Sometimes it’s the feeling of knowing you’re capable of so much more, but you’re so short staffed (and those shortage issues aren’t going away anytime soon) and physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted that you can’t. My point is this: in an office the shouting and abuse that has become standard in many kitchens and restaurants would not be tolerated. I stumbled across this kitchen thing out of necessity – as a family-run business you do whatever it takes to keep those doors open and that’s how I started cooking. Let me rewind a bit: I’ve always been a marketing geek who worked in offices for most of my professional life.
But just because it’s always been there doesn’t mean it should still be there – times are and have changed and it’s not ok to physically, mentally or emotionally shit on anyone, even if they royally fuck up.
But, this Gordon Ramsay type mentally has always lived in kitchens across the world way before the likes of Gordon Ramsay it’s just the tragic norm. We’ve been conditioned to those unfortunate standards ‘as seen on TV’. When food becomes about competition its meaning and essence changes. I’m usually banging on about the highly processed and commercialized nature of our food system, but this isn’t today’s conversation. Throughout the years, there’s been a shift in our food culture. Fast forwarding to what we all know now, a chapter was definitely missing. As I took the brave first steps post-restaurant, Bourdain and his journey represented hope. Tony made his own badass culinary path without working in a kitchen or restaurant again. He spoke about the physical pain and stress on your body when earning your stripes, but there was no mention about the emotional and mental pain that this industry brings on the regular. I remember reading the ‘ Food is Pain’ chapter and feeling like there was something missing. Reading the first few chapters, you glide past ‘Food is Good’, ‘Food is Sex’, and then ‘Food is Pain’. Like a lot of people, Bourdain was my culinary hero – I wanted to be his little sidekick, exploring parts unknown together. It’s a book that resonates with anyone who has ever worked the line (even after all these years), striking a chord with those who are just getting by. I remember reading Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Kitchen Confidential’shortly after closing our family restaurant and thinking ‘yes’ – someone was able to put in words what #kitchenlife was really like.
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