Kitchen Culture ( file under Nature of the Beast)

As is the case with any working environment there are those that do and those that make it appear that they do. Anyone that knows me well knows that I am a hard worker. That I put my nose to the grindstone, and although sometimes begrudgingly, I get the job done. It has always been that way and always will be.

Since joining the professional kitchen world I have observed on more than one occasion (read weekly if not daily) that while I am toiling away getting stuff done as others just stand around having a chat or appearing as if they are doing something. It frustrates me. It irritates me. It also makes me sick to my stomach.

I could go into any number of examples from where I am working but I feel it would be fruitless. Needless to say I am not the only one that notices. Moreover, L and I often share a look that says; “Look at that lazy fuck.”

Yesterday I arrived for work at 10:15 am not sure what time I was working. When I walked in I found out that I was working at 2 pm. However that was no big deal. I had, as always, a trusty book at my side, and I was ready to go and read for a few hours. As luck would have it however the kitchen was down a body and with all the goings on this week Executive Chef told me to punch it and have at her. Which I did. I’ve been working a little less lately (as I have learned) because we are in a end of summer lull which is about to come to a crashing halt for the next few weeks. We are going to be busy. And by working a little less I mean 50 hours instead of 80.

Yesterday I observed, several times, and much to my frustration, what I term as laziness but moreover disrespect for the kitchen and all the Chefs. At my review Head Chef had let me know that this was going to happen. That I would work my little tail off and see others not pulling their weight and that it would frustrate me. It does however give me an opportunity to learn. What can you learn from watching the laziness of others you may ask? Well, first off, that I never want someone to look at me as if I am lazy. Secondly, it is an exercise in managing my own mental state and frustration. Yesterday I didn’t do it so well. But I am quite sure that it was only evident to a very few people.

There is a running joke in the kitchen about all day job. That is a job which one does very slowly and thus the term. There are currently three people in our kitchen that take the term to heart and can turn even the smallest ten minute job into a two hour ordeal. IT PISSES ME OFF! It makes me want to scream. It makes me want to lash out. But as I said before I treat it as an opportunity to master my own mental states.

Yesterday I did some work on a two o’clock tasting which kept me busy for a couple of hours and then I ran through the prep lists for myself and the body that we were down. I did it with a smile on my face and the regular banter that accompanies our kitchen.

Toward the end of the day we had two parties. One at 5 and another at 8. They were relatively small parties. The first for 50 and the second for 49. These are parties that L and I regularly do on our own. Just the two of us and then a Chef to expedite when the time comes. Yesterday there were five of us plus a Chef which means that there was a lot of time, for those that choose to, to fuck the proverbial dog. The whole time, from 5 until around 10:15 when I left I was working. Tearing down stuff. Putting stuff away. Cleaning the kitchen. The walk in. Clearing the rolling racks, vac packing, etc. I think I reached my boiling point when after caramelizing 29 brulee’s I was vac packing some stuff and I asked someone to put something in the walk in. He just looked at me as he lazed against the prep table with a vacant stare that said; “Huh!” I looked right at him and told him that he was being lazy. I even raised my voice a little. Did he care? No! Did it make me feel better? No. But it had to be said. He made some off remark to which I responded I may be called a lot of things but lazy will never be one of them. As A often says to me; “Sometimes you really have to want it.” This person looked at me and said that as A sometimes says it to him to. I was irate. In a way I still am.

I guess everywhere you go there is always going to be that one person that just lazes by and gets away with it. All I can do about it is keep working and doing what I do best. Get the job done.

Rant over! But it is a part of the kitchen culture that I have witnessed and this blog is the real representation of what I experience.

There is an old Norwegian proverb that says; The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.

That is why I do every day!

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM