# Least favorite cooking/kitchen job



## Mlan (May 14, 2021)

What is the thing you hate to do most inside the kitchen whether that be at home or at work?

Without a doubt for me it is taking the stems off of thyme. So frustrating especially if you have to do a lot.


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## Mlan (May 14, 2021)

A close #2 is peeling garlic since I stopped smashing it with a knife ever since I snapped a petty in half doing it. Now I just use my palm to smash it and then peel it with my fingers, but then my hands smell like garlic for the next three days :3


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## btbyrd (May 14, 2021)

Though you mentioned it already, peeling garlic. I hate the sticky papery skins that cling to everything -- the smashed cloves, the knife, the cutting board, your fingers. A few cloves is no big deal, but it's just awful if you have to do a large-ish quantity. I will say that Theory's video using a western deba to chop garlic helped improve this loathsome task. He's using pre-peeled garlic, but the smash-tastic nature of the deba is still apparent. The blade is so heavy, you can basically just let gravity do all the work. And the blade is so burly, there's no worries about bending the blade (or snapping it in half -- yikes!).

I also hate papery onion and shallot skin, though those are not as sticky as garlic. But in general, that sticky smelly allium paper is just bad.


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## Bodine (May 14, 2021)

Figuring out what I am cooking for the evening.


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## ModRQC (May 14, 2021)

Garlic: cut root off, light smash to loosen peel, hold by the stem and spine tap nearest your fingers to eject. 

Unrounded spines work better; rounded one tend to smash rather than eject in the last stage. Tap with the square spine at an angle for best eject. It's not my favorite thing to do but it's not the worst. When comes the mincing/brunoise time however, yes I hate sticky garlic. A good reason not to totally smash them is to avoid excess stickiness. 

Best in class is my TF Mabs - that spine taps eject like no other. Probably weight combined with the square spine.


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## banzai_burrito (May 14, 2021)

Mlan said:


> A close #2 is peeling garlic since I stopped smashing it with a knife ever since I snapped a petty in half doing it. Now I just use my palm to smash it and then peel it with my fingers, but then my hands smell like garlic for the next three days :3



You can put them in like a plastic container and shake it around, should help peel off the majority of it


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## applepieforbreakfast (May 14, 2021)

Soak garlic cloves in warm water for like 5 minutes. Peel comes off in 1, maybe 2, piece(s). Just learned this trick last weekend.


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## Bear (May 14, 2021)

Peeling the skin off hydrated dried peppers, sometimes I just give up.


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## M1k3 (May 14, 2021)

Pizza. I like eating it but I can't for the life of me stretch dough out reasonably fast and have it look good. For me, it's one or the other


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## JayS20 (May 14, 2021)

Mlan said:


> but then my hands smell like garlic for the next three days


Just a heads up if you don't know it yet. Rub your palm, fingers against stainless steel while washing your hands to lose the odeur. Usually use the faucet.


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## MarcelNL (May 14, 2021)

My peeves are tiny when combined to pro kitchen work....cutting up cups full of dried chili and deseeding them for my Chinese dishes is a PITA, I also hate stuff like making a gazillion meatballs, filling and folding Chinese dumplings etc.


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## MarcelNL (May 14, 2021)

M1k3 said:


> Pizza. I like eating it but I can't for the life of me stretch dough out reasonably fast and have it look good. For me, it's one or the other


the right flour, correct hydration and some experience should make you master that, getting quick doing so IMO simply takes repetition multiplied by 1*10^6


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## M1k3 (May 14, 2021)

MarcelNL said:


> the right flour, correct hydration and some experience should make you master that, getting quick doing so IMO simply takes repetition multiplied by 1*10^6


Yeah I worked pizza station almost exclusively for a year or so. Still not good


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## Nagakin (May 14, 2021)

Cleaning shellfish for a buffet...

