The community centre café put on a food hygiene course for volunteers on a Saturday afternoon, after the café had closed for the day. It was being run by a member of the church congregation who is accredited to do these courses. The idea is that not only will we have the basic knowledge but it will look more impressive when the food hygiene inspectors come.
We were told it would be informal, so were a bit surprised to find tables set out with folders and pens, with a flip chart at the front, as well as a computer and projector. We were sat down fairly formally, as in a modern classroom. Even worse, we were told there would be a test at the end! If my friend M had known, she wouldn’t have gone on the course, especially as she had been having a bad few days……
In fact it was fairly informal, especially as most of us knew each other, but we were given the information needed. This included horror stories of poor practice in several of the local eateries, so that one was put off ever eating out or getting a takeaway! It did help to emphasise the points, though. The video of a man supposedly working in a food environment caused several disgusted noises from us, the participants, but also got the points across. We even made some notes…..
The test at the end was multiple choice and wasn’t that difficult. I did go through it quite fast, but failed to check it. It didn’t seem that important! It was in the middle of the night when I woke up and worried that I might have made a mess of it……. I apparently wasn’t the only one – M woke in the night convinced that she would be the only one who had failed.
We were given our results next day – a good thing as it prevented prolonged worry! In fact everyone passed, by getting 16 or more out of 20. Both M and I got 19 out of twenty – and within 5 minutes both of us went from worrying about doing badly to being cross with ourselves for not getting 20! M was really annoyed, as the one she got wrong, she had changed the right answer to the wrong one. I was just annoyed as I never seem to be able to get full marks in a multiple choice test. Even worse, 3 people did get full marks and so a distinction.
We are going to get formal certificates, which will be handed out and our photo taken as publicity. Fortunately, they are doing that on the one Sunday I won’t be there, so I won’t have to hide at the back behind some of the larger people!
So was it a good thing? Probably. I guess it reminded us of things we ought to do in the café even though we never do them at home. And I will get another certificate to show off. Pity it only says “Merit” and not “Distinction” though.
Yeh! I missed the photos!