The restaurant I worked for prided itself on fresh food, no cans in the kitchen at all. Everything was made fresh at least twice a day. The salsa was made hourly and was extremely popular. People would love to come in and scarf down free chips and salsa all day long. One lunch we were packed to the gills with such chips and salsa munchers, the wait for a table was up to an hour. We were so busy that our Floor Manager, Dan, was taking tables.

Dan was the typical corporate middle manager. He was new enough to the company and still interested in climbing the ranks that he was really excited about being there. His enthusiasm for the job could be contagious, or nauseating, depending on the day. All in all though he was a downright decent guy. He was always positive to talk to and always tried to make you feel better about everything around you.

Dan had picked up two tables, each one in a different server’s section, and was running around trying to do his regular job as well. When he picked up his third table things were already starting to go downhill for him, he was in over his head, and no one to turn to for help. The third table was a rich looking couple in their forties. As he approached them to take their drink order the man glowered at him and slid the salsa bowl off of the table and right onto the floor.

“This salsa is awful, it is certainly not fresh.” The man said. His wife simply scowled up at Dan.

“My apologies folks, let me go get you some salsa.” The smile didn’t leave Dan’s face, though he knew he now had to stretch his already strained staff even further to clean up a mess. He hurried off and got a new bowl of salsa and grabbed a wet towel to clean up the floor. He returned, set down the bowl of salsa and bent down to clean up the mess they had caused earlier.

“What did you wring the towel out in this stuff?” The man said as he slid the second bowl off of the table and right down onto Dan who was busy wiping up the first one. The bowl splashed salsa all over Dan’s white button up shirt, our required uniform.

“Are you kidding me?” Dan said as he stood, clearly losing control for a moment. He quickly covered his momentary lapse and smiled at the couple. “I will go make you a fresh batch myself folks, be back in a moment.” The couple said nothing they just went back to their menus as though nothing had happened.

Dan went to the back, grabbed the ingredients for the salsa and whipped a fresh batch personally. All the while the rest of us were staring at him, wondering what inhuman amount of willpower it was taking not to lose his temper and simply explode on the couple. He finished the salsa in record time, poured the batch into a five gallon bucket and then ladled out a bowl for the rude couple. He composed himself and went back to the table.

“I just made this fresh for you folks, I have no idea what was wrong with the first two but this cannot be any fresher.” He smiled and set the bowl down. The man put a chip into the bowl and sampled the salsa. Then made a face and flung the bowl onto Dan’s chest, covering his tie and shirt.

“Nope still disgusting, make it again.” The man said. At this point no one in the restaurant, customers included, did not expect Dan to lose his temper and lay into the guy. He simply refused to give in though. He smiled at the couple and walked back towards the salsa prep area. He grabbed the entire five gallon bucket and returned to the table.

“Is this fresh enough for you?” Dan asked as he poured the contents all over the man. He then promptly set the bucket down on the table. “Now get out of my restaurant before I really get mad.” They both looked at him in awe for a moment. When it dawned on them that no one was going to come to their rescue they fled quickly, not even bothering to wipe the salsa off.

Dan wasn’t fired, I have no idea how he escaped that. Though the story was told hundreds of times to new employees and the security footage of the “salsa dump” as it became known was shown almost daily, we never really discussed it with Dan. He felt he had lost that battle and was ashamed of the outcome. I did ask him one time why he felt shame.

“To draw your sword is to lose the battle Andrew.” Was all Dan said. I learned a lot from Dan before I left that restaurant. I still don’t have his patience though.