My very first job was not the typical teenage babysitting gig. When I was in middle school my aunt called asking if I wanted a job helping her cater weddings. How awesome would that be? Beautiful wedding, great food, party, fun right? Not so much.
It started off when my aunt accidentally locked the keys into the catering van, along with most of the food. We were already running late and I could tell that my aunt was annoyed that I didn't just magically know how to cater a wedding. She was running around in circles while I stood there waiting for instructions and thoroughly examining the see-through factor of the white shirt I had been required to wear. Who's smart idea is it for caterers to wear white? That is just asking for a stain.
My aunt managed to find a hobo outside the reception hall that jimmied the catering van open for us. We proceeded to start setting up the food. That is when the guests started meandering through the door. They were early and the bride and groom were no where to be found. They were, of course, having their photos done. On a side note, I hate when couples make the guests stand around and wait while they spend hours getting photos taken. I took mine before the ceremony to spare my guests the misery. Anywho, these guests were hungry and didn't want to wait. My aunt politely explained that they were early, we weren't set up yet, and the buffet line wasn't suppose to start until the bride and groom arrived. They turned into food zombies! All the guests started hovering around the buffet line yelling that they shouldn't have to wait for the bride and groom. While my aunt tried to hold them back, I scrambled to start getting the rest of the food out. The guest finally realized that they were never going to get any food at all if they kept yelling at my aunt instead of letting her set up. Now, she was really bustling. She had to get the food set up and ready for the second the bride and groom arrived to avoid another attack.
She started setting up the little warming tray things with the Stearno burner under them. She took charge since I should clearly not be allowed around open flame. In her panic she tossed down the stack of napkins at the front of the line...right next to the flame. I watched in horror as the napkins went up in flames and my aunt obliviously went on setting up the rest of the trays. I casually run-walked over and scream-whispered that she started a fire. Luckily the fire was small and she was able to put it out with the wet rag she was carrying around for some reason. And she thought I was the irresponsible one with fire. Needless to say she let me handle the rest of the warming trays while she finished the rest of the food.
We finished just in time and the rest of the reception was beautiful. People got their food, after the bride and groom of course. I enjoyed spying on the wedding and watching the new couple greet their guests. They had a slide show on a big screen of photos of them growing up and then meeting and dating. I was in the middle of watching the show when I was poked in the ribs by my aunt who seemed completely puzzled as to why I wasn't working. Weren't we done yet? No, we now had to undo everything and pack up and get out quick so they could set up the dance floor. We hurriedly packed up all the leftovers and scooted before they regretted paying us so much. I ended up getting home sometime after midnight with a bag of leftover wedding food, a not-so-white-anymore shirt, and the realization that I never wanted to work in the food industry again.
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