so, finally, after a month at the new job, i kicked a ton of ass last night. seriously. i whipped ass all over the place. the place i work now is significantly busier than any place i've ever worked, and it's set up considerably different. i've never had to work with an expo before, and i'm still getting used to keeping track of stuff in my head rather than glancing back at my tickets every two minutes, but i'm starting to roll with it. the best piece of advice i've gotten so far is "dance more, think less".
and goddammit, it works. just crank up the tunes, and get your kitchen dance on. i've always found the movements of line cooks to be similar to dancing...when there's three or four guys stuffed together in a tight line, and most everybody has hot pans or sharp knives in their hands, it takes grace, constant spacial awareness, and years of practice to shimmy around without doing damage to each other. and if you're lucky enough to stay out of the way and watch it all happen, it looks surprisingly choreographed. it doesn't matter if you like to work to iron maiden (like me) or lady gaga (like the rest of the burly thugs in my kitchen) or hippie crap (you know who you are), turn that shit up and get dancing!
on a side note, on saturday night, i had to take a step back and take in the scene...five guys that could from all outward appearances be bikers or roadies for motley crue, or at the very least, shady drug dealer/mechanics, were all dancing like little girls at a slumber party and singing "poker face" by lady gaga. come to think of it, last night we were doing the same thing listening to bananarama.
anyway, i know i'm just a humble line cook and a lot of the people reading and writing this thing are full fledged chefs, but that's my advice to you...dance more, think less.
lady gaga helps.
jesus, i never in a million years thought i'd ever admit that lady gaga helps anything.
Thank you Mr. Minor
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4 comments:
I try and not think at all
I agree, Cornstarch. I have found that thinking as little as possible not only allows me to use my instincts and muscle memory, but it also puts me on the same mental plane as the rest of the FOH and managerial staff. I just have to remember to snap out of it and unzip my pants when I go to the bathroom.
Don't forget to plug your nose too after Devil-Neck has left at the end of the night
A chef once told me, "Do you know what your problem is? When you cook you are 80% physical and only 20% mental. When you become 80% mental and only 20% physical you will be unstoppable."
I agree 100% that cooking with finesse is important to survival on a cramped busy line. We train ourselves to react. However if our reactions are not analyzed and picked apart at the end of service then how are we to get better?
The name of the game is Get Better Every Day. I DO NOT allow music during service. I never thought I would say that. I used to think cooking was impossible without my favorite Phish show blasting on the stereo outside my station. Nowadays, unless I'm cooking a heady quesadilla on lot, then there is no music allowed.
This is what I've found: Not only is it a dance, but the service and the cooking become the music as well.
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