Tableside or carving or whatever other server jobs places try to make kitchen do. Servers making six figures in tips should have a full skill set besides uncovering or walking a plate. No, you can't borrow my knife without a full tip share either.


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## HumbleHomeCook (May 14, 2021)

Mlan said:


> A close #2 is peeling garlic since I stopped smashing it with a knife ever since I snapped a petty in half doing it. Now I just use my palm to smash it and then peel it with my fingers, but then my hands smell like garlic for the next three days :3



You might consider getting a board scraper and using that to smash your garlic. 

I'm with you on the thyme. Grrrr... It's like nature's joke. So good and used so often but such a ***** to get just the leaves.

Also, doing the dishes and feeling the "edges" on my wife's knives. 

Then probably draining large stock batches. I have limited space so it's usually pour into a colander/bowl until full, then another smaller bowl, and sometimes another one. Everything is piping hot, don't want to spill anything, mounds of veggies and spent chicken... Can just be a real chore. Worth it though.


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## Mlan (May 14, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> You might consider getting a board scraper and using that to smash your garlic.
> 
> I'm with you on the thyme. Grrrr... It's like nature's joke. So good and used so often but such a ***** to get just the leaves.
> 
> ...


For the Garlic in times of deep frustration I have debated just getting out a meat tenderizer and going to town... on the garlic that is.


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## @ftermath (May 14, 2021)

I worked in a fast food chicken joint about 20 years ago and always got stuck juicing lemons for the lemonade. For some reason we could never convince the prep lead to leave the lemons out of the cooler so they were always half frozen. Memories of juicing multiple cases of half frozen lemons with this god forsaken machine of knuckle destruction will follow me to my grave.


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## Mikeadunne (May 14, 2021)

I always hate cleaning squid. But picking a few pints of herbs will get me riled up if I'm not in a good spiritual place to begin with lol.


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## HumbleHomeCook (May 14, 2021)

Mlan said:


> For the Garlic in times of deep frustration I have debated just getting out a meat tenderizer and going to town... on the garlic that is.



I still use a knife. I just make sure the handle is off the board so the blade is flat and not angled. And I don't whack the hell out of it.


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## M1k3 (May 14, 2021)

M1k3 said:


> Pizza. I like eating it but I can't for the life of me stretch dough out reasonably fast and have it look good. For me, it's one or the other


Crap! I think my boss is a member here?  I'm on pizzas


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## Byphy (May 14, 2021)

M1k3 said:


> Yeah I worked pizza station almost exclusively for a year or so. Still not good


I did for a little too. Seemed like every time I thought I was turning a corner, the next day I sucked at stretching again.


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## SHOWERDOOKIE (May 14, 2021)

Picking through a few gallons of diced peppers because someone decided to make a batch “Oops, All Stickers!” is at the top of the list for me


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## M1k3 (May 15, 2021)

Byphy said:


> I did for a little too. Seemed like every time I thought I was turning a corner, the next day I sucked at stretching again.


Work JUST pizza station next time


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## Byphy (May 15, 2021)

M1k3 said:


> Work JUST pizza station next time View attachment 127161


Most of the time they came out slightly oval but here was one of my better offerings. I wasn't consistent though, so back to garde manger I went


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## M1k3 (May 15, 2021)

Byphy said:


> Most of the time they came out slightly oval but here was one of my better offerings. I wasn't consistent though, so back to garde manger I went
> View attachment 127162


Ever so slightly oval ones are the best when you are hungry and it's a pizza you like. Slice a sliver from the middle to take out the ovalness and wahla! Snack time


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## demcav (May 15, 2021)

Cleaning (head/peel/devein) shrimp.


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## stringer (May 15, 2021)

Fava beans
Pomegranates
Lobsters


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## MarcelNL (May 15, 2021)

it just came back to me; peeling white asparagus

Somehow the outer layer resists the peeler and the peel curls up on it making it take forever....I instantly remembered why I pledged to only buy peeled white asparagus when the peeling machines made their way into the growers shops!


