes for both of you, agree on an arrangement you both can work with and designate a storage locker for any special equipment such as favorite knives and scales to be stored during the cook's work rotation. If the sabotage continues after that then you know it is time to involve the boss.

I'm wondering if this also might have something to do with it. Does she have a conflict of interest going here? Were the small appliances and equipment purchased from her family's company? Is she lining her family's pockets with unnecessary camp expenses?

mac11 - no, she doesn't want my job. Her family's company has a lot of First Aid training work and she has two daughters and only wants temp work.

Buttrflynet - we don't have that kind of set up. This is a bush camp. The consulting expediting company is in charge. She is familiar with them whereas I am not. I sent in an equipment wish list prior to coming here and they approved everything, I am economical and did not buy things like bundt cake pans, springform pans, food processors, juicers, whereas she just went out and bought them. I guess she's just allowed to do whatever she wants. If I needed something, I'd just go and buy it, but like I said, I'm economical and this IS a bush camp, after all, not a Five Star restaurant. We just have different opinions about the equipment and food.

She apparently made a lasagne, half of which got eaten, and threw the rest out (it wasn't available the next day). I serve leftovers and cook only what I think they'll eat, plus a bit more in case someone's extra hungry. I go through 1 large garbage bag about every 4 - 5 days but she has at least 1 bag every day.

She throws out a lot of uneaten food. Dave said there were a lot of choices at each meal but very little eaten. These guys don't have big appetites. For example, there are 4 guys here at the moment yet she thawed 7 (yes, seven) 8 - 10 oz new york strip loin steaks. Why so many? I put three back in the freezer.

There are four guys, yet there is a plate of about 3 doz. cookies, a platter of some kind of dessert things, a plate of banana loaf, and a plate of cinnamon buns where the boys eat. None have been touched in 3 days. That is way too much for 4 people.

She also made a 9x13 pan of some kind of banana pudding thing yesterday which is a) too much for 4 guys and b) nobody touched last night.

Every morning she makes a homemade granola, topped with fruit yogurt and only one person eats it and not every day, so she throws it out. What a waste.

I will say, though, that Elinor's chickens are in heaven

Her wastefulness is none of my business and not really the issue here, except for the fact that she disposed of items I bought and use regularly.

My primary question, though, was her motivation and sense of entitlement to do as she wishes for a week's worth of work.

Have you talked to her about it? "I'm really having a hard time finding my way around and getting back in my groove with my stuff rearranged and missing. Can you tell me what you were thinking?"

Ida gone all Swedish Chef on her, but I'm not quite right...

Are we talking pot here?

Re: Mame


Agreed - but I'd take it up another level - demand she reimburse you for everything thrown away.

I bet it is unlikely that she felt it needed cleaning - she probably just wanted to do something to thank you for the use of your car.

Some friends let me stay at their house while they were out of town. Saved me a bundle on a hotel room. I weeded their flower beds, cleaned up dog doo, and killed a whole bunch of wasps. Hope they didn't mind.

Re: Mame


Well, the camp pays for everything, so I'll just replace them.

I emailed her asking where a few things were and she told me where she put them (they were not there, though, and I know for a fact she threw the knives out because the motel owner saw them in the garbage). Anyway, she ended her short answer with: "Sorry moved some stuff around while cleaning." "Some stuff"??? How about "everything"?!

I also went down to the store where we buy our food to order my meat. The woman I deal with said she bought a TON of food, so I looked at her receipts. She had 5 guys in camp while I had between 6 and 8 (not too much difference, actually).

My weekly food/staples bill is between $225 and $255, and that includes a bit of overstock. She went down 4 times in 6 days and spent over $250.00 EACH time. (That does not count the food processor, juicer, baking pans, etc.). I do have a lot of overstock, though. Don't have to buy much this Friday. Maybe $100 worth of fresh produce. Yowsa. She's expensive!

Still curious as to her motivation. Guess it'll just be a mystery.

She also backed into an RV outlet with her car and broke the electrical whatnot... Motel Owner said she said she 'bumped' into it, but Rox showed me the dent - size of a softball.

I hope they find someone else to replace me next time.


Ah well...

Making that Asian Beer Can Chicken tonight - yum. That is SO good, if anyone wants the recipe.

Per a request:

Asian Beer Can Chicken

1. Get a beer or pop and empty out about 1/2 of the liquid (drink it if you have to).
2. Into the can, add:

- 1 Star Anise
- some grated ginger and minced garlic (to taste)
- 2 T. EACH soy sauce and sherry or rice wine vinegar
- remainder of rub (see below)

You will need:

1 3-4 lb bird, rinsed and dried
Rub 2 tsp sesame oil over the entire bird.
Rub the rub into the skin and cavities really well.

Rub:

1 T. (coarse) salt
1 T. sugar
1 tsp pepper

Turn your grill to high. Place butt of chicken over the beer can and place on the grill. Turn down to Medium.

