Chapter 3 - Working
Master Butcher
Frequently one of the children would be sent to the meat market on an errand, either to bring something to Pop, or to get something from the market and bring it home. This was an opportunity for us to watch Pop at work. He was good at what he did. We used to enjoy standing there and watch him cut up and trim the meat as a he filled a customer's order. Very often the customer would say she wanted to make a brisket for six people, or she wanted chicken or duck for eight people. Pop knew how much meat the customer needed. They didn't order by the pound, they expected Pop to know how many pounds were needed. He was good at that. (But he wasn't so good at estimating how much meat his family needed. He always sent home much more meat than we could use. After Et was married she would get meat from the meat market, and again Pop would know precisely how much meat she would need. But when it came to sending meat home, he would overestimate.)
Pop didn't cook; he certainly didn't do any major cooking at home. At the market, though, he gave out cooking advice. Customers used to ask Pop how to prepare certain cuts of meat, and he would tell them at what temperature and for how long the meat should be cooked. It must have been good advice, because the customers continued to ask.
After Pop had prepared a customer's order he would weigh the order on the scale and then calculate the cost of the order. The scale indicated the weight in pounds, half-pounds, and quarter pounds. Using pencil and paper. Pop then multiplied the weight times the cost per pound and wrote it on the wrapped order. He didn't have the scales of today that automatically compute the price of the order. When the cashier wasn't there Pop would collect the money for the order as well.
The most enjoyable part of the visits to the meat market, though, used to be watching Pop sharpening his knives with a steel before carving the meat, and then watching how expertly he carved and trimmed the meat for the customer.
Pop continued working at the market until about 1953 when he retired at the age of 71.
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