Factory Folk

The potato factory is home to the biggest miss mash (har har) of people you have every seen. 

The outside break area has a number of tables and each is home to a certain group that make up the factory folk. Think of Mean Girls or any other American teen movie when you enter into the lunch room and the narrator introduces you to a whole lot of stereotypical groups (the jocks, the cheerleaders, the nerds, the alternative kids, the cool asians etc). My lunchroom tables looks a little something like this. 

Table 1 belongs to ‘the Leatherfaces':
This pack of ladies carry 40 pack cigarettes and during lunch are never caught without a ciggie dangling from their pursed, wrinkled lips. They have all been at the factory forever, are generally caked in make up and the average age is 50 - 65 . But judging from the number of ciggies they smoke they are all probably more around 40.

Table 2 belongs to ‘the Italians’:
This lot are all backpackers, smoke rolled up cigarettes, always talk like something very exciting/bad/sexy is happening and look somewhat cooler despite donning hairnets like the rest of us. 

'Sup

Table 3 belongs to ‘the Indians’:
This table is composed of a sweet, oldish, slightly miserable looking couple who always have the most professional looking lunch. Their lunchbox is a sort of long, round cooler box where you take off the lid and out pops 3 bowl type things filled with yummy indian food. Gaaaaad I am sucker for awesome tupperware.

Table 4 belongs to ‘the Bogans’:
This lot speak at least 4 levels louder than what is deemed acceptable, they wear wifebeaters even though they are not regulation, they are definitely missing a few teeth (and/or braincells) and their diet usually includes iced coffee, sausage rolls and/or steak pies.

Table 5 belongs to ‘the Cool Backpackers’:
These kids are all from my backpackers and have been around for a good few months so are all old mates. They like 2 minute noodles and wear beanies because there are too cool for hairnets.

Table 6 belongs to ‘the other Backpackers’:
We are pretty much table 5 but a few months behind. I already have my beanie ready and waiting in my locker.

Table 7 belongs to ‘the other Australians’:
I never really noticed this table until yesterday when a golden ray of light shone down, the world turned to slow motion and I saw something a little like this…

Why hello there!

There are also a number of stand out characters in the factory. My supervisor is rather nice and, confusingly, a bit attractive despite his backwards cap, red beard and um leg tattoo. I have named him the ginger beard man. Beards are a bit hot right now right?

Then there is a lady with silver hair and a slightly manly demeanour who knows everyone, is super jolly ALL the time and is always very caring of others. But when she opens her mouth and bares her teeth its like…

Da da da da da da...da.....da......dum.

 Mixed with a little...

Reeeek Reeeek Reeeek

And I am pretty sure this is what my face looks like...

Right, so you know in Home Improvement there is that neighbour, Wilson, and you never see his face...well we have one of those at the factory! The 'woman with the pink gloves' has been spotted several times in pre-pack as these stations have a blue curtain over the waste conveyor belt so you can't see who is on the other side. When the break gong rings, she always removes her gloves and disappears like a freaking ninja so no one knows who she is. The mystery of the lady with the pink gloves continues...

Oh Wilson!

I have also worked a couple of days in a different warehouse called the ‘seed shed’ which is massive but only has 5 people working in it. Anyway there is this old fork lift driver who is verrrrry Aussie who neither me nor my friend Tanja can actually understand. He is prickly looking, pot bellied and bought us chocolate (yay!) but then told us not to mention it to the supervisor (yikes!).

So the main area where I usually work is called ‘D Main’ which is usually where A grade potatoes are graded. This is made up of 4 stations usually with 2 people at each station. Further down is ‘Pre-Pack’ which is pretty bitchy and the Indian girls get all angry if you steal their spot. This area is made up of several stations usually with 4 - 6 people per station. Then running down the middle of the factory is the potato conveyor belt super highway. 

And on the other side of this are several more stations where the cocktail potato grading takes place. Located in this area is what I have dubbed the ‘Asian mafia’. I have befriended an old, spectacled, Malaysian lady who is so small she needs a step and several mats to reach the table. She knows everything and seems to be their pint-sized ring leader without quite knowing it. She has told me all about the Filipino lady with the steel grey (creepy as hell) eyes that is the biggest gossip in the factory and the girl with the drawn on eyebrows (also well creepy) who simply cannot be trusted. These girls and the mean Indians all lunch in a different area which I have been to a couple of times to catch up on factory politics. Me? A gossip? Neeeever.

Anyway I better enjoy my one day off! Gots me another 12 hours shift tomorrow. WAHOO.