Dear customers, please don't yell at us. We are trying to help.

[Slave to the Phone]

BG: I am now working as an eligibility worker for food stamps, cash assistance and medical assistance. I'm happy to be able to help people. I also have limited training, so there isn't much that I can do. I'm really happy to do those limited things because this is important work. I'll be fully trained in a year.

So, do NOT yell at me because the line is so long. Do you see all of those people in front of you? They also need help.

Do NOT yell at me because you lost your EBT card and are now being charged $5 for a new one. I don't make policy and you were told about this when you got your card. That card is money, guard it like you would do with cash.

Do NOT yell at me because people who came in after you got seen before you. Everyone is here for different reasons, and people with faster problems will get in and out sooner. Do you really want to be rushed out because people are waiting?

Do NOT yell at me because you came too late to see a worker. We open at 6. We have no idea how many people will be in line on any given day, so we can't tell you when the EW's will be overwhelmed on any given day.

What can we do to punish you? Well, we certainly won't mess up your benefits. However, we won't be as helpful as we could be. We will only do what is required, we won't take the extra steps for you.

We give our best every day. We buy crayons and copy coloring books for your kids. We are polite and smile at everyone. We also have other resources that aren't in scope of duties and we happily share them with any one who does not yell at us.

Also, do you see that man with the gun and taser? Yell at us in the waiting room and you will be trespassed for the day.

So, bottom line...do NOT yell at the people who are trying to help you.

[notalwaysright]

Do NOT yell at me because people who came in after you got seen before you. Everyone is here for different reasons, and people with faster problems will get in and out sooner.

I have only been to the DSHS office once, and I got helped before nearly everyone else. I had done the interview on the phone, and could pick up the EBT card that day as opposed to waiting for it in the mail. I only waited a few minutes before they called me, but I was out in a few minutes, too. However, I was on hold to do the phone interview for something like an hour and a half. Put my phone on speaker, ate breakfast, did dishes, took a shower.

The idea of being mad because of a long line is pretty crazy. You are waiting to get benefits, as are many other people. It's not like you booked a day at the spa or something...

[Mytical]

At our local government facility they have a very nice little sign up. It states in terms that leave no interpretation wiggle room.. that if you are disruptive or pose any kind of threat .. you can be fined and/or put in Jail. They have nice police officers on site, that will be happy to escort you to the grey bars motel.

[Slave to the Phone]

notalwaysright, you are the sort of customer that we love. Honestly, the only reason anyone needs to come in to the office is for fingerprinting or to pick up an emergency EBT card. If someone doesn't have a computer at home, there are many places to go. Often what happens is that someone comes in to apply and we sit them down at a dedicated computer. They get mad because they could have done this at home, but that's not our fault either.

Also, here, you wouldn't have had that long of a a wait for a phone interview. We contact the customer to find out when would be a good time to call and then a worker calls at the agreed on time and date.

We don't have police officers on site. We have Tank. He's a very nice guy who looks like he bench presses Harleys in his free time. He passes out bottles of water, talks to the kids and lets them hold his handcuffs, jokes with nice customers and doesn't take any shit. He is also very protective of "his" workers, so we don't have to take any shit either.

Honestly, even if Tank didn't have a gun, taser and pepper spray...I wouldn't consider taking him on unless he had casts on both legs and arms...and even then, he'd probably just brush me aside like an annoying fly.

[morgana]

So "Tank" is his job description as well as his nickname?

[Slave to the Phone]

Tank does intimate people just by hulking over them, so its probably both.

I could wax poetic about Tank's buffness and very hawt body. I go to work every day knowing that I'm going to have eye candy

He doesn't talk much about his 4 tours in the sandbox, so I haven't dared to ask how he got his nickname. I want to know, but most combat vets don't want to talk about it. We call him Tank because its tattooed on his inner right forearm. Right under his Army tattoo.

On my first day at the job, I wandered in the front door and went to the reception desk (as I was supposed to do) and Tank growled at me and told me to get into line. I make it a rule to never argue with a man with a gun, so I got into the line. When I got to the reception desk and said that I was a new employee and I was sorry to be late, but I had been told to get in line. Much laughter happened.

Back to the topic of not going above and beyond for people who yell at me. I went to St Vincents today. I buy ragged towels and blankets for the homeless animals, the folks who work there are used to seeing me. As we were chatting, I told them where I was working and we all agreed that one of the reasons that working poor folks don't eat well is because they are too tired to cook when they get home.

I happen to know this from experience, but I learned to love my crock pot. Coming home to a hot meal is wonderful.

My car is now full of used, but clean and working crock pots. I have easy, cheap recipes to share. Tank will help me fill my cube with the crock pots and I will give them to anyone who says that they will use them. Unless they yell at me.

[Food Lady]

Is Tank single?

[Android Kaeli]

Is Tank single?

I second this question, although I assume by the end of the day everyone will have to take a number!

I'm the same way. If you're nice, polite, and don't mind me taking a couple of extra seconds to check to see if I can fit in an order for you on [date], I'll see if I can't pull a couple of strings. Get all huffy and puffy because I said I'm checking?

