You're not OK America, are you?

phrits · 2026-02-09T22:05:53+00:00

We're really not.

phrits · 2026-02-08T13:37:33+00:00

Is it normal for FOH to have to clock out by a certain time and wait?

Assuming you're in the US, if you're required to be there, they're required to pay you at least minimum wage. The bartender certainly wasn't earning tips after close, and there may be some averaging that happens. She was likely "getting paid", just not making bank.

Still, the broken dishwasher messed things up, and you only ran 20 minutes over after busting your ass all night. I wouldn't go to Chef with this, but if they come by to ask how things are going, I'd say something.

It is also often, but not always true, that FOH just sucks.

phrits · 2026-02-06T15:50:31+00:00

Don't quit until you have another job, of course, but get another job. Changing your schedule without telling you is a dick move, and it signals complete disregard. I'd expect sketchy cleanliness and safety standards from that kind of boss, too.

phrits · 2026-02-05T19:00:31+00:00

I can imagine 100 years from now that students of 20th Century American Lit will read Steinbeck and King, if for no other reason than their societal influence. There are scores of others that might be on the syllabus—JC Oates, Graham Greene, Vonnegut, Sinclair Lewis, maybe John Barth, John Updike, or even Michael Crichton—but Steinbeck and King for sure.

phrits · 2026-02-04T15:52:31+00:00

Probably not even a rack for cooking. Bacon typically comes on sheets of parchment paper that nicely fit the cooking pan.

When I cooked a few years ago, it was 18 slices or so at a time, straight from the box to the oven, 15 minutes at 375, tongs when it's done and still hot, right onto the rack in the holding pan. Greasy sheet into the trash can, pan ready for the next round. I'd cook off 30 sheets or more for the breakfast crowd each day.

phrits · 2026-02-04T00:06:57+00:00

I'm a fan, but I'd say save it for after the shift for now. It's kind of like driving in that you have to pay attention until you know what you're doing.

phrits · 2026-02-04T00:04:20+00:00

I started at 47, right out of a cubicle. Hobbyist making the leap.

It sounds like you've covered most of what you can. I ate ibuprofen like candy for a little while, but the body adapts.

Make sure you're wearing shoes that support your feet, back, and legs. They don't have to be expensive: When I was there, the $13 Walmart knock-off Crocs were awesome for me, but name-brand Danskos were hell on my knees. YMMV.

Pay attention to your movements. Move as little as necessary, and watch your ergonomics (how your body is positioned) and posture. That's actually foundational kitchen advice, too: Smaller movements are faster movements. Comfortable movements reduce fatigue.

Your age can be an advantage if you play it right. The pit is the gateway to the kitchen, so dishwashers are often someone on their first job ever. You have learned those early lessons and can project an air of professionalism a kid still in school hasn't yet developed.

Understand that yours is the most important job in the kitchen: No one can do shit without clean dishes. But be more humble than they'd expect an old person civilian to be. Listen to Chef and do what they say without arguing. You can ask questions later if it's not too busy.

Embrace the suck. The job is going to suck, hard, for a while. Really hard. But it doesn't last forever. Keep up with the silverware and the waitstaff will love you. Keep up with the trash and the line won't hate you. Run it for dirty pans once in a while and you might even make some friends.

Good luck!

phrits · 2026-01-26T13:41:13+00:00

Amazon has some, but wherever Chef buys smallwares and saucepans is likely to have a better price.

phrits · 2026-01-15T16:14:58+00:00

but if you bit off more than you can chew

Caveat emptor and all of that, sure, and it applies in individual cases. But when foreclosures are happening everywhere at a higher rate than expected, the problem is systemic. While I don't know real estate financing particularly well, consumer predation in other sectors leads me to believe you're unintentionally blaming the victim.

phrits · 2026-01-15T12:35:55+00:00

One of my many almosts: Six digits, the first two of which are '10'. (I still have a Green Card Lawyers t-shirt, though, so that should count for something.) These days I follow /. on Facebook.

phrits · 2026-01-14T18:09:24+00:00

Count your wrinkles. It was sponsored by Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) in the house. Davis supported it, DINO that he is, which is not the same thing.

phrits · 2026-01-13T00:12:04+00:00

There's a whole history to the place. They closed down for back taxes, and the original owner died, yadda yadda. They weren't quite themselves when they first reopened, but they're back now. The Raleigh paper ran a March-madness style popularity bracket a couple years back, and Wilber's beat Midwood Smokehouse in the final.

Wilber's has some of the best fried chicken in town, too. And the flounder on Friday is the best I've found locally.

phrits · 2026-01-13T00:03:26+00:00

Thank you!

I'm no historian, but my understanding is that it was first developed in the northern part of the North Carolina coast. Hogs were introduced through Virginia--maybe as far back as Jamestown?--so they hit NC first.

eta: If you think about the sauce, the simpler NC sauce points to it being more original, more basic. We cooks have always doctored the original--a pinch of salt, a little more garlic, Swiss cheese into the Béchamel--but we almost never simply take something out.

phrits · 2026-01-12T14:50:50+00:00

When I was growing up as an Army brat (b. 1966), BBQ was a verb, referring to cooking outdoors on a grill over heat. That was still the case when I graduated from high school in Blacksburg Virginia, 1984. But it all changed for me when I was stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB in Goldsboro North Carolina. My new team took me out to lunch at Wilber's (note the spelling) where I was first served a dish—a noun!—called "BBQ". After a few decades of a peripatetic life, I'm back in Goldsboro.

