Camaraderie (file under Kitchen Love)

At least two or three times I have written about the camaraderie that develops in a kitchen. It is a bond of brothers and sisters that come together to complete a task together in the most beautiful and wonderful ways. But that camaraderie is not limited to just the kitchen in which you work.

Currently, at Without Reservation, when I go out for a smoke, I am facing the smoking area of another kitchen. A couple of times a day I will see their Pastry Chef, or Sous Chef or just some of the line cooks doing the same thing that I am, having a cigarette and working through whatever needs to be worked through that day.

There is the normal small chitchat but then there are also conversations which reveal the true camaraderie of the kitchen. I have been speaking with the Sous Chef and Pastry Chef there since I started at Without Reservation. They constantly give me good advice and are interested in my progress in the kitchen. This also filters down to the line cooks as well. I am struck by the camaraderie that develops.

It is a nice feeling to escape the constantly balmy thirty five degrees of the kitchen and to have a conversation with someone for a minute or two, or five as the case may be.

This experience has led me to believe that there is an unspoken bond between kitchens the world over. Anthony Bourdain has spoken about this many times too. Perhaps it is because we are all in the joyous suffering of burns, cuts, scrapes and failed experiments. Perhaps it is the cigarette or perhaps, maybe, just maybe, it is something deeper. Something more human. Something spiritual which transcends our humanity and instead highlights our shared experience and makes us reach for one another. I’m not sure what it is. But I can tell you this, it makes me feel extremely happy to know that this exists outside of the military or a hockey team.

Moreover, in going back to Reservation this week, I felt as if that camaraderie still exists even when people move on. I don’t think it is true in every case, but certainly, it would appear, in mine.

Just something that I’ve been meaning to write about for a while.

Todd English once said; “I liked the energy of cooking, the action, the camaraderie. I often compare the kitchen to sports and compare the chef to a coach. There are a lot of similarities to it.”

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM

Smokers Corner (file under Quick Drags, Fags and Garbage)

Chefs and cooks the world over can tell you a similar tale. When it comes time for a cigarette during work there is only one place to go. Relegated really. To the garbage area. As unglamorous as that may sound, in fact, it is a refuge. It is a place where you can go and grab a seat for a quick break from an otherwise hectic day. Surrounded by garbage you sit there and take a moment for quiet contemplation, chat with the kitchen staff and inhale as quick as you can. I’ve got a slow cigarette down to four minutes and a fast one to about two minutes.

I know it sounds crazy that a garbage area can somehow become hallowed or glamorous. But to line cooks, kitchen staff and Chefs the world over it is as beautiful as the most glorious smoking room you have ever seen.

Luis Bunuel once wrote; “If alcohol is queen, then tobacco is her consort. It's a fond companion for all occasions, a loyal friend through fair weather and foul. People smoke to celebrate a happy moment, or to hide a bitter regret. Whether you're alone or with friends, it's a joy for all the senses. What lovelier sight is there than that double row of white cigarettes, lined up like soldiers on parade and wrapped in silver paper? I love to touch the pack in my pocket, open it, savor the feel of the cigarette between my fingers, the paper on my lips, the taste of tobacco on my tongue. I love to watch the flame spurt up, love to watch it come closer and closer, filling me with its warmth.”

But in no way do I advocate people starting smoking. Hypocrite – probably. But that is my demon to battle and someday in order to improve my palate I will quit. For now I just want to cut down. However, being a smoker, as I have, for 22 years, it won’t be easy.

Are you dreaming big and inspired?

A la prochaine

SDM