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## Lars (May 15, 2021)

Washing up. Anything that fits in the dishwasher goes there.


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## M1k3 (May 15, 2021)

demcav said:


> Cleaning (head/peel/devein) shrimp.


I like this! Almost therapeutic for me.


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## SeattleBen (May 15, 2021)

Mlan said:


> What is the thing you hate to do most inside the kitchen whether that be at home or at work?
> 
> Without a doubt for me it is taking the stems off of thyme. So frustrating especially if you have to do a lot.



I had a friend blow up a three month stage at Alinea ages ago behind thyme leaves. They showed up, were given three examples of the leaves and the sizes acceptable and told to pick through 2 lbs without damaging the leaves. After about an hour of doing it their supervisor came by, yelled something about “can you even see!! Those are nowhere like what I showed you”. Then tossed the whole project added enough thyme to get back to starting weight. Repeat two more times and my friend walked out. 




demcav said:


> Cleaning (head/peel/devein) shrimp.



When I decided that I was done working in restaurants I thought for a while that grocery would be better. I went after fish and meat counter jobs and landed at Whole Foods fish. This, barring a major change, entailed the worst work year of my life. We often had people come buy 5-10 lbs of shrimp at the back end of their shop and then ask us to clean them. You’d have to drop the rest of whatever you were doing, and ignore the of the line when you were solo.


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## stringer (May 15, 2021)

Anything really cold sucks after long enough. Like marinating partially frozen 8 cut chicken or working a double in a refrigerated garde manger kitchen.


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## SeattleBen (May 15, 2021)

But the plus side is that you’re sort of alone and if you’re somewhere that cares enough to have that station set like that my presumption is that the food is at least good .


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## Bear (May 15, 2021)

stringer said:


> Anything really cold sucks after long enough. Like marinating partially frozen 8 cut chicken or working a double in a refrigerated garden manger kitchen.


Breaking down cases of whole chickens packed in ice.


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## Mlan (May 15, 2021)

When I was a kid at my first ever job at a small grocery store they made me go through a case of the moldiest corn I have ever seen and peel it and re-package it for sale. The stuff looked like a strait bio weapon and the fact that they still wanted to sell it still haunts me to this day.


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## HumbleHomeCook (May 15, 2021)

Lars said:


> Washing up. Anything that fits in the dishwasher goes there.



I don't even own a dishwasher.


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## ampersandcetera (May 15, 2021)

Bottling big batches of sauces/dressings for the line. Even with a funnel I manage to spill on my board, or worse on the side of the bottle so the kitchen tape label won't adhere. No matter how clean I try to be, it's always a mess.

I'd rather peel 50# of shallots than fill bottles.


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## panda (May 16, 2021)

cleaning artichokes


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## Hassanbensober (May 16, 2021)

Stuffing figs with blue cheese and wrapping them with bacon. I friggin wrote the banquet menu myself so I really shot myself in the foot on that one.


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## mmiinngg (May 16, 2021)

Mlan said:


> that be at home or are work



The whole problem is precisely whether it is at home or at work.

there is nothing i hate doing at home, but at work is another story.

last week i made a dish at work with gnocchi and artichokes...i hated myself 

spring is a very nice season, but thé products are generally quite time consuming and delicate to work ( fava, asparagus...)


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## M1k3 (May 16, 2021)

Hassanbensober said:


> Stuffing figs with blue cheese and wrapping them with bacon. I friggin wrote the banquet menu myself so I really shot myself in the foot on that one.


That reminds me.

Tempuraed stuffed zucchini flowers


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## Iggy (May 16, 2021)

For me (home cook)Top (or better "worst") 3:

Cleaning brussel sprouts
Peeling Potatoes (I'm somewhat allergic, so need gloves...)
Cleaning black salsify


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## demcav (May 16, 2021)

Mind if I send you mine, M1k3, with a pre-paid return label? Ooops, never mind, I just remembered your oval pizza remedy. 

