starshadow_rivaulx (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
starshadow_rivaulx) wrote2010-09-16 11:06 pm
starshadow_rivaulx) wrote2010-09-16 11:06 pm
Um.
When I stood up from the dinner table tonight, there were three whole fat galunggong, a medium sized bowl of kalabasa sa gata with tokwa, and rice. There was a bowl of giniling in the fridge, and extra rice in the cooker.
On my way out with Ramon to check the kittehs, I noticed a pair of pork chops frying in sesame oil on the stove. When I asked April the Cook what that was for, she said, "Dinner, po."
I didn't call her out on it, but my brain went into overdrive -- "Wait, what? The menu you put down for the family to eat isn't good enough for you, that you have to DEFROST FRESH PORK CHOPS?" I mean there was enough left over in the fridge plus what was on the table to feed them both, and I am somewhere between livid and seething now. No, seriously, all the ways and means I find to have nice ingredients and still save money -- AND SHE COOKS PORK CHOPS IN SESAME OIL? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T SHE LET ME KNOW THAT SHE RAN OUT OF CANOLA OIL, DAMMIT! AND WHY DEFROST FRESH FOOD WHEN THERE ARE PERFECTLY GOOD LEFTOVERS?
To top it all off, when I put Patpat-kitteh in the kitchen, I remembered to check the LPG tank. OMGWTFBBQ she left the tank switch in the ON position. I...don't even know, people.
Told you I was somewhere between livid and seething, didn't I? In any case, I have pulled out the sesame oil from the pantry and locked it up with the rest of the other stuff. I may just pull out a whole lot of other stuff after I post this, just to shock the
Look, I am the most laissez-faire person on the planet, but if you're working for me and I catch you out on stuff like this, I can get really nasty. And not the yelling nasty type, but the kind that locks away all the ingredients without telling you, so that you'll have to ask for them if you need them. For the love of the angels, if you're here to work, you better damn well work, especially since you've seen me doing your work for you more times than I care to count. Is it too much to ask?
We're not even going to talk about how long it took Trisha to get from Alphaland and back to the house when all she was supposed to do there was send money. She left the house at 2.30pm. It rained at 2.45pm - and the little twit didn't bring an umbrella even though the clouds were lowering. She says she didn't get a ride till 5pm - I was so miffed I forgot to ask if it was the ride to Alphaland or the ride back. She got back to the house at 7.45pm, roughly, because TV Patrol had just ended.
I heard her voice in the maid's quarters, but get this - SHE NEVER PRESENTED HERSELF TO ME OR DADDY TO SAY SHE WAS BACK. She says she didn't let anyone know because Ma was asleep. I told her that Dad and I were wide awake, and I am up until midnight - she could have told me through the window, or tried to see if anyone was awake. Nooooo...she went straight to the maid's room and started giggling away with the cook.
*wrinkles nose*
Ma says the work ethic has totally declined; I don't remember ever having maids this flighty with us, ever. Ask them to do things nicely, they ignore you - get dictatorial with them and they're all OMG WHY U SO MEEN TO ME. In any case, I intend to have a few words with the cook tomorrow, without raising my voice. She wants the day off tomorrow - told her to tell Dad. We'll see how things go from there, what with Ma's PT coming. I may just take over the cooking for the day.
On my way out with Ramon to check the kittehs, I noticed a pair of pork chops frying in sesame oil on the stove. When I asked April the Cook what that was for, she said, "Dinner, po."
I didn't call her out on it, but my brain went into overdrive -- "Wait, what? The menu you put down for the family to eat isn't good enough for you, that you have to DEFROST FRESH PORK CHOPS?" I mean there was enough left over in the fridge plus what was on the table to feed them both, and I am somewhere between livid and seething now. No, seriously, all the ways and means I find to have nice ingredients and still save money -- AND SHE COOKS PORK CHOPS IN SESAME OIL? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T SHE LET ME KNOW THAT SHE RAN OUT OF CANOLA OIL, DAMMIT! AND WHY DEFROST FRESH FOOD WHEN THERE ARE PERFECTLY GOOD LEFTOVERS?
To top it all off, when I put Patpat-kitteh in the kitchen, I remembered to check the LPG tank. OMGWTFBBQ she left the tank switch in the ON position. I...don't even know, people.
