...Pronounced, "stAAH-ge". :) As I mentioned a few posts back, a stage is an apprenticeship in a kitchen, effectively equating to willing slave labor. It's working for free, not for the monetary gain, but for the education and occasionally to audition for a job. For the longest time, I refused to consider staging anywhere- couldn't afford it, and couldn't see a point. I'd learn what I needed to know eventually, right?
Well, while that could have been true, thank god I don't have the patience to find out! After I met J, my decision to start a bar really solidified, and I realized I needed to learn more... Like, *now*. Patience still really isn't my thing. So I thought about it, weighed the pros and cons, and threw away 2 weeks of pay to go work at Richard's again. I'm infinitely glad I did. Turns out you learn faster when you're willing to work for free. ;)
Honestly, I am looking for secondary employment- I can't afford not too, too many leftover debts to repay. However, if another stage presented itself, I would snap it up in a heartbeat.
I tried college once upon a time. Frankly, I hated it. I hated being in classrooms, hated schoolwork, and especially hated homework. Could never really commit myself. Life without a degree certainly isn't easy, but from all of the news stories I'm seeing lately, apparently it's not so easy even with the degree. One thing cooks seem to agree on, though, is that culinary school students tend to be the worst hires. I am not saying all are, I do have classmates that went to culinary college. But the fact is that most of the graduates I've worked with are completely unwilling to shut up and learn, and don't work according to what their chef, their new boss, is telling them. There needs to be classes in humility and common sense. That could help.
Actually, that could help a lot of people. Fuck, can we get that in a high school curriculum somewhere?
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