But, yea, most anything can be therapeutic if one's in the right frame of mind...well, maybe not taxes!


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## captaincaed (May 16, 2021)

Nagakin said:


> Cleaning shellfish for a buffet...
> 
> Tableside or carving or whatever other server jobs places try to make kitchen do. Servers making six figures in tips should have a full skill set besides uncovering or walking a plate. No, you can't borrow my knife without a full tip share either.


Ok it's been a while since I was in service. Where are waiters making six figures? Is this really a thing?


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## stringer (May 16, 2021)

Union hotels. At least pre-pandemic.


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## SeattleBen (May 16, 2021)

Fine dining servers get there too. Even a decade ago they were there.


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## Mikeadunne (May 16, 2021)

Iggy said:


> For me (home cook)Top (or better "worst") 3:
> 
> Cleaning brussel sprouts
> Peeling Potatoes (I'm somewhat allergic, so need gloves...)
> Cleaning black salsify


salsify is a b*tch


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## Nagakin (May 17, 2021)

captaincaed said:


> Ok it's been a while since I was in service. Where are waiters making six figures? Is this really a thing?


What the guys above said. My last place had union servers who worked both banquet and restaurant that made ludicrous money. Our events usually go between $250K and $1.5M with an automatic 10% gratuity. It's not an even split and goes by seniority (at least here). Shifts work the same way. It gets _really _nasty.


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## panda (May 17, 2021)

Iggy said:


> For me (home cook)Top (or better "worst") 3:
> 
> Cleaning brussel sprouts
> Peeling Potatoes (I'm somewhat allergic, so need gloves...)
> Cleaning black salsify


salsify!! uhhhhhh, hate cleaning those


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## BillHanna (May 17, 2021)

captaincaed said:


> Ok it's been a while since I was in service. Where are waiters making six figures? Is this really a thing?





stringer said:


> Union hotels. At least pre-pandemic.





SeattleBen said:


> Fine dining servers get there too. Even a decade ago they were there.


Back In The Day, my wife was a server at a diner(EatNPark for those who know) and she was making 60k. When she left to go to college.... the tips. The. Tips.


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## Keith Sinclair (May 17, 2021)

Back in late 80's nouvelle tiny labor intensive dishes were popular. Fine dining in Hawaii that stuck with it went out of business. 

Had a Chef that put out a menu in a busy Kahala Hilton Hotel. I had banquets to put out in limited time with one helper. Front line ala carte pantry lady impossible to keep up. 

She asked me to peel grapes for her 5 grapes per salad I peeled 30 grapes for her & got back to my job. Barely got one of the banquets out in time. When she ran out of grapes just put on unpeeled. Of coarse Chef noticed I wasn't there
Down in banquet room. When I came back he was upset. So I have to say peeling grapes almost made me quit my job.


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## SeattleBen (May 17, 2021)

Keith Sinclair said:


> he asked me to peel grapes for her 5 grapes per salad I peeled 30 grapes for her & got back to my job. Barely got one of the banquets out in time. When she ran out of grapes just put on unpeeled. Of coarse Chef noticed I wasn't there
> Down in banquet room. When I came back he was upset. So I have to say peeling grapes almost made me quit my job.




I worked somewhere where we did a carbonated grape as an amuse, which obviously were peeled. I did it sometimes and for the volume we did, it wasn't too bad. I got my boss from the previous job to come in and stage a few times and on the last he had to peel the grapes. I told him he was doing it wrong and that he could start doing it how I showed him, (much more involved) or that someone else would come by and make him do it later. I thought he was going to hit me. He went on about it in his own fashion for a moment or two longer and was seen by someone else who told him to throw them out and start over. Later he told me that he thought I was kidding.


