How to Become a Food Manager, Part I

I read over the packet from the Health Department & found out that my Food Handler's Card would not cover me for grilling cheezers at San Diego area farmers markets under a tent (or as they liked to called it: a temporary food facility).  I needed to become a Food Manager.   

There was a list of approved agencies that offered both the necessary exam & training to get there.  When I looked at each of their websites, they all looked the same except for the pricing & the locations.  It turned out that the cheapest was San Diego Food & Beverage.  They had several times & dates to take the test & it was in Mission Valley, about a ten minute drive away.

They recommended booking it at least three weeks out so I 'd have plenty of time to study.  I took their advice & booked my exam for a month later, online for $90.  The test included a free study guide that you borrow & return on the day of the test.  I picked it up one day when I was in the area & eventually made copies of it at work one morning at the front desk.  It took me back to my college days, making copies of textbooks on WSIU-TV's dime.

The study guide was about a hundred pages & chock full of tables, charts & some cartoon images.  The material was all about keeping things clean, sanitized, & free of vermin.  A lot of temperatures to remember & techniques to achieve & maintain those temperatures.  

Pretty boring stuff.  So, naturally I procrastinated & waited until a few days before exam day to get cracking.  

Unfortunately, a couple of big outside life factors made the exam much harder for me than it needed to be.