I'll walk into the back, stand there for a moment, then come back out and tell you it won't be until closing that you can pick up the order.

[Seanette]

My car is now full of used, but clean and working crock pots. I have easy, cheap recipes to share. Tank will help me fill my cube with the crock pots and I will give them to anyone who says that they will use them. Unless they yell at me.

I'd appreciate some recipes .

Pictures of Tank would also be nice.

[dalesys]

Pictures of Tank would also be nice.

... would those be classified as meepcake?

[Slave to the Phone]

Seanette, how many people will be eating and how long are you gone? *

As to pics of Tank. You know how you sometimes see something so amazing that all you can do is stare with your mouth open in awe, and then afterwards get mad at yourself for not taking a pic? That's what happens to me when Tank bends over.

For a good breakfast, heat your oven to 350. Spray the cups of a muffin pan (mine was 50 cents at St Vincents) with cooking spray. Put a slice of meat in 2 cups for every serving. (I use sandwich chicken or ham, you can use anything.) If you have a tomato, dice a teaspoon for every serving and add that next. Put a teaspoon of grated cheese in next, then crack an egg into each cup. If you grate your cheese all at once like I do, you probably already have it in the fridge. Salt and pepper to taste. Put the pan in the oven for 18-20 minutes while you are getting dressed.

If you want, serve with toast and juice. Enjoy

*I'm not hedging, number of servings and time to cook will help me to not give you useless recipes.

[Seanette]

We're a two-person household, but I tend to favor bigger batches, since both of us are fine with leftovers and I'm not opposed to freezing some for later (do have a good-size freezer).

Length of time away varies, from eight-ish hours on up.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Sounds like any time you folks have to deploy the Tank, he delivers a PWNZER, eh?

[Slave to the Phone]

Sounds like any time you folks have to deploy the Tank, he delivers a PWNZER, eh?

I love it! Yesterday, I watched Tank deliver a PWNZER on a suckusomer who really deserved it. Today, said suckustomer called to complain about getting turfed and got a supervisor. Must have been dedicated because while their numbers are available, they are hard to find.

Supervisor told suckustomer that Tank WAS in charge of telling disruptive customers to leave, but that any of the workers witnessing it could override his decision. In her opinion, if any of the 5 workers there didn't intervene, he must have needed to be turfed.

Idiot didn't get PWNZED once, he got it twice!

I don't post at work, but I lurk on my phone when I can. I told Tank about your suggestion and he laughed and laughed and said that he was going to share it with all of his friends.

Seanette, as I just said, I tend to lurk. I've seen your name on another forum that I lurk at, and will confess that I've "borrowed" many of my recipes from the Cafe Society. I do modify them, so feel free to do the same thing.

Buy a whole chicken, Frozen is cheaper than fresh and just as good when you are going to cook it all day. Thaw it.

In a bowl, mix 2 1/2 teaspoons of dried garlic. (If you have fresh garlic and the time, peel and slice 8 cloves.), one Tablespoon of crushed rosemary, 3 Tablespoons of cooking oil (I like olive oil, but veggie oil works as well and is cheaper). 2 Tablespoons of water, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and a lemon that has been washed and stuck with a fork a bunch of times and then cut into quarters.

Pour that into a freezer bag or a covered container and stick it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, spray the crock pot with cooking spray, pour in the mix, stir it again then put the chicken in and roll it around to coat it with the spices. Put it breast up and cook on low until you get home. You will need to use slotted spoons to get it out because it is going to fall apart.

If you want, toss some potatoes in as well before leaving.

Serve with nuked frozen veggies.

Now, wait, you aren't done. After you enjoy a good dinner, take the chicken apart. Toss the skin and bones back into the pot add 6 cups of water and turn it on over night.

Use most of the left over chicken to make sandwiches for work. It makes a lovely chicken salad, but you are probably too tired to do that.

When you get home, you will have stock in the pot. Strain out the bones and stuff, peel (put the peels into a bag and freeze them for the next time you make stock) and chop up a couple of carrots, add some onion powder, salt and pepper to taste and a cup of chopped up chicken. Turn the pot to high, go and take a shower.

When the stuff is boiling (if your pot doesn't bring things to a boil, you will have to use a pan on the stove), toss a cup or a cup and a half of uncooked noodles in and then go do something else for about 10 minutes. When the noodles are cooked, you have chicken soup.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Use most of the left over chicken to make sandwiches for work. It makes a lovely chicken salad, but you are probably too tired to do that.

Actually, I can make chicken salad quite easily and it doesn't take me that long.

Just boil between 4 and 6 eggs (depending on how much you want to make.) When the eggs are done, cool them down by running cold water over them, peel and run them through the food processor (I have a small chopper that works great for this), throw into a large mixing bowl, do the same for some onions (run those through the chopper and add to eggs) then add your chicken (you can run that through the chopper if you want a finer texture), any other stuff you want (pickles/celery/ et al) salt and pepper to taste and mix in your mayonnaise.

Voila . . . you have homemade chicken salad