Oh, the stories we could tell

St. Vital

I have had some interesting occupations… government inspector… my life in baseball, operating Home Run Sports and being general manager of the Winnipeg Goldeyes… and then becoming a professional speaker and writer. I have enjoyed every one of those challenges.

When I first graduated from Ryerson University in Toronto a long time ago, I was stationed in Russell, Man., as a health inspector. I enjoyed the work and the town, but life led me back to Winnipeg after a couple of years. I was a health inspector in Winnipeg for another eight years before the City of Winnipeg offered me a job as a safety officer, which paid more. The knowledge I gained as a health inspector has been helpful throughout my life.

In December, I was invited to a luncheon for retired health inspectors. I was unsure whether to go and whether I would know anyone. Even though it had been decades, I recognized several people and had a marvellous time listening to and telling old stories and re-connecting with very positive people.

A health inspector has a challenging and important job. Without them, I would not be comfortable eating out. Knowing an inspector could appear at any time is strong motivation for restaurateurs to follow regulations. And I feel confident restaurant owners do not want people getting sick after eating at their restaurants – it is definitely not good for future business.

Every day I worked as an inspector, I knew I had an important job and was performing a vital service for the community. At our recent gathering, it was fun to share some outrageous stories of non-compliant restaurant owners and other health issues we had to deal with on the job.

I will never forget one of my first restaurant inspections, as a new inspector, when I was being trained by a veteran. We both conducted the inspection and compared notes. I had a few minor issues.

He smiled at me and called the owner over and said to him, “This kitchen is unacceptable. You need to clean it up immediately!”

The owner started to argue that it was not so bad, and my trainer got this stern look on his face. He took his clipboard and whacked it against an overhanging light fixture – and a hundred dead flies landed on the counter.

The owner stopped talking in mid-sentence. My mouth dropped open in stunned silence. I had not even seen a live or a dead fly.

In the parking lot, the veteran inspector said “There’s your field training, John. Now get to work! This territory needs you.”

He had made his point. He flashed me his big grin and drove off.

Needless to say, the restaurant owner cleaned and sterilized the entire kitchen. On my return visit the next day, it was spotless.

I was glad I was able to reconnect with colleagues who had shared common experiences. It brought back pleasant memories – just because I went for lunch.