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Sticky tamarind baby back ribs, Walt Whitman, end of an era

Stormbringer
Stormbringer Posts: 2,007
edited May 2018 in EggHead Forum
I've been working for a company for nearly 18 years. The team I am a part of have worked together for over 10 years and we've all gotten to know each other as colleagues and friends.

So it came as a blow, and indeed end of an era, when we found out that we are all being made redundant. Some have already gone (including me), others are still left, slowly treading towards their inevitable fate. Walking into the office for my last day was like entering a backwater town in the Midwest, it just needed tumbleweeds for true authenticity. We were the living embodiment of the questions posed by Walt Whitman in his classic poem "Oh Me! Oh Life!".

To counteract the inevitable emotions that such an event can bring, and lift spirits, my wife and I hosted a BBQ lunch, cooking some classic BGE recipes. These included OTT chili and smokey bourbon baked beans along with some smash burgers.

There was also a new dish, sticky tamarind baby back ribs, recipe below:

https://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk/2018/05/11/sticky-tamarind-baby-back-ribs/

The team thoroughly enjoyed the day. It was uplifting to see my friends smiling again. Spirits raised, everyone left happy. It made me think of Whitman again, and the answer to his own question ... contributing a verse to the powerful play. It doesn't have to be a major event, just something positive that makes people smile again.

Plated and ready to eat:




Cooking in the large:




The team clearly approved of the ribs:


Thanks for looking!
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| Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
| My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk
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Comments

  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    Wow...  So very sorry about the job!  I, too, got downsized, once, and from the job I'd been happiest working of my entire life.  I loved the people I worked with (like your team, maybe), and the work I did.  It was a great time in my life.  And yeah, handing in my office key and walking out for the last time was really sad.  And I wasn't a super happy guy for a while after.

    I love your attitude, and your approach to dealing with it all.  I haven't been a Whitman fan, but that was a nice poem, especially the last two lines.  Maybe I ought to give him another read.

    And your meal looks fantastic!  I don't think that tamarind chutney is available in my area, but the ingredients look simple.  Might try to fake it sometime.

    Best wishes on the next phase of your career!
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,794
    Great meal and great sense of purpose.  Literary reference puts this post over the top.  Well done.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • Stormbringer
    Stormbringer Posts: 2,007
    Cheers folks. Onwards and upwards. :)
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    | Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
    | My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    The best of the BEST to you and your colleagues who left already and those just now with you. I also went through 2 "mergers" and finally I too lost my job on "merger" #3. That down sizing occurred over a 5 year period and was 17 years ago and you know what? - those of us who managed to stay positive during subsequent job interviews came out of that sad happening. Only the bitter and spiteful ones had a difficult time thereafter. 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    ...
    The team clearly approved of the ribs:


    Thanks for looking!
    Ya think?? :)

    Wonderfully presented, as usual. Looks like your crew enjoyed your grub very much.

    Sorry to hear about the job, and the disbanding of your team. As @RRP mentioned, staying positive and a healthy perspective will see you through this. But having said that, its important to take time to "grieve". Get it out of your system. Shake it off. Then forge ahead!

    Best wishes for new endeavors.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Coldspring
    Coldspring Posts: 11
    I was downsized about 25 years ago from HOUSTON Lighting & Power after 27 years. I soon realized that the only thing to be mad about was that they did not lay me off 3 years earlier in the first round. My worst day after leaving was 100% better than that hell hole. 
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Beautiful food and reference.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • Stormbringer
    Stormbringer Posts: 2,007
    Thanks again folks.

    @Theophan, I liked The Learn'd Astronomer, worth checking that one out. Another one of his that hit you in the last 2-3 lines.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    | Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
    | My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------


  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    Thanks again folks.

    @Theophan, I liked The Learn'd Astronomer, worth checking that one out. Another one of his that hit you in the last 2-3 lines.
    Whoa, that was cool, too!  I think the only Whitman I have is Leaves of Grass, and it was decades ago when I read it, but somehow, I was disappointed.  I used to read a lot of poetry, have several bookshelves of just poetry, but somehow I read less poetry than I used to, these days.  I may have to give Whitman another try.  Thanks!