Previous thread here I did an AMA thread a little while ago if anyone is interested to know more about what actually goes on in the factory. You can find it in the AMA section 😊
Well it’s been a little over 3 months now and most things are much much easier. I quite enjoy grading breast meat! That’s definitely my favourite task, although your hands do get cold after a while. Trimming is still my nemesis. Sometimes you get a really good cutter and you barely need to do anything to the meat! But sometimes the chicken is terrible quality and full of stuff like tumours which all need cutting off, or the skin is really tough because it’s old meat that’s sat in the chiller for ages and can’t easily be pulled off.
Something that I somehow didn’t expect, is that I actually have workMATES, not just ‘people I happen to work with’ 🥹 People I laugh and joke with, who share things about their lives with me, and they DON’T ask about my kids!! For 15 years I’ve only ever really been X or Y’s mum. But at work I’m just… me! I’ve been working in a different department recently and when I see people from my usual department at lunchtime etc they’ll be like “Chickens..! Where’ve you been?? I’ve missed seeing you!” Or they’ll just say “Hey, you alright?” As we walk past each other in the corridors and stuff, even just a quick grin and a nod. Last time I was surrounded by so many people all day every day, I was at school and pretty much a weirdo outcast 🤣 So having this many people who happily greet me and talk to me as a friend is honestly life changing!
Just last week I was walking along a corridor, minding my own business and the canteen manager was standing there with one of my team leaders who is Romanian. The canteen manager called out to me “Chickens!! Labagiu! It means wanker, remember that. It’s Romanian. Also si-mih-yaya! (Ssij mi jaja, according to google?) Suck my balls. Write that one down, it’s Polish by the way.” I can’t remember exactly how she pronounced suck my balls so I’ve probably butchered the phonetic spelling 😅 but you get the idea!
In a nutshell, the work is a lot crap, with a bit of okay. But it’s the people who make each day worth going in for (well that, and the fact I don’t get paid if I don’t go in 🤣).