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## ian (May 17, 2021)

SeattleBen said:


> I worked somewhere where we did a carbonated grape as an amuse, which obviously were peeled. I did it sometimes and for the volume we did, it wasn't too bad. I got my boss from the previous job to come in and stage a few times and on the last he had to peel the grapes. I told him he was doing it wrong and that he could start doing it how I showed him, (much more involved) or that someone else would come by and make him do it later. I thought he was going to hit me. He went on about it in his own fashion for a moment or two longer and was seen by someone else who told him to throw them out and start over. Later he told me that he thought I was kidding.



You use your teeth, right?


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## SeattleBen (May 17, 2021)

ian said:


> You use your teeth, right?




We aren't monsters, of course.


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## Oshidashi (May 17, 2021)

Mlan said:


> A close #2 is peeling garlic since I stopped smashing it with a knife ever since I snapped a petty in half doing it. Now I just use my palm to smash it and then peel it with my fingers, but then my hands smell like garlic for the next three days :3


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## ian (May 17, 2021)

Oshidashi said:


>




What kind of garlic does this work best with, do you think? Fresh/old? I try it from time to time, but it never works as perfectly as it does in videos. Usually helps some, and then I have to peel the rest of them. Then again, I hardly ever do enough cloves at a time to warrant it.


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## esoo (May 17, 2021)

ian said:


> What kind of garlic does this work best with, do you think? Fresh/old? I try it from time to time, but it never works as perfectly as it does in videos. Usually helps some, and then I have to peel the rest of them. Then again, I hardly ever do enough cloves at a time to warrant it.



you need enough cloves, like half a head to a head. Anything less and it hasn’t worked right for me


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## Kippington (May 18, 2021)

Grating horseradish. If you think dicing onions hurts your eyes... 

Also, peeling a bucket of soy beans (like the skin on the individual beans) always makes me rethink my life choices.


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## M1k3 (May 18, 2021)

Kippington said:


> Grating horseradish. If you think dicing onions hurts your eyes...


Like a nice shot of ghost peppers to the everything!!


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## Keith Sinclair (May 18, 2021)

Use a lot of garlic & ginger. Just for home use buy those bags of fresh garlic from Costco 
Peel at least two whole bulbs at a time extra put in small sealed container in frig. for another dish or garlic butter etc. As garlic in bag gets older skin loosens. Peel ginger with small spoon.


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## Jovidah (May 18, 2021)

Lars said:


> Washing up. Anything that fits in the dishwasher goes there.


This. It's always the cleanup that bothers me the most.
After that... non-knife stuff like zesting lemons and grating cheese... Those are 'girlfriend-jobs' for me.


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## Eziemniak (May 18, 2021)

Cleaning the grease trap


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## Oshidashi (May 20, 2021)

ian said:


> What kind of garlic does this work best with, do you think? Fresh/old? I try it from time to time, but it never works as perfectly as it does in videos. Usually helps some, and then I have to peel the rest of them. Then again, I hardly ever do enough cloves at a time to warrant it.



Did this a couple of times with a whole head of garlic and it was truly amazing, all except the tiny cloves that I usually toss anyway were perfect. Last week I peeled a whole head and used half of the peeled cloves in a stir fry thing, and put the unused naked cloves in a baggy in the fridge and used them the next day and they were still perfect. I will definitely do this method whenever I need a bunch of garlic especially if I intend to slice rather than dice or smash.


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## Mlan (May 23, 2021)

Cleaning the ovens has always been my least favorite kitchen job. At my first kitchen I did it a couple of times and it took awhile since it was hardly ever done. It was so much scrubbing, so any chemicals, so dirty.


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## MAS4T0 (May 24, 2021)

Mlan said:


> A close #2 is peeling garlic since I stopped smashing it with a knife ever since I snapped a petty in half doing it. Now I just use my palm to smash it and then peel it with my fingers, but then my hands smell like garlic for the next three days :3



Have you tried using a small pan?

When I'm doing a lot of garlic I use a small Turk skillet as a mallet to smash it, a small copper pan works well too.


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