I worked in a canteen kitchen at the dish-wash end. The diners would put their trays on a conveyer belt and we would scrape the leftovers into the waste dispos

I worked in a canteen kitchen at the dish-wash end. The diners would put their trays on a conveyer belt and we would scrape the leftovers into the waste disposal, sort the dishes, cutlery and glassware into their allotted crates which we then fed into the giant dishwasher. It was fast, frantic, filthy and hot work. Among the diners were bastards who made things difficult in interesting ways; I remember digging teaspoons out of elaborate mashed potato sculptures, and there was the time when some joker trapped a wasp in an upturned glass on their tray before handing it in to us. I got on very well with my fellow workers there, though, many of whom did that for living, whereas I was just passing through, earning some cash as an undergraduate.