THE CHRONICLER OF THE KITCHEN March 2011 Mike Campbell
A COOK’S LIFE – PART THREE:
Reality
The restaurant business will work you like a dog and pay you the same way!
Most cooks will work in “THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS”. Any owner of a business is in business to make money. They are not interested in making the staff rich. Get this fundamental fact in your head and never forget it:
Owners make money by paying you as little as possible!
Does that feel like a slap in the face? Good! Wake up and smell the fryer grease.
Owners, managers, and chefs are well aware that young cooks are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to build their reputation. They will work long hours and accept sub standard pay just to cook. In fact, in the better restaurants, interns are NOT paid! Interns work for free just so their names can be associated with a fine establishment or Chef. What businessman would not accept free labor, especially when it is somewhat skilled and very willing! And you thought indentured servants were a thing of the past!
In modern America, most employers offer company paid health benefits, paid vacations, paid holidays, a five day work week, and an eight hour work day. Do restaurants routinely offer these benefits? The answer for most cooks is no, no, no, no, and no.
And while you are thinking about receiving zero benefits that corporate America takes for granted, don’t forget about your education. You probably owe $20,000.00 to an “institution of higher learning” that prepared you to enter an industry that is notorious for not paying a living wage. You will soon learn what “the working poor” really is and stop asking why so many cooks work two jobs.
Are you prepared to endure the summer heat? If it’s uncomfortable outside, this feeling is magnified inside. Temperatures on the line average 100 degrees. And this is just an average because if you work the broiler it is much hotter. Do you have any idea what it is like to function in such conditions for eight to ten hours a day? A really bad day is when you sweat so much the money inside your wallet is wet!
Can you stand for your entire working life? Do you understand that getting cut and burnt is commonplace? Can you imagine yourself working in such conditions?
You made a conscience decision to work every weekend and holiday when you entered the hospitality industry. But your decision also impacts those closest to you. Family, friends, spouses, and significant others grow weary of your absence.
If you have children, when do you see them? Watching them sleep doesn’t really count. Children usually get right to the point.
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO WORK ?
JUST CALL IN SICK !
Going to work and leaving a sad child behind really makes one question their priorities!
The joy of cooking can override many negatives. It can make your endorphins jump. Your senses are filled with aromas and sensations that just make you smile! Can you experience the positive amid the negatives?
If you are a jingoistic xenophobe you should not be in this industry. The kitchen is truly a “worldly” experience. I have worked with black, brown, white, and yellow faces. I have shared experiences with males, females, heteros, and gays from teenagers to septuagenarians. The kitchen is home to agnostics, atheists, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and many other religions persuasions.
I once worked with a man born and raised in Senegal, who later lived in Italy, moved to the southern United States, and then Pennsylvania. He worked two jobs, so he could support his daughter living in Texas. We did not share skin color, native language, religion, or national heritage, but he was one the happiest and nicest people I have ever met!
Languages from every continent are spoken. English is the language of the land, French the language of food, and Spanish is usually the language of the dish room. These and others are co-mingled so everyone knows a little of many languages. I am fluent only in the English language but I can curse in many!
Good food transcends speech. All cooks are really looking for the glimmer in your eye, the smile on your face, and the murmur of appreciation while eating. Words are not necessary!
And this is why we do it!
“ THAT’S THE FACT JACK ! ”
I owe, I owe, its off to work I go.
Into THE CAULDRON!
“The difficult we do,
“The difficult we do,
The impossible takes a little longer!”
Is tuisce deoch na sceal
