$$I guess my first feeling was embarrassment, which quickly turned to frustration, then anger,$$ Alfredo said to Franny.

$$I can understand why you felt that way. I would have, too!$$ replied Franny.

Alfredo and Franny are entry$-$level employees working in different departments at the Twin Lakes Hotel. They are friends outside of work, and usually talk about work only when one or both of them have an especially good or bad work shift. Alfredo is an entry$-$level cook who was asked yesterday by his supervisor, Jim the head cook, to monitor the temperature of hot foods on the buffet serving line during lunch. $$Keep an eye on the buffet temps for me$,$ Jim told Alfredo as he hurried off to attend to something else. At one point during the lunch shift, the hotel$$s food and beverage manager, Mr$.$ Thompson, took a woman on a tour of the kitchen and dining area. $($Alfredo learned later that she was an inspector for the local health department.$)$

After a tour stop at the buffet, Mr$.$ Thompson said to his visitor, $$Please excuse me for a moment$$I$$ll be right back,$$ and headed for the kitchen. $$Who$$s responsible for making sure the hot foods stay hot on the buffet line?!$$ he asked loudly once he got inside the kitchen. After learning from Jim, the manager on duty, that Alfredo was supposed to be monitoring the buffet, Mr$.$ Thompson rushed over to Alfredo and shouted, $$Some of the hot foods are not at the proper temperature! Why not? Get out there now! Check all the items and replace the foods that are below the proper holding temperatures as soon as possible. You should know better than to not make that a top priority!$$

Alfredo looked questioningly at Jim. $$Do as he says,$$ Jim said. $$I$$m right behind you. Once we identify the problem foods, we$$ll pull them and get fresh trays out there.$$

$$I know that the hot foods have to stay hot, Franny,$$ Alfredo said as he related the story to his friend. $$But yesterday another cook was late for work, so Jim asked me to do part of that cook$$s job, and I was also trying to train a new cook, all while at the same time doing my own work. It was hard to keep making trips to the dining room to check the buffet serving temperatures.$$

Franny shook her head. $$I$$m glad I work in the security department. I don$$t think my boss would have handled the situation like that. He respects me and stands up for me$.$ He wouldn$$t have pushed the problem off on me$.$

$$You$$re right, Franny$$Mr$.$ Thompson is a jerk and, if Jim won$$t defend me when I get yelled at$,$ both of them are jerks!$$ Alfredo fumed. $$Tomorrow I start looking for another job