The Wise ol’ Sage says….
With so many different “gameshow” types out there and chefs competing I think it’s important to address a few issues. What you see on t.v. (Hells Kitchen, Master Chef) might not exactly be what you “really” see in the kitchen.
Listen mate, I can say that being in control of the kitchen and being able to assess the restaurant is definitely a “true” role of the head chef. Givin’ Hell in the Kitchen and tellin’ people to bugger off, callin’ em stupid, idiots, fat, ugly…etc. Is not something that we do. Granted when I was a gromet in the kitchen myself, yes – that did happen. I recall my head chef stabbing my hand once because I kept leaving the fridge door open. I did learn my lesson, that’s for damn sure.
But these days you legally cannot do that. You’ll have management breathing down your arse so quickly you won’t know which way is up or down. I’d get in shite if I spoke loudly to someone, especially if I make them cry. I had an instance where I was tryin’ to get one of my workers butt in gear, cos they were just slackin’ and talking on the line, so I tried to make a joke but drive home the point. But they took it too personally, next thing I know they walked off and I was getting called into the office the next day.
It’s such a different breeding ground now for work ethics. Back in my day you worked hard, no one patted you on your back, and no one whispered sweet words in your ear to keep you motivated. You worked hard, if you wanted to get promoted you did your job, plus someone else’s, you kept your nose to the ground, you never spoke back, and you shrugged it off at the end of the night.
Nowadays I find the younger generations to be entitled, bossy, non-appreciative and lazy. I get wanting to give your children more than what you have, but when is enough – enough? You give em too much and they walk all ova ya. What happened to taking pride in what you legitimately earned. I still feel guilty when I get handouts if I don’t feel I deserve it. How do we re-instill those values in a generation that’s grown up on spoon feeding and hand holding? There’s a big difference between teaching and coddling, and I think that some of the old ways should be brought back.
Final Thought: You can’t be the chief unless you’ve learnt how to be the officer. Appreciate the details of the climb and it’ll make you that stronger.
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