No, No, is too much (file under Let me Sum Up!)

One of my favorite lines from any movie is; “No, no, is too much, let me sum up, Buttercup is marry Humperdink in little less than half an hour.” Which these days is how I feel. So much to say and so little time to say it in as I have so many things on my plate these days. However, I will, as always, do my best to spit it out.

I didn’t write yesterday because I was torn between an emotional response and an intellectual one to the day that I had. I had both successes and failures. And sometimes when that happens I am torn between my responsibilities to myself to be genuine and that of my readers who want to understand.

So I will start with the minor (truly minor) dressing down I got with regard to Health in a Glass. Due to the person that I am and wanting to share the goodness that comes my way with everyone possible Chef called down and told me that the smoothies had to stop. My belief is that my regulars sent him a message somehow saying that they really appreciated me and all that I was doing – including the smoothies. He wasn’t angry and he certainly didn’t let on to how he found out. He was merely stating his position on the matter in a very cordial way. Naturally I said; “Yes Chef!” And true to my word instead this morning I had a grapefruit juice. I certainly don’t want to rock the boat.

I hustled a lot yesterday and for seemingly no reason as the night crew had not been very busy. This happened again today and so very good naturedly I mentioned it to Sous Chef R. I did this not to be a snitch but because I felt that I was being taken advantage of and that I wanted to nip it in the bud. The story to follow;

As I had mentioned earlier when I started at The Club there is a disconnect for some of the people that work there and reality. In that, they fail to see, or refuse to, that they have a great job and do the bare minimum to maintain the status quo (as in their job). As we all aware I am a work horse. I am happy to do the work and do more than my fair share. I am happy, neigh, thrilled to pick up the slack when it needs to be picked up but I am not there to be a whipping boy. Yesterday I didn’t really say much because I just felt that I would get the job done that I needed to get done. However, today when I came in, I was greeted by the stench of laziness and it drove me crazy.

When I came in I did my regular set up. Yet, the line was not adequately ready and thus I had to do all that. I then had to do all the prep for the evening crew despite the fact that they had a quiet night last night. By quiet I mean that they had to work for about an hour. Meaning that they had six and a half hours to get the things done for themselves. Well as so often happens, they cherry picked what they wanted to do and left the things they didn’t for me to do. Again, I don’t mind doing the work if there is a justifiable reason for me to do it, but I am not going to get into another situation as it has been for me before.

In speaking with Sous Chef R I made it clear that I am not complaining for the sake of complaining. Before saying anything I asked if last night had been busy to which he responded by the time he left around 9 it was pretty quiet. At this point I explained that I felt that I was doing the best I could to knock off the prep work that needed to get done while at the same time managing my time when orders came in. I felt that it was unfair that I was being hammered (every day this week) with an unreasonable amount of prep. He promised that he would have a conversation with the culprits. Which he did. And I know this because the culprit came to me and complained. I said nothing to him, nor will I, for I think it is not my place, nor responsibility to. I am a worker bee, there to work, and so I will. I have taken on more than my fair share, gladly, and will continue to, but I am not going to allow internal politics or personalities to diminish either my character or work ethic. Head down, mouth closed, WORK!

Part of the problem as I see it is that my morning partner and I can work and talk at the same time. While it would appear that certain of the night crew, feeling untouchable and above reproach, just talk and talk and talk and then when the night is over add to my already large prep list. Again this is just my observation.

I do think that this should not be an issue going forward but it was enough today that it affected my mood for a good hour or so.

Politics and personalities are big inside the restaurant world. Some people work, some don’t, that is true of any environment. But I made myself a promise that I would not allow myself to be taken advantage of again as it negatively impacts my spirit. I like being happy. I love what I do. And while I don’t think that everyone has my attitude when it comes to work I really do wish that people I currently work with would realize that we are in paradise compared to most kitchens.

At any rate, I choose to remain above the fray, put my head down AND WORK. To me the issue has been resolved, at least in the now, and will remain for me a done issue until such a time as I feel that the work ethic is sliding again. And rather than dealing with the person directly I will deal with Sous Chef R as that is the way to deal with the issue. It may not seem cool to some people but I am not working to be cool. I am working because I love what I do. I am only in control of myself. But there is a standard operating procedure and syntax to events that I adhere to now because I am not falling into the same pit falls as the past. We have to learn and grow from our mistakes.

As I like to present the good, the bad and the ugly. I want to now let you know that yesterday I did the prep work for Sunday’s pasta special which is an Authentic Pad Thai. The sauce is delicious and took time to make, but, as I have said time and again. Good food takes time.

As to the Bistro Fish that I created I made a sample of it today and was really happy with what I had created. It is a truly “sexy dish.” It is beautiful on the plate. The flavours match each other quite nicely. It is a dish that I am quite proud of and know that anywhere other than the club I could charge at least $40 for it. The colours are all complimentary and yet at the same time provide a nice contrast. The crispiness of the coconut and Panko breading contrast well with the spicy sweetness of the apricot marmalade. While there are definite refinements to be made to the dish it is one that I know I will make variations of for the rest of my life.

Benjamin Franklin once said; “Sloth and Silence are a Fool's Virtues” This is something I thought of many times today as I did my best to bang out what needed to get done.

However, as we all know I like to end these posts, positively, with food for thought, and so, James Joyce once wrote; "I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day."

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM