Once Upon a Time...

And just like that, it's finished. Four years of conceptualization. Three months of research, mathematics, procrastination, and cooking. Cumulative five days of typing, reformatting, and typing again. Over fifty pages of relevant materials,  nevermind the obscene amounts of other materials I have yet to polish because they are irrelevant to potential investors (Though those will be done soon enough). More work invested in this one project than I ever put into any of my school projects combined. And I can finally call it DONE.

DONE!

I no longer have this aggravating leech of an idea, just sitting on my brain and nagging me constantly with thoughts of, "You haven't done enough research!  Your idea probably won't work. But hey, you'll never know- you keep procrastinating!  Lazy. You could TOTALLY be working on it right now!"
Well screw you, Brain! I finished something. For once. And my math actually supports my research,  my bar can be a viable business. This lunacy of mine may just work!

Of course, now the first leech has been replaced with a newer, bigger persistence- "Way to go, smartypants.  You got your shit figured out. Now, let's try this whole getting your shit actually together and get this place built, eh?" (The voices in my head seem to all be grizzled old Brooklynites... I can't even begin to explain that)

So, the prelude is over. I guess it is now safe to say my story actually begins today. Cool. :)

Walk the Line

It's the oldest opening question when you're at a bar- "What do you do?" A general inquiry to suss out what you've chosen to do with your life. It also provides insight as to where your mental situation may be, and future prospects. After all, if you're in the dating game, you wouldn't want to saddle yourself with an unemployed bum, right?

I am a line cook. Generally, that means I need to explain a bit more to the random people I meet. The layman doesn't realize that cooking professionally is more complex than just, "make food". There's catering, private cooking, cooking instructors, chefs, etc.

Line cooking is what happens in restaurant kitchens- it's a team effort to put together meals for the guests. There's generally different stations to focus on different plates- it's just about impossible for one person to put together hundreds of plates together by themselves in a night.

I love line cooking. In a good restaurant, it's fast-paced, challenging, and keeps me on my toes. And when I have the opportunity to get a bit more creative, it's ludicrously fun.

At the end of a good night, I am exhausted. I would have been on my feet for at least 8 hours, in constant motion. Lifting, chopping, wiping, reaching into fridges. I'm sweating from the heat and the pressure, and my focus is laser-sharp. It's a tough environment, but it's never boring. It's perfect for my short attention spam, constantly evolving and changing. My hands are marred with burns, scars, and calluses. My nails are short out of necessity, and never polished. My hair is pulled back and tucked under a skull cap, making me look like an adolescent boy if it weren't for the eyeliner I wear.

Women on the line is a rarity- for whatever reason, they aren't as prevalent in professional kitchens. Many that ate, though, feel the need to overcompensate with an excessively macho attitude. I did that myself for the first half of my career. I wish that there weren't any gender distinction in kitchens, that we could just gain respect as just cooks instead of male vs female cooks. However, at the moment it's an unavoidable divide, and I'd rather celebrate the fact that I *am* a girl, and I *am* kicking ass at what I do. It's tough, but worth every ass-kicking night!

I wonder why the stereotype even exists? The "pro cooks=men/home cooks=women" one? Honestly, I would think moms would make the best professional cooks- they're used to being on their feet long hours, multitasking all the time, and to be frank, used to a lot of whining. Thoughts, everyone?