# Kleptomaniacs in the kitchen



## chefteldanielle (Dec 2, 2000)

Do any of you work or go to school with people who rip off either knives from fellow workers/ students or raid the kitchen of equipment and small wares???
Iam interested to hear your stories.
How do they do it and what do you think the solution would be.
Thanks
Danielle


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

I didn't go to cooking school but my experience with theft was when I had a catering company. We'd hire in Chefs for the event and they'd take anything that wasn't bolted down. Bartenders who open too many bottles and then take home all the extras. People who took too much time taking out the garbage...... they're unloading into their cars. Don't let people carry around backpacks and "toolboxes" where they can conseal what they've taken, watch for people who walk out to their car or back to their locker frequently. 

I prefer to embarrass anyone caught by confronting them in the open (no quite private talks on this subject).

You'll see this through-out all restaurants, clubs, hotels etc.... it will never stop. Sometimes I think it's because they see such great excesses of money spent on events and feel under paid that they "comfort" themselfs with a gift from the event. But if you look further you'll learn that people do this in other industrys too.

Some people never have enough, they have tons of possession and junk at home and always want more. As you get older and realize that stuff doesn't equal happiness you stop wanting........

The only way to deal with this is to protect your own property and don't condone anyone doing this in anyway. Turn in your best freind, instructor, chef....if everyone takes action they won't have anywhere to hide.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Please permit me to vent. Although I'm not a chef, I've seen rampant thievery by government employees working in government warehouses. Many government warehouse personnel have furnished their garages with high dollar Snap On tools and electronic equipment: oscilloscopes, multimeters, etc.. It's rampant. YOUR TAX DOLLARS, folks. I'm sorry that this post is not within the culinary realm, but thievery is not confined to civilian work.  

[ July 31, 2001: Message edited by: kokopuffs ]


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## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

You should see what goes on here (law firm) once August/September comes. There's a raid in our supplies (dictionaries and more). And the thefts are not committed by secretaries.

Oops!


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

Afra, I think you missed the point: it's the government workers who pilfer, not the government. At least when the government takes your money, you know about and while it's not enjoyable, it's done in the open. If you don't like it, vote for someone else. But when gov't employees steal, they are the ones who are stealing your money and mine.

This topic is sounding familiar; Koko, didn't you and I vent about government employees on another thread a while back? I remember mentioning that I had all my tools (especially knives) engraved because it makes it more difficult to steal. Have you done this too Danielle?


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Anneke, I know that I vented on some other thread along these same lines.

What pisses, PISSES, me off is that the pensions that our illustrious senators and congressmen receive is non taxable income!


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

I hear you... Working for the government is a sweet sweet job... I did it as a student. Never had such a favourable free-time to money ratio in my life! And yet, I'd never go back!


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## linda smith (Mar 30, 2001)

Kimmie: Are you suggesting that the lawyers are stealing school supplies for their wee tikes? Say it isn't so!


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## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

*YUP!*


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## linda smith (Mar 30, 2001)

I guess the tuition for private schooling is running a little high in Montreal these days n'est pas?


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## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

You know, Linda, these guys make so much money. I guess the more you have, the more you want, and the means to get what they want don't count!

Nobody taught them that morals were a great asset, so it seems! 

It reminds me suddenly of a story that happened many many moons ago. Lunches kept disappearing from the fridge, every day. After several weeks, the lawyer thief was cought. To pay him back, one of the girls prepared a lovely sandwich, on good quality bread, with lettuce, mayo, the works. So, the guy went to the kitchen and stole the lunch again. He ate it. Sometime during the afternoon, someone asked him if he had a nice lunch and he answered that it was the best sandwich in a long time. Then, it was revealed to him that he just ate a catfood sandwich! 

[ August 01, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]


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## linda smith (Mar 30, 2001)

Kimmie 
Funny story, but so pathetic. I articled in one of those big firms and know all about it.

When I ran my catering firm the odd thing used to disappear, toilet paper was a biggie and the odd dish or pan- some food ( however no one who worked for me ever went hungry. I saw to that.) I also knew that some people were driving around in company vans doing stuff like taking their kids to hockey practice. No big deal as my employees for the most part worked very hard and worked long hours and every weekend for not so great money. No one ever pushed it too far.

Your crowd should be ashamed of themselves. So much for being an officer of the court.

L.

[ August 01, 2001: Message edited by: Linda Smith ]


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## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

[ August 01, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]


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## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

I totally agree, Linda. Luckily, it's a minority. Most of them are cool!

Your talk about catering also reminded me that the flatware seems to disappear from time to time. Don't know who indulges though!


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## svadhisthana (May 6, 2001)

Afra,
Taxes are neccesary. The money you pay in goes to fund public transportation, libraries, schools, parks, roads, the post office.....the list goes on and on. I know no one likes to pay them, but it's something we have to do. You know, "death and taxes"......


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

...you'd be really miffed if you had to pay the kind of taxes we get up in Canada! Consider yourselves lucky!


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Anneke, did I understand "pot" (I can't spell it's real name) is going to be legal in Canada? The profits from that industry could lower the whole countries taxes if they handled it right. I think they should do that here in the states, since fighting drugs doesn't work let's tax it and take less from hard working people.


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## anneke (Jan 5, 2001)

I agree. I've been an advocate of drug legalisation for years, estpecially in the US where billions of dollars and countless lives have been wasted on the drug war making gangsters like Escobar into superstars. For a fraction of that, you can develop proper treatment for addicts, you can have quality control (which is the #1 reason for most overdoses) and you'd have plenty left over for funding programs currently funded by taxes. I'm not a user nor will I ever be and most people who are currently not users will not become users after it is leagalized. In Canada there is talk about legalizing the stuff for medical use (as if! - studies have shown it doesn't work! But it's a first step in the right direction!)


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