Lost My Job 'Cause I Ride a Norton

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Jul 24, 2009
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With the recent closing of my commercial print shop, for the first time in over 30 years I have found myself looking for work. After decades of spending buku bucks and countless brain cells keeping up with digital imaging technology, I thought I'd revisit my misspent youth, dumb it down a bit, and get back into the restaurant trade.

Somehow I ended up as a part time prep/utility/dishwasher at Kimbat's Thai Garden, a small, mother-daughter run place near the harbor. Two nights a week, paid in cash. The servers, two pretty thai girls, shared their tips, and I'd walk out of there paid as if I were doing framing carpentry. My wife and I first met Kimbat almost 20 years ago, the day she married a business associate. Demur and gracious with a pretty smile is how I thought of her then and thru the years, as we'd print her take-out menus, or have a great lunch at the Thai Garden. All until recently, that is.

My first few shifts were uneventful but busy, and kind of surreal. As the only man on the staff and the only non-Thai speaker, I was definitely a fish out of water. Still every one was easy to work with, and by the time I got home and showered I'd have one glass of cabernet and then sleep thru the night like a baby. Then one evening as I was walking into the kitchen, Kimbat instructed me to unload 5 kilos of frozen calimari from the back of her Lexus SUV. As I put it into the sink, I noticed the pull date to be over a year ago! When I asked Kimbat if she were aware of this possible food quality issue, she quickly told me "never mind! the way I cook it will taste like caught today!" The first dark page in this little book had just been opened.

When I came in the following night, daughter Chailai and Kimbat were in an animated discussion that was quickly moving ugly. Trying my best to ignore the bitter and spiteful sounding Thai mom, I'd hear an occasional english insult like "useless daughter" thrown in to season it up. As Chailai stormed out, fighting back tears, a handful of padthai flew across the room at her with the near velocity of a Tim Lincecum fastball. As the noodles slammed off the wall and I looked up from my onions, Kimbat angrily sneered "don't stand there boy! clean it up!" Well I do have a thick skin, and the cash was good. So the dude abides.

We were getting into some drier weather and the following night I rode my Norton to work. I parked in a visible spot not far from the Thai Garden kitchen door, came in and put my gear atop stacked cases of coconut milk. Mother and daughter had made up, and were enjoying a plate of Costco ravioli together, chatting in Thai like best friends forever. The rest of the night was easy, not much business, or tips for that matter. As I was collecting my gear and walking out the door, Kimbat approached me. "you motorcycle?" she asked. "yes, it helps keep me young" I smiled. "No park front row! front row for customer car!" she ordered. "Jeez, the dragon lady is back" I thought, as I smiled and nodded. "Got it boss, no park front row"

The next night was Friday, my second and last night of the week. Not wanting to leave my scruffy but prized 750 parked in the darker rows of the lot, I shut it off, and pushed it up onto the sidewalk and parked about 10 meters away from Kimbat's front door, aside an empty storefront. It was a busy night, the book was full, and the place was slammed until closing time. After a night like that, the cleanup was accordingly involved, we didn't finish until almost 11 and I was wiped out. "God I need a drink" I thought as I walked on the sidewalk past the front door to get my bike. As I was backing it around to face my direction out, Kimbat rushed out her front door towards me. "Hey no park here too" she told me. "Customer no like motorcycle, motorcycle druggie!" stunned, I was at a loss for words. 'Really? but I'm no druggie, and I'm far from your door…" "Never mind!" she snapped "you no come back next week, you fired!" she said smiling. "You too slow anyway."

Too slow? well my Siamese blossom, you take your shiny Lexus, and I'll take my tenacious old 750, we'll go out to Kamehameha Avenue, and when the light turns green…

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
 
Screw them, its their loss. Hope you find a better employer on your next job.
 
many thanks for your thoughts amigos.... I think over the years I've had 15-20 different jobs, have always been a real worker, starting at maybe age 11. And I have never been fired! it takes a while to sink in, but it just wasn't the right situation anyway, and I genuinely pity people like that. And the unemployment direct deposits keep rolling in, until June! Cheers, D.E.
 
Asian businesses expect workers to bust their guts and pay them crap pay most of the time, you had no problems till you rode the bike in, if it was a scooter maybe things would have been different.

I worked at a Tec college for 31 years and rode my Norton there every work day parked outside my workshop everyone knew what time I left in the afternoon, 2:45 pm everyone would look up at the clock when they heard the Norton fire up when it was finish time for me, never had any problems from my bosses and man did I have a lot of bosses, more chiefs than Indians, so I could never sneak out early.

Anyway I hope you find another job that excepts motorcycles.

Good luck
Ashley
 
He had an employer that "excepted'" motorcycles. Hopefully, his next one will "accept" them.
 
frankdamp said:
He had an employer that "excepted'" motorcycles. Hopefully, his next one will "accept" them.

Picky are we.

Ashley
 
Of course - most Brits are when it comes to the language. Even though I've been in the US since 1968, I still have to remind myself of spelling differences between US and UK versions of the language. Funny thing is, I have a strong Lancashire accent, even after almost 50 years. Though I use US phraseology, my pronunciation often surprises people.
 
frankdamp said:
Of course - most Brits are when it comes to the language. Even though I've been in the US since 1968, I still have to remind myself of spelling differences between US and UK versions of the language. Funny thing is, I have a strong Lancashire accent, even after almost 50 years. Though I use US phraseology, my pronunciation often surprises people.

