Meat is greasy. But that’s what makes it delicious right? Nothing better than a juicy steak or hamburger. However, it’s not so nice if it’s all over your hands, rather than your insides. Thats where deli meat comes in.
We just recently started cutting to order here in my department. We used to have multiple trays out of meats and cheeses we sliced in the morning. People could get one of those, or get something else fresh cut for them if they wanted. Now, we cut every single meat every time someone wants some. It’s a fresh hell for us. Emphasis on the fresh.
The big blobs of meat you see in a deli case are called chubs. Even after working there for almost 6 months, saying it to customers still makes me feel uncomfortable. They’re vacuum packed in there with some nice juice, which creates a whole new mess when you need to open one; being nice and slippery and just generally dripping everywhere.
Hams are the least ‘juicy’, and they hold together nice on the slicer. I can’t complain. Turkey and chicken may or may not hold together nicely when you slice them. Their juice is a nice slick, put in the least dirty-sounding terms I can come up with. Roast beef has this exterior which is both saucy and with lots of extra seasoning like you would see on something fresh off the grill, and tends to get all over your hands. Gloves get changed a lot.
The WORST is buffalo chicken. The whole chub is covered in a nice thick spicy sauce which is bright reddish orange and gets on everything. When I go to slice on of these up, I change my gloves no less than three times. Once after opening it, once after cutting it, and once before bagging it for the customer. Be right back, just need to take a shower….
Fifty Shades of Grease Publishing 