Told you I was somewhere between livid and seething, didn't I? In any case, I have pulled out the sesame oil from the pantry and locked it up with the rest of the other stuff. I may just pull out a whole lot of other stuff after I post this, just to shock the
Look, I am the most laissez-faire person on the planet, but if you're working for me and I catch you out on stuff like this, I can get really nasty. And not the yelling nasty type, but the kind that locks away all the ingredients without telling you, so that you'll have to ask for them if you need them. For the love of the angels, if you're here to work, you better damn well work, especially since you've seen me doing your work for you more times than I care to count. Is it too much to ask?
We're not even going to talk about how long it took Trisha to get from Alphaland and back to the house when all she was supposed to do there was send money. She left the house at 2.30pm. It rained at 2.45pm - and the little twit didn't bring an umbrella even though the clouds were lowering. She says she didn't get a ride till 5pm - I was so miffed I forgot to ask if it was the ride to Alphaland or the ride back. She got back to the house at 7.45pm, roughly, because TV Patrol had just ended.
I heard her voice in the maid's quarters, but get this - SHE NEVER PRESENTED HERSELF TO ME OR DADDY TO SAY SHE WAS BACK. She says she didn't let anyone know because Ma was asleep. I told her that Dad and I were wide awake, and I am up until midnight - she could have told me through the window, or tried to see if anyone was awake. Nooooo...she went straight to the maid's room and started giggling away with the cook.
*wrinkles nose*
Ma says the work ethic has totally declined; I don't remember ever having maids this flighty with us, ever. Ask them to do things nicely, they ignore you - get dictatorial with them and they're all OMG WHY U SO MEEN TO ME. In any case, I intend to have a few words with the cook tomorrow, without raising my voice. She wants the day off tomorrow - told her to tell Dad. We'll see how things go from there, what with Ma's PT coming. I may just take over the cooking for the day.
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If I had the money, I'd hire those day maids. Stay-ins are more trouble than their worth.
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Back when my mom's school was still open, we had a cook who sold lunches to the students and teachers of the school. Yes, using OUR groceries (not to mention gas/water/electricity). Seriously, there are always so many people in and out of our house (and we're always out) that it's near impossible to keep track of food so I have no idea how long it went on. I only found out because I was home one weekday and, coincidentally, she had an emergency, and at noon a bunch of students came knocking right at our kitchen door asking about lunch. The school had a catered canteen so not only was she stealing from us, she was stealing the canteen's business. When she arrived the next day I handed her her pay for the month and told her to leave.
I can also top the LPG story (although I've experienced that as well). Maids who leave the lid of hot water/airpot open while the damn pot is on/plugged in. Argh!
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My all-time classic is the yaya of hubby's cousin who said she was going out to take the garbage, only it turned out she eloped.
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I thought this kind of stuff only happened in movies.
Then again, I like doing the cooking and cleaning myself; it lets me know the value of my home and the food I eat.
Sorry if this comes of as judgmental but I find it exceptionally snotty to complain about the "hired help" in the fashion you guys are doing when you should just count yourselves damn lucky to be able to afford such extravagant luxuries.
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I do know how lucky our family is to afford a maid and a cook - we only got the cook in the first instance because my mother was worried that the general housekeeping plus the kitchen duties would be too much for one person. Plus, my Dad has the most finicky appetite imaginable and early on it was made clear that neither my cooking nor the maid's, would suit.
If it were just myself and my husband without the cats, without the parents, living in a condo, life would be so much simpler. I doubt I'd need a maid in smaller quarters, except as someone to answer the phone and receive the mail. However, my parents' house requires at least one maid, as much to help the elders when I have to leave the house, as well as to do the cleaning.
*shrug* They are efficient enough overall. And compared to the stories I have heard from former househelp, they appear to have a reasonable life: time to rest, no need to bother with hand-laundrying clothes and ironing (I run the washing machine, not them), they eat the same food as the family rather than have to buy out of their own salaries (as is common practice in our gated village), no children to run after, no need to bother with the care of the family pets (that's my job). Just the basic household duties.
Given all that, and that they are, after all, salaried employees, I do expect them to really be "katulong" - people who help around.
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