What about the people who struggled through schooling and never got the help they needed from teachers who only looked after the smart ones, not everyone are perfect and I won't say no more , if you have a poblem with the way I use words etc then think it might not be my fault, not every one are smart.

Ashley
 
If you have a problem expressing yourself, perhaps you should read more books in your spare time ? You would tend to become more familiar with spelling and the way words are used. I read a lot of biographies these days. - find something that interests you.
 
acotrel said:
If you have a problem expressing yourself, perhaps you should read more books in your spare time ? You would tend to become more familiar with spelling and the way words are used. I read a lot of biographies these days. - find something that interests you.

I don't have any problems with expressing myself at all, where would I get time to read, if I had spare time in my life I be up the shed working on what I like doing working and building motorcycles, I don't have any problems with writing, its some spelling and using the right words is where I have a few problems, but I am getting better, but as always happens a few picky people come along and take over a thread just because one or 2 words aren't spelled right or wrong words used, who really gives a shit, I myself perferr to be out on the ROAD riding my motorcycles or planning my next trip, so I am better at riding than to sit in a chair reading a book, but I do read sometimes if I am so bored out of my head, so please get over it and get back on track, or start another thread picking on people who may have a problem with spelling and not using the right words instead of high jacking someones thread.

Ashley
 
ashman said:
frankdamp said:
What about the people who struggled through schooling and never got the help they needed from teachers who only looked after the smart ones,
Everywhere I look these days, someone is always blaming someone else for their problems, faults, shortcomings, etc.
Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

Damn...... I'm sounding more like a "Grumpy Old Man" every day and I'm only 53.
 
P.S.
Sorry you got fired from your dishwashing gig . With a bit of luck and perseverance, I'm betting that you can find another one.
 
Motorcycle intolerant employers? Geez how petty can ya get - as long as it's not a financial catastrophe then you're better off elsewhere.
 
You could have given this fictitious employer a bit of divine justice, re “Kimbat instructed me to unload 5 kilos of frozen calamari from the back of her Lexus SUV. As I put it into the sink, I noticed the pull date to be over a year ago! When I asked Kimbat if she were aware of this possible food quality issue, she quickly told me "never mind! The way I cook it will taste like caught today!"
You could have reported them to the food authorities for selling out of date food, and at the same time help a few hundred people avoid an upset stomach :!: :( :?
 
Actually, Mark, I didn't write the statement you ascribed to me. Ashman was replying to my earlier post.
 
Bernhard said:
You could have given this fictitious employer a bit of divine justice, re “Kimbat instructed me to unload 5 kilos of frozen calamari from the back of her Lexus SUV. As I put it into the sink, I noticed the pull date to be over a year ago! When I asked Kimbat if she were aware of this possible food quality issue, she quickly told me "never mind! The way I cook it will taste like caught today!"
You could have reported them to the food authorities for selling out of date food, and at the same time help a few hundred people avoid an upset stomach :!: :( :?

Good point Bernhard. I'm not normally one for being vindictive, but there is a time and a place for it!

Seems to me the OP has plenty of ways of getting back at his former employer if he so desires !
 
Fast Eddie said:
Bernhard said:
You could have given this fictitious employer a bit of divine justice, re “Kimbat instructed me to unload 5 kilos of frozen calamari from the back of her Lexus SUV. As I put it into the sink, I noticed the pull date to be over a year ago! When I asked Kimbat if she were aware of this possible food quality issue, she quickly told me "never mind! The way I cook it will taste like caught today!"
You could have reported them to the food authorities for selling out of date food, and at the same time help a few hundred people avoid an upset stomach :!: :( :?

Good point Bernhard. I'm not normally one for being vindictive, but there is a time and a place for it!

Seems to me the OP has plenty of ways of getting back at his former employer if he so desires !

I have thought of that.... but the department of health here is really lame; I know they would tell me that without an inspector witnessing out of date foods being prepared, its just "hearsay" But if you read she-devil's yelp comments, though most are 5 star, at least one diner has commented on "old tasting fish".

I'm just not the type to seek vengeance. If Kimbat is what she is, well, that's all there is to it. Working there I overheard Chailai saying that her older sister, who lives on the island of oahu, hasn't talked to her mom in over a year. Karma is indeed a bitch.
 
frankdamp said:
Of course - most Brits are when it comes to the language. Even though I've been in the US since 1968, I still have to remind myself of spelling differences between US and UK versions of the language. Funny thing is, I have a strong Lancashire accent, even after almost 50 years. Though I use US phraseology, my pronunciation often surprises people.
well i'm a brit and i couldn't care less how someone spells !! what does it matter? ashman has no trouble being understood , i am sorry you have a strong lancashire accent btw but this post is about a bloke losing his job because he rides a motorcycle!, a norton motorcycle at that!!!!
 
Been thinking, basis of a cool story there bro. Forget about restaurants and make a career writing. Get even at the same time!
 
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