...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?
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Dependency, but Not Really
"This place will make you an alcoholic."
"Hm?" I responded, not quite hearing the server speaking to me.
"This place," he reiterated, flicking his eyes up to glance at the walls, "will make you an alcoholic."
I laughed. "What makes you think I'm not one already?"
I am, in fact, a functioning alcoholic. There are factors I could blame, I suppose, like genetics or yes, kitchens; but really it was all my decision. I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be, either. Compared to when I was 19, I am much closer to complete sobriety now than I ever was then.
I enjoy alcohol. It was definitely an acquired taste, but one I leapt into rather enthusiastically. And it's not just liquor, or beer- I can appreciate just about anything with an ABV content.
The biggest difference I've noticed in my drinking is why I drink. I drank in my earlier years because I was miserable. I hated my job(s), hated where I was, hated myself for my shitty decisions. These days, I have a better handle on things. I have good friends, I have a great job, I have someone I care about a great deal. My reasons for drinking now are usually just social, or I could use a nightcap. The old me would be ashamed of my tolerance now.
And don't get me wrong, it definitely wasn't an easy transition. I honestly can't see myself ever being completely sober. When I get upset or stressed, I still crave vodka/waters and Jack Daniels neat. But I'm learning how to deal with those feelings in slightly less destructive ways. I can't preach to anyone about their bad habits, nor do I ever want to. But I don't ever want people to feel bad for me and the decisions I've made. They taught me everything, and I really wouldn't have everything I've got now without shitloads of terrible decisions and drinking.
Will this place take me back to my old ways? Probably not. At this rate, I'm behaving far better than I ever have. Cheers~
"Hm?" I responded, not quite hearing the server speaking to me.
"This place," he reiterated, flicking his eyes up to glance at the walls, "will make you an alcoholic."
I laughed. "What makes you think I'm not one already?"
I am, in fact, a functioning alcoholic. There are factors I could blame, I suppose, like genetics or yes, kitchens; but really it was all my decision. I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be, either. Compared to when I was 19, I am much closer to complete sobriety now than I ever was then.
I enjoy alcohol. It was definitely an acquired taste, but one I leapt into rather enthusiastically. And it's not just liquor, or beer- I can appreciate just about anything with an ABV content.
The biggest difference I've noticed in my drinking is why I drink. I drank in my earlier years because I was miserable. I hated my job(s), hated where I was, hated myself for my shitty decisions. These days, I have a better handle on things. I have good friends, I have a great job, I have someone I care about a great deal. My reasons for drinking now are usually just social, or I could use a nightcap. The old me would be ashamed of my tolerance now.
And don't get me wrong, it definitely wasn't an easy transition. I honestly can't see myself ever being completely sober. When I get upset or stressed, I still crave vodka/waters and Jack Daniels neat. But I'm learning how to deal with those feelings in slightly less destructive ways. I can't preach to anyone about their bad habits, nor do I ever want to. But I don't ever want people to feel bad for me and the decisions I've made. They taught me everything, and I really wouldn't have everything I've got now without shitloads of terrible decisions and drinking.
Will this place take me back to my old ways? Probably not. At this rate, I'm behaving far better than I ever have. Cheers~
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Purity?
I despise purists. Frankly, I find them to be annoying, rude, and for the most part out of touch with reality. What really gets me is when I encounter them in my line of work, mostly because the industries I've worked in are exactly the kind that embrace the oddball and strange. To retain 'purity' in those industries is to willingly stagnate and kill your business in a musty corner.
I first recognized this bullshit working in alcohol. I admit, I used to be a huge beer snob. But after months of drinking high-quality, high-alcohol, high-priced beer at bars, I started to question my own snobbery. After all, regardless of my feelings on macro brewing, I had once drank Bud Light, hadn't I? And while it might not be my first choice, if it is what is available, am I really going to turn my nose up? No. There is a time and place for every beer, and people who are going to get their panties in a twist about it are going to come off as pompous asses more often than not.
More recently, I've noticed this purist attitude among fellow cooks. And not towards anything understandable, like ingredients- I could forgive that. No, towards uniforms, of all things.
Really?
