When a Chef Says “Make It Shine”: The Malicious Compliance That Scrubbed Away Decades of Flavor
Picture this: You’re 19, broke, working at a resort (for the second time, no less), and you accidentally wind up as the dishwasher. It’s Hawaiian Luau night, and while the guests are feasting on succulent pork, you’re about to face down a beast of your own—the aftermath of the “Big ol Pig Cooker.” What starts as a simple order to “make it shine” spirals into a lesson in culinary culture, workplace politics, and the unbreakable bonds of dishwasher camaraderie.
Let’s just say, the only thing stickier than the barbecue residue was the situation our unsuspecting dishwasher found himself in.
The Battle of the BBQ Behemoth
Our hero, u/Linda_Lissen, was already feeling the heat—literally and figuratively—when a chef of the “not cool” variety rolled up on a golf cart, towing the epic spit roast that had just rendered two pigs into luau glory. The chef, with all the warmth of a microwave burrito, flicked his cigarette and barked, “Clean it. Make it shine like new.” No instructions, no sympathy, just a ticking clock: the rental company would be there in three hours.
What followed was a montage worthy of any underdog sports movie—except the sport was grease removal. Armed with industrial degreasers, a fresh floor scrub brush, a garden hose, and eventually a paint scraper, Linda went to war with layers of charred fat and carbonized mystery. As Redditor u/ChimoEngr so vividly imagined, “I've got visions of caked on carbonised grease, as well as the taste of delicious BBQ pork running through my head at the same time.”
“You Scrubbed Off the Flavor!”: The Great Seasoning Showdown
After an hour deep in the trenches (literally inside the cooker), Linda was ambushed by three men: the chef (grinning maliciously), an indifferent office guy, and—plot twist—a furious stranger from the rental company. The stranger launched into a tirade about “scrubbing off the flavor” and ruining the “seasoning,” a concept Linda, at 19, hadn’t yet encountered outside of salt and pepper.
Here’s where it gets juicy: as multiple Redditors pointed out, the idea of a seasoned spit roast is a bit... dubious. As u/ChimoEngr asked, “I get the seasoning for something like a cast iron pan, but how does that work for spit roasting something?” Another commenter, u/Arokthis, summed up the absurdity: “'Seasoning' a cast iron pan has nothing to do with flavor. It's about making sure the metal is intact.” In other words, the “flavor” the rental guy was mourning was probably just layers of old grease—and possibly some questionable hygiene practices.
This wasn’t just a cleaning job anymore. It was a clash of culinary cultures, with Linda caught in the crossfire.
Malicious Compliance or Accidental Sabotage?
Was this an act of malicious compliance, or just the inevitable result of poor communication? The Reddit jury was split. As u/big_sugi noted, “Doesn’t sound malicious, though, if you didn’t know what he actually wanted. (Or, for that matter, if he didn’t know what he actually wanted.)” The real villain, it seemed, was the chef’s vague and impossible order. And the consequences? The resort lost its deposit, Linda never got in trouble, and the chef got “reamed” by management—a rare and satisfying win for the underdogs.
Reddit’s favorite moment? The arrival of Linda’s fellow dishwasher—her “knight with a moist dishtowel over one shoulder”—who backed up her story and saved her job. As u/Opening-File6100 declared, “Perfection.”
BBQ Myths, “Stunt Pigs,” and When Things Go (Deliciously) Wrong
The comments section turned into a barbecue symposium, with users swapping tales of spit roasts, “stunt pigs,” and luau logistics. u/knaylomo revealed a little-known secret: “A lot of those tourist luaus have that stunt pig that they pull out of the hole in the ground while they bring out platters of pork from the kitchen.” Upvotes abounded for the phrase “stunt pig,” which is now forever part of the Reddit lexicon.
Other commenters shared their own misadventures—like the time a scout group’s spit roast was ruined when rain shattered the oven glass (u/armcie), or when military coffee machines were cleaned so aggressively that the next day’s coffee tasted like Ajax (u/nymalous).
Perhaps the biggest takeaway? Whether it’s seasoning, “flavor,” or just plain burnt-on gunk, everyone’s got an opinion on how things should be cleaned—or not cleaned at all.
Conclusion: Shine On, You Dishwasher Diamond
In the end, this story isn’t just about a BBQ pit gone wrong. It’s about the eternal struggle between workers and management, the comedy of errors that comes from unclear instructions, and the quiet heroism of dishwashers everywhere. As u/Nothingofintrest19 aptly put it, this was “more trying to complete a task than malicious, but I like it.”
So next time you’re at a luau or barbecue and marvel at the “flavor,” spare a thought for the dishwasher who might be scrubbing away in the background—making it shine, come hell or high pork fat.
What’s your worst cleaning job or workplace “malicious compliance” moment? Share your stories in the comments below—because every dishwasher deserves their day in the sun (or at least a good rinse).
Original Reddit Post: Really seals in the flavor