Close lid and cook 1 - 1.5 hours.

Remove from grill and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.

Voila.

Oh, man! Talk about innocent. Work in an office with a couple of women for a few weeks. Then come back and tell me about territorial.

Well, rog - he is just a young'un, after all. Give him a few years.

Well, rather than start a new thread, I'll just tack onto this one.

This is the most dysfunctional camp I've been in yet. I've had 16 people rotate through here so far and it's only been 7 weeks. One day I'll have 5, the next I'm up to 11 for several days, then I'm back to 6 for a week, then I'll have 9 for 3 days, then down to 4... and they're different people for different lengths of time. Hard to gauge how much to buy and cook. Neither Dave nor I have ever seen such personnel changes.

But the real thing is their attitude. Dave and I are excluded because we're not COMPANY people. They've got an "US" versus "THEM" attitude which is very trying to live with. I've just maintained a positive and professional attitude, but it's been a strain. I don't know why we can't be inclusive instead of exclusive.

And then there was the potato incident! I was short on mashed potatoes one night because one guy was a pig and two guys were 1/2 hour late... okay, I maybe should have made more in anticipation someone would be a pig, but really, there was enough. The company project manager was really shirty with me about it, almost spitting at me (wow) and then his boss called me up the next day and reamed me out about it. I thought it was kind of unfair given the revolving door of people. Okay, I was short on spuds, but there was lots of other food to eat and I don't think the situation warranted that kind of focussed attack. Anyway, I just accepted the criticism and let it go. It didn't seem that big of a deal to me to argue about. One night, one veg... sorry, but big deal.

His boss then informed me that their other camps are winding down and his cooks have seniority so my times in and out will change. "We have to be fair and make sure everybody has work and I have cooks with more seniority that want the work."

He's going to talk to his senior cook about what SHE wants. This is most unprofessional. That was never discussed when he hired me. I thought that I was the cook and he'd provide replacements. We agreed in the beginning my rotation was 30 days in and 1 week out. In fact, he asked me my preferred rotation and agreed to it and never mentioned any other cooks.

I'm due out again Sept 12th or so and if he changes the rotations drastically, I think I'll just tell him, nicely, what I just wrote above, and that it's not acceptable as it was not the agreement. I'll just leave for good on Sept 12th and submit my final invoice. I've already contacted other prospects, so I think I can find more work.

This is not a nice company to work for.

Any ideas on what might be going on behind the scenes here?

Stuff you would best leave be, as you find a better situation?

Nothing you wrote would make me see anything but more and various crap...

Mame, it seems to me that they're looking for a reason to terminate your
contract prematurely. Reprimanding you in this manner for the shortage of a few potatoes is quite uncalled for, but shows that they're looking for things to find fault with you (which is very hard to begin with).

Under those circumstances I'd submit my resignation and leave as of
September 12, or if possible sooner. My guess is, if you hand in your
resignation tomorrow, they'll let you go sooner. You won't gain anything
by staying on longer, on the contrary.

You're such an agreeable, nice person to be around, and your cooking
skills are outstanding, if they don't appreciate you, let them eat dirt!

Thanks to both of you. My confusion is over WHY they want to terminate my contract. I don't understand what's going on. I do think they seized the potato incident to use.

I'm not going to terminate my employment until I hear what changes they want to make to my rotation, and then I'm going to point out that it wasn't the agreement. I was hired to do this job and I'd like to see it through. I don't intend to be pushed around just because they have some kind of issue with me that I know nothing about. And I don't really care if their other camp is winding down - too bad. Those cooks started there in February and I started here in July. They've had more work this year than I have and that wasn't brought up during our discussions.

If they get shirty about it, I'll leave, but until then, I'm hanging in. I'd just like to know what's going on. And of course, I know none of you know, but it's bewildering, to say nothing about how uncomfortable it's gotten.

Mame, my guess is they're having money issues. The constant personnel
changes, one camp dwindling down, and these extra cooks who are employed with the company have probably different contracts then you do.
Instead of being honest and admitting financial worries, they rather bully
you out.

Good for you if you can hack the uncomfortable working environment,
to me it would not be worth my time.

Nodding with CJane, except I'll elaborate to a combo of money issues (one can see why) combined with poor management from the top causing the money issues, plus a siege mentality that erupts from the company dynamics.

Mame, I like what you've considered for timing of leaving, if you can stick it out so that it is based re contract issues. But, I don't think that'll make 'em like you, while it would give you professional behavior stars. I don't know, leaving sooner could be smarter.. and re professional behavior, the honcho did already verbally indicate he would cheerfully break the contract (verbal or written).

I also wonder about the temp cook issue from the standpoint of 'you must not be the first one to find her out of bounds'.

From the standpoint of your rep in the business, seems to me this company must have a poor one.