First Night On The Line aka The Culinary Wonderment thread

[FLMountainMan]

Loved reading this Kyle, great stuff. Please update regularly.

 

[kwilkinson]

Thanks for all the well wishes, guys. It means a lot!

Originally Posted by sygyzy

Second of all, I assume you haven't read Kitchen Confidential in which Bourdain stresses the learning Spanish point. How many ways do you need to be told?
I've read it. I guess I should have taken it seriously. Probably just needed the smack upside the head that the stage gave me.

Originally Posted by sonick

Is the kitchen really like they show in cooking/reality shows? More or less intense?
It's both more and less intense. First off, in the shows, they only show the service, so you don't get a proper feel for the entire shift. Prep time and comida (family meal) were both very relaxed, friendly environments. Everybody has a lot to do, but there isn't a ton of pressure or people yelling. Everybody just puts their heads down and works. And they all talk trash back and forth the entire time. I loved it. On the other hand, watching the shows, I would always think "oh come on that's not hard" and thought that they made it seem easy. It is not. Simple as that. From watching the shows you can't feel the heat of the 200 degree grill that's a foot behind you. You can't feel the excitement as that first order prints off and the night begins. You can't feel the sweat and the burns and the cuts all over everybody.

Originally Posted by gdl203

Congrats on (a) having the courage to change careers, (b) getting into the school you wanted, (c) landing the stage and (d) doing so well on your first day. a+b+c+d = you doing what you really want to do and building a career out of it. Few people can say that about their professional lives.
Wow, I hadn't thought of it that way. Now that I think about it, it has been a really incredible chain of events in the last year. To think that 12 months ago I was wasting away in a crappy office job with nowhere to go and no real ambition, to being here now. Thanks Greg.

Originally Posted by Alter

That brought a tear to my eye, Kwilk. Super nice!!!

Thanks Alter, means a lot coming from you.

Originally Posted by Connemara

Good job. Now, the next step is to remain calm when the chef asks you to bend over and receive his kack.

"Yes, chef...*sob*"

Couldn't be any worse than Ed.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

I'm proud of you Kwilk. One day, I hope to eat at a place you own. You better have ******* four kinds of foie for me!

Great job kid.
On the house, of course.

 

[gdl203]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

To think that 12 months ago I was wasting away in a crappy office job with nowhere to go and no real ambition
Now, don't rub it in...

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

On the house, of course.

Set me up at a Chef's Table in the kitchen, and I'll supply the wine pairings.

 

[Xiaogou]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Set me up at a Chef's Table in the kitchen, and I'll supply the wine pairings.

This should be good

.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

On the house, of course.

Future SF meet @ Kyle's place! You better not quit SF before opening your place!

 

[SField]

there's a lump in my throat.

 

[Alter]

Originally Posted by SField

there's a lump in my throat.

Is Kunk's cack still lodged in there?

Sorry...couldn't resist!

 

[shiftk]

watch out for products that tout " no cholesterol" or " cholesterol free ", because some may contain high levels of trans fat.

 

[adambparker]

^^ Indispensable advice for an aspiring young chef.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by Alter

Is Kunk's cack still lodged in there?

Sorry...couldn't resist!

No, your wife's enormous engorged nipple.

 

[Master-Classter]

Originally Posted by shiftk

watch out for products that tout " no cholesterol" or " cholesterol free ", because some may contain high levels of trans fat.

Originally Posted by adambparker

^^ Indispensable advice for an aspiring young chef.

Originally Posted by EL72

I understand the outcome that yelling is intending to generate but can chefs not express their discontent another way that will generate the same outcome without the aggressiveness of shouting? How is a chef different from any other manager or CEO who is ultimately responsible for the performance of his group or organization? Do you think all bosses should yell at employees to get their message across?

Interesting analogy but I think that we tolerate some extreme behaviors in the military because there is a recognition that people's lives are on the line. If soldiers f@ck up, others die, so perhaps shouting is appropriate despite the negative side effects. In civilian life however, the stakes are not as high (bad meal, lost money...) so we should be less tolerant of abusive behavior.

Your second point is interesting. I admit that every individual is different and that some people need stricter discipline. That said, I don't believe anyone really enjoys being yelled at and humiliated (and I'm into kinky sex as much - or more so... - than the next guy but that's different

).

I tried actually picturing my boss acting like that in the corporate world and was a bit shocked. I think the environment is like that for a few reasons. It's always sort of been taht way so there's just sort of an acceptance of that's the way it is and it continues. The environment is loud, hot, frantic, etc and absolute control keeps things from falling apart and becoming chaotic. The types of people you can throw into a hell hole (non-customer facing, extreme heat and pace, very little money, etc) are often a little delinquent or have lots of issues, etc so all in all the discipline makes sense. So no, I don't think you could guarantee having the same outcome without all the yelling, and why take the risk of being all nice and friendly. Nobody sees what goes on in the background and the product coming out is all that matters.

 

[thekunk07]

was wondering where you were kyle.

awesome! so happy for you.

 

[ChicagoRon]

Originally Posted by EL72

With Kevin Spacey? Was it the one where the asshole boss ends up tied to a chair...
That's the one. There's a great scene where Frank Waley goes in and says "I think we could get more done without the yelling"... and Spacey throws a bunch of stuff at him.

 

[thekunk07]

swimming with sharks. underrated movie IMO