Anyone who asks me, I tell them under no circumstances should they ever become a cook-- unless they feel like being broke forever. Well, forever is a stretch, but it's usually long enough to feel like it.
I have been scraping by below the poverty line every time I take a cooking job. Cooking is -not- a good-paying job, unless you get INCREDIBLY lucky enough to become an exceptional chef. It's how many places keep menu prices as low as they are. Fair? No. But it's the reality of the situation. It's also why many line cooks are thin, bordering anorexic-looking. We are too busy putting in 60-80 hour weeks to try to make sure our rent, bills, and any other expenses we accrue get paid before we think about stopping to eat.
With my new part-time gig, I'm finally going to be able to knock out some of the debt I've accrued over 5 years of awful decisions. That excites me, it really does. Unfortunately, I still get hit with minor setbacks that completely rattle me. My phone service, for example, has been suspended at the moment. I won't have money for that for another week and a half. A year ago, I wouldn't have cared about that as much. Now, however? I'm supposed to see James tomorrow for the first time in over a month. I feel sick to my stomach. I hate this feeling- it's like being a terrible financial Sysiphus. I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but daaaaamn it's frustrating getting there.
So remember folks, unless you are prepared for the inevitable ulcers and stress-induced alcoholism, don't cook for a living. Cheers~
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