“Minimum Wage HeeYaw dodododo…” –They Might Be Giants

So, apparently, Mormons work for their food and pay for it. I was working the assembly line to earn our canned taco meat last week and the hard work brought back memories of the Sprout Farm.

Oh, the Sprout Farm. I only worked there a couple of months my first summer in Washington, but it was unforgettable. (it was the only job I was fired from, but that is another story)

That summer I signed up to work at Labor Ready—a skuzzy, temp service for hard labor jobs. It is a “work today, get paid today” kind of place so, you can imagine the caliber of people signing up. Usually, big burly men are for hire there to work construction or move things like refrigerators, which happened to be the running joke…Can you imagine petite little Mel showing up at your door to move your fridge? Yeah right!

But Labor Ready found me my fair share of crazy odd jobs. I worked as an eviction mover one day; at a car wrecking yard cleaning up engine parts; and at the infamous Sprout Farm packaging sprouts of all kinds with other assembly line women. They hired me the first day I went there on Labor Ready assignment. That same summer I got a job as a personal assistant for an Asian Furniture store in the mall that I was pretty sure was smuggling drugs or at least cheating on their taxes. Finally, I finished the season out as a bank teller before moving back to Utah.

So this reminiscent day at the cannery reminded me of all my many odd jobs that got me through school and the summer breaks.

I worked at an impound car lot as a secretary; at a customer service booth at an adult science fair (weird I know but it was a research show for real scientists set up like a huge science fair); and at a banquet serving alligator jumbo and other southern cuisine.

I worked also as a housecleaner for a lady whose son had a crush on me; as a baker; as a DI sales associate; and as a deli girl at Macey’s, who was always stuck cleaning the chicken fryer.

Macey’s Food and Drug got me through my high school and some of my college days as well as two telemarketing places both inbound and outbound; and then of course my favorite place of work the University Journal that wasn’t like work at all.

Man, I miss having a summer break but I don’t miss working for minimum wage. By the way, I can’t stand the smell of sprouts now and I gag every time they end up on my sandwich or salad.

But remember next time you go to the store that some college kid probably packaged those veggies in an assembly line somewhere and be grateful it wasn't you.