The standard uniform for chefs in many upscale restaurants and corporate places are whites- an outfit comprised of a chef coat, 'checks' (baggy, elastic-waisted pants), non-slip shoes, and a chef's hat of some sort (there are different styles available, of course). This uniform is built on functionality, and to minimize safety hazards in the kitchen. That's great, I support that. However, not every kitchen requires that specific uniform- does that make the place any less of a restaurant? No! Absolutely not!!! I have worked in a large variety of places, both mediocre and excellent, and never once has what the staff looked like influenced the quality of food. So long as we passed health code, there was never an issue. What mattered was our attitudes being in that kitchen in the first place, and whether we were proud of the product we were putting out. THAT made the difference between cafeteria-style slop and a beautifully plated rinsrouladen.
I recently saw a photo online of a guy butchering a pig in a hoodie, jeans, a hat, and an apron- accompanied by some of the most annoying commentary from one or two of those uniform purists, calling the butcher 'unprofessional' and generally just being asses about it. I have two problems with that whole notion- one, the commenters weren't his employers. They have no say as to what is considered 'professionalism' in that particular restaurant, and no right to judge based on their own lofty, self-righteous standards. Two, who in the fuck do they think butchers the pigs at the local farms? For anybody with that farm-to-table boner I've met, they insist on local products. Well, I have yet to meet a farmer who slaughters a pig in chef whites. If it's good enough for the supplier to wear jeans and shit, it's perfectly acceptable, in my mind, for the ones using the product to do the sane. Don't even get me started on the history of clothes and butchery, I've already been on quite the tangent this morning.
On a similar note, there was another variety of uniform purism that caught my attention- a female line cook on Reddit was looking for advice on where to get better-fitting checks. She didn't like how the current style marketed looked on her, a completely fair analysis, as they are currently designed to give anyone wearing them a serious case of potato-butt. Being that there are ways to make kitchen-safe pants without making them heinously unattractive, I had expected more empathy for the woman. Ha! Silly me, this is the Internet! Instead she was told to suck it up and be a professional, or go get a desk job. I call horse shit. The restaurant industry is already one where women on the line find themselves getting harassed more often than not- a sad fact that is slowly changing, but hasn't quite yet. So forgive us if we want to do little things here and there to make ourselves feel better about how we look- it's not vanity, it is us ensuring we don't have that stupid, annoying thought of, "ugh, I look awful" distracting us from the job we need to do.
I work in one of the best restaurants in the southeast. I wear blue jeans and eyeliner to work. Does Chef care? No. He is more concerned with me getting my job done, and to the standards that he put forth. So, to all of the purists out there, get a life. Whether it's beer, uniforms, or any other stupid inconsequential matter; you're just making yourself look backwards and overly stuffy. Life's too short to get in a tizz over crap like that.
And on that note, I'm done. Rant over.
(Pic is me, making fried chicken two years ago in 4" heels. Suck on that, haters.)
I first recognized this bullshit working in alcohol. I admit, I used to be a huge beer snob. But after months of drinking high-quality, high-alcohol, high-priced beer at bars, I started to question my own snobbery. After all, regardless of my feelings on macro brewing, I had once drank Bud Light, hadn't I? And while it might not be my first choice, if it is what is available, am I really going to turn my nose up? No. There is a time and place for every beer, and people who are going to get their panties in a twist about it are going to come off as pompous asses more often than not.
More recently, I've noticed this purist attitude among fellow cooks. And not towards anything understandable, like ingredients- I could forgive that. No, towards uniforms, of all things.
Really?
The standard uniform for chefs in many upscale restaurants and corporate places are whites- an outfit comprised of a chef coat, 'checks' (baggy, elastic-waisted pants), non-slip shoes, and a chef's hat of some sort (there are different styles available, of course). This uniform is built on functionality, and to minimize safety hazards in the kitchen. That's great, I support that. However, not every kitchen requires that specific uniform- does that make the place any less of a restaurant? No! Absolutely not!!! I have worked in a large variety of places, both mediocre and excellent, and never once has what the staff looked like influenced the quality of food. So long as we passed health code, there was never an issue. What mattered was our attitudes being in that kitchen in the first place, and whether we were proud of the product we were putting out. THAT made the difference between cafeteria-style slop and a beautifully plated rinsrouladen.
