Friday, June 01, 2007

missing in action

It has taken me a couple of days to write about this.

First of all I've been too upset to talk about it and secondly, I'm having a hard time accepting that it is true.

Something that has become very important to me is gone.
It was last seen on Tuesday.
I had it with me at work, in the student's training kitchen.
We set up a mock restaurant two days for every culinary job training class.
The students create a menu and the recipes, and we invite the public in to dine.
It gives the students real world line-cooking practice.

It is one of my favorite thing we do here. I also get to play restaurant.
Half of the students work as cooks and the other half as servers.
I put on an apron and work as the expediter, calling in the orders and keeping the cooks on track.
My sister Beth has the harder job. She teaches the other students to be servers.

I took one of my favorite things in to the kitchen with me, something that has become very important to me in the last two months:




My beloved Morrow Kennel cup is missing.
Not only does it bring back great memories, it is the perfect cup.
It holds lots of ice and one can of diet Pepsi.
It fits on in the cup holder in the truck without falling over.

I left the kitchen on Tuesday to give a tour and eat lunch.
When I came back it was missing.
No one knew where it had gone.
I was trying not to wig-out --and I really do not freak out easily.
In this same building I have given CPR, put out a fire and escorted a violent student out the door.
And this was making me shake.
I gathered the students together and asked in a wobbly voice if anyone had seen the cup. No one would claim any knowledge. Someone started to talk, but quickly stopped.

I said the classic "I won't be upset if it got thrown away, I just want to know."
I think the students were a little afraid of me. And these are adults that have overcome great hardship. Some are currently living in shelters or the department of corrections (with us on work release).
I'll keep praying to Saint Anthony --Tony, Tony look around something is lost and must be found -- but I'm not feeling good about it.
At least I have the memories.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nora,
Don't you just hate that? You have a cup from a local joint (that's easily replaced), and you can't lose it if you tried. I would say that it will show up. But seeing as it's rather big and red, I have my doubts.

On the positive side, I think my exact duplicate cup just increased in value. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

Maybe someone from Morrow Kennel would send you a new cup?

Anonymous said...

Nora
I hope you know, if I were in that class, I'd rat-fink the person out in a minute!

Ralph said...

Nora
Sorry for your loss. AT least you had Morrow Kennel cup for awhile. I never even knew they existed. It really looks like the perfect cup for ice tea. Wish I had one.
Ralph

Cliff said...

Okay, okay people. I think I know someone who knows someone. I'll see what I can do.
In the meantime Nora, I'd try some type of torture on the class. Take them all out for one of those White Castle burgers or something.
Ralph, you'll need to be patient.

Ralph said...

Okay. . . let me see if I understand this. I am to be patient but Nora need to perform torture and we both want the same thing - a prized Morrow Kennel cup?
Ralph

Jamie Dawn said...

I'm so sorry for your loss.
I don't know how you're able to cope!!
I'm sure Cliff will come through with another cup, but the new cup will never be able to take the place of the old one. The old one will always have a special place in your heart.

I'd like to have been an eater on that restaurant night.

Rachel said...

Okay, I want a cup too, but unlike RALPH, I WILL be patient!! teehee. One day I hope to visit the Morrow's and maybe they'll save a cup for me and I can have one too!

I'm sorry you lost that special cup. I so hope it turns up. It might. I'll cross my fingers that it does!