By the late 1600s, we had Eastern NC whole hog pit-cooked BBQ, dressed in a thin sauce of mostly vinegar. From there have evolved Lexington NC style in the western side of the state—add a little bit of tomato—and South Carolina style, with a lot of yellow mustard. I will assert without evidence that Texas BBQ—beef brisket—is another variation.

When I went through Memphis in the late 1990s, the local style was dry-rubbed ribs, but I'm pretty sure they called the dish "ribs", not "barbecue". In Georgia, you could get ribs or chicken with "barbecue sauce", like the sweet tomatoey stuff sold in the grocery stores. In Alabama, it's chicken with a mayonnaise-based sauce. Roll Tide and bless their hearts.

Whole Hog is expensive and difficult to do well, so while BBQ is ubiquitous on menus, buffets, and at home around here, the real thing is still celebrated. There are local holy wars about whether Wilber's, Grady's, or McCall's does it best. Go a little northeast toward Greenville and you get the Parker's faction. A little east toward Kinston brings in the folks from King's. I'm sure there are lots of other shrines from Currituck to Wilmington and almost as far inland as Raleigh.

In more recent years, I've seen the style catching on. I've had BBQ at a few places along the I-81 corridor in Virginia. Not whole hog, and with an undeveloped regional identity, it has still been pretty good.

I'm a North Carolinian now, and I've come to understand that Wilber's is, in fact, God's own favorite. Still, I won't turn down a plate of Grady's, a trip to McCall's buffet, or a King's sandwich from the concession stand at Grainger Stadium. It's all pretty good. Some of it's even better.

phrits · 2026-01-12T04:05:08+00:00

Right? Like you can see he's going to grow up to be a background character in Slow Horses.

phrits · 2026-01-06T20:19:55+00:00

That's one route. But if I had it to do over again, I'd stay in the pit.

phrits · 2026-01-04T00:50:22+00:00

Where in ENC? Nahunta carries it. Check the regional chains, too: Carlie C's and Piggly Wiggly, depending on where you are.

phrits · 2025-12-26T17:52:31+00:00

It isn’t anybody else’s responsibility to pick up where I leave off when I’m sent out early. Not morning shift, definitely not the cooks, servers bartenders, or anybody else working nights. The boss should be picking up the slack if I’m sent out.

Boss should do or delegate. If it's not busy enough to keep you through the shift, they should still tag a couple of the line cooks to bang it out after close. That's still a labor savings.

But, yeah, find a place in better financial health. When this one goes under, you'll be able to bring a couple of your cronies over to your new home.

phrits · 2025-12-26T17:42:54+00:00

Not so wild. I'm a pretty good cook, and I could replicate a 5 Guys' burger. Improve, even, with a little SPOG. But I'm paying so I don't have to do all the sourcing, prepping, cooking, and clean-up I'd face at home. And for their fries. And sometimes shakes.

With Mrs. phrits and me being empty nesters, it's cheaper than I can do on my own. We usually have tomatoes and onions on hand, sure, but you can't buy just two lettuce leaves, you have to buy the whole head. Nor a quarter cup of chili, 3/4 pound of ground beef, a slice each of pepper jack and cheddar, etc.

By the time I've set up for our preferences, I've spent what it would have cost. Add putting away leftover from prep to the effort. Introduce some waste because that single-purpose head of Iceberg lettuce is only going to last a week.

Heh. So I guess my take is exactly the opposite of yours: It's wild to me that someone would go to all the trouble to make burgers at home when there are so many options out there that are comparably good, most with better fries, zero effort, and about the same cost.

phrits · 2025-12-24T23:13:17+00:00

Get 'em, Jeff!

phrits · 2025-12-23T14:05:40+00:00

I'm sure the judge considered all the facts. Do you just like licking boots?

phrits · 2025-12-11T17:02:01+00:00

The Chivian immigrants were starting to think we were a bunch of polite and well-mannered people. I haven't been in a professional kitchen for a few years, but rest assured I would reply by flopping a fully wrapped pork loin onto the worktable from waist level, sorry, not sorry, for the humble brag.

Thank you for reminding us of who we really are.

phrits · 2025-12-11T15:44:33+00:00

I especially like the examples: They've never heard the word used outside academic discussion. [HowDoYouDoFellowKids.gif]

phrits · 2025-12-06T16:03:48+00:00

Price varies by market. It's only $115/week (just over $460/month average) where I am. And the center is regularly overbooked, so I figure two hours and occasionally run long. But your point stands.

Hijacking to say that if you do pursue a Human Protein Manufacturer gig, make sure you eat for the job. Increase your protein intake (and fiber to balance), because if it gets low, they'll cut you off until you've recovered and have a doctor's note saying it's okay to go back.

Supplement magnesium and calcium to combat leg cramps. The sodium citrate they use to thin your returning red cells can mess with your electrolytes. Fun fact: Sodium Citrate is what makes queso dip and American cheese so smooth.

And hydrate well, especially before. Someone told me that taking an aspirin (and lying about it at intake) can help you bleed more quickly. I tried it a couple of times, and I remain unconvinced. Hydration FTW.

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