I recently saw a photo online of a guy butchering a pig in a hoodie, jeans, a hat, and an apron- accompanied by some of the most annoying commentary from one or two of those uniform purists, calling the butcher 'unprofessional' and generally just being asses about it. I have two problems with that whole notion- one, the commenters weren't his employers. They have no say as to what is considered 'professionalism' in that particular restaurant, and no right to judge based on their own lofty, self-righteous standards. Two, who in the fuck do they think butchers the pigs at the local farms? For anybody with that farm-to-table boner I've met, they insist on local products. Well, I have yet to meet a farmer who slaughters a pig in chef whites. If it's good enough for the supplier to wear jeans and shit, it's perfectly acceptable, in my mind, for the ones using the product to do the sane. Don't even get me started on the history of clothes and butchery, I've already been on quite the tangent this morning.
On a similar note, there was another variety of uniform purism that caught my attention- a female line cook on Reddit was looking for advice on where to get better-fitting checks. She didn't like how the current style marketed looked on her, a completely fair analysis, as they are currently designed to give anyone wearing them a serious case of potato-butt. Being that there are ways to make kitchen-safe pants without making them heinously unattractive, I had expected more empathy for the woman. Ha! Silly me, this is the Internet! Instead she was told to suck it up and be a professional, or go get a desk job. I call horse shit. The restaurant industry is already one where women on the line find themselves getting harassed more often than not- a sad fact that is slowly changing, but hasn't quite yet. So forgive us if we want to do little things here and there to make ourselves feel better about how we look- it's not vanity, it is us ensuring we don't have that stupid, annoying thought of, "ugh, I look awful" distracting us from the job we need to do.
I work in one of the best restaurants in the southeast. I wear blue jeans and eyeliner to work. Does Chef care? No. He is more concerned with me getting my job done, and to the standards that he put forth. So, to all of the purists out there, get a life. Whether it's beer, uniforms, or any other stupid inconsequential matter; you're just making yourself look backwards and overly stuffy. Life's too short to get in a tizz over crap like that.
And on that note, I'm done. Rant over.
(Pic is me, making fried chicken two years ago in 4" heels. Suck on that, haters.)
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Words and Weirdness
I've noticed I have the weirdest habit. Usually, I only do it when I'm speaking with people, but I've noticed it's started to carry into my writing. Occasionally, when I'm listening to various accents, they'll creep into my own speech; and while you can't necessarily "hear" accents on a page, the vocabulary used can certainly infer different moods and vocalizations. For example, I am watching 'Ms. Pettigrew Lives For A Day' while I write, and while I'm not typing in 1930's British slang, I can see myself using more formal language, and I'm thinking in a distinctly British accent.
So if you notice any difference, it's guaranteed that's due to whatever I'm listening to. I can't write without background noise, but it definitely leaves it's own mark! Cheers~
So if you notice any difference, it's guaranteed that's due to whatever I'm listening to. I can't write without background noise, but it definitely leaves it's own mark! Cheers~
Noshing
Grocery shopping has definitely changed for me lately! Used to be I couldn't go to the store without getting every processed, fatty, sugared, salted, greasy thing I could get my twiggy little fingers on. And don't get me wrong, I'm still happiest when I can sit around and munch on Hormel pepperoni slices. But this evening, after getting overly hormonal and hungry, I popped out to the store.
Roaming the store, I couldn't find anything I wanted to snack on more than vegetables and ridiculous stuff like that. :) I guess this is a side effect of the kitchen I've wound up in- Chef has a very seasonal farm-to-table operation, and there are a plethora of veggies kept on the line. All night long, I'll snack on the errant carrot or 2 (or 5), radishes, and feta cheese; my body's so used to it now it actually craves them. Which works out, as I usually go to a local farmer's market for produce on the hella cheap.
...Or I could just be full of crap with that last theory- a pint of cookie dough ice cream and beer have been my bosom buddies tonight. Cheers~
Roaming the store, I couldn't find anything I wanted to snack on more than vegetables and ridiculous stuff like that. :) I guess this is a side effect of the kitchen I've wound up in- Chef has a very seasonal farm-to-table operation, and there are a plethora of veggies kept on the line. All night long, I'll snack on the errant carrot or 2 (or 5), radishes, and feta cheese; my body's so used to it now it actually craves them. Which works out, as I usually go to a local farmer's market for produce on the hella cheap.
...Or I could just be full of crap with that last theory- a pint of cookie dough ice cream and beer have been my bosom buddies tonight. Cheers~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)