Was that Jackson Pollok or candle making 101?

While bemoaning the sanitary glove episode, or the lack thereof, posted yesterday in my blog, it brought to mind a particular incident years ago.

LT was still operating at full capacity with about 250,000 employees worldwide, the stock price was at its highest and I was happily employed with a very fat 401K. The facility I was located at was more like a college campus than an industrial park, it was beautiful. It consisted of five buildings, each tagged with a letter from A through E. There was a quaint little red trolley car that would motor residents around to the different buildings in the complex and for those who wanted to get a good stretch of the legs there were rambling walkways stretched throughout the landscape. Personally I loved the pond the most, there was a sitting wall at one end where you could take a moment to enjoy its fountains and the fish teeming in the waters. Very paradise-esque; the place was dressed to the nines.

The interior of all the buildings were encased in rich, warm wood, very stately. There was a workout center in building C and although there were three cafeterias, the main one was in building D, which is where I was located. The food was phenomenal...salads made of crisp, fresh vegetables...sumptuous exotic entrees... soups freshly made each day. It was a delight to just walk through to look at the pastries each morning when you were getting coffee. Sigh, what an aroma!

One morning I ventured down to that pristine café for my first cup of java. While I was waiting in line to put a few drops of cream in my cup I watched as one of the kitchen staff stuck his right pinky finger in his ear. He then worked it around to loosen whatever was bothering him, pulled it out and for a few moments concentrated on what he had extracted. Dumbfounded I watched in sheer amazement as he proceeded to take that wax covered finger and apply it to the cafeteria wall as if an artist stroking a canvas with paint. My face must have mirrored my revulsion, because all of a sudden I caught his eye, and as quickly as his face turned beet red he slipped away into the adjoining kitchen.

Now you may think that there was no issue with this, because he would probably have washed his hands and donned a pair of sanitary gloves before handling food. But, if you thought that you were wrong! He had on a pair of gloves when he put his wax impression on the wall. Just thinking about this wretch makes me retch.

Needless to say, I left my coffee, stepped out of line and walked away. I did mention it to the manager, but it all happened so very fast that when asked to point out the culprit I wasn’t able pick the gentleman out of the sea of faces.

Hmmm, now I remember why I started to pack a lunch every day! Sigh, well hopefully that is one art form I'll never have to witness again in my life.