Rule #32

Rule  #32 occurred this afternoon at a catering job.

A little background, as a terorrised comis back in the day, I have always been steadfastly against the assholleric communication style in French kitchens and egomaniacal American kitchens that I swore if I was ever in charge anywhere, I would not insult anyone. The truth is nobody has ever done anything better or properly by being diminished as a human being so I watch my language in the heat of battle. However some offenses are so egregious that language is the second casualty.

Rule #32.

It is OK to say  occasionally                         "Dude, WTF are you doing ?"

The reason : I told an unnamed culinary school graduate to separate lobsters and chop up the bodies for shellfish jus. He chopped up the tails an proceeds to argue with me that the tails were the bodies and the bodies were the heads. WTF are they teaching at cooking schools these days.

Comments

[Roberto N.]

Call them what you want, who in their proper mind will make jus with the tails?

[JS]

"WTF are they teaching at cooking schools these days.", I think it depends on what school you attend. Some schools are only turning out shoemakers. Although I always thought that culinary school is only as good as you personally make it to be. No matter what they tell you at graduation, when you leave school and take a job you're lucky if they let you work the line on a Saturday night.

[craig]

hahahahaha amazing (about the lobster bodies). i am right there with you about the part chef part asshole deal. not fun i went through that quite a bit and have vowed to never be like that, in the heat of the battle i can see being stern and to the point but getting a knife thrown at you or being put in a headlock (yes these have happened to me) is not worth the emotional trauma you can cause someone else over food.although i am a bit psycho when it comes to cooking i know that the line has to be drawn somewhere and there are other things besides cooking, because being an old before your time bitter person who can't cook anymore (maybe due to an accident or just getting to old) could be a wake up call that comes to late. then what's left?

[MJR]

Well you know what my response would have been. I love students who argue their mistake, like that is going to rationalize the f-up away. To students "We know you are going to F-up, I did, the difference is I learned will you?"

[Chicken Fried Gourmet]

it is sad when the local paper trumps up the weekly dinner available from the local culinary school and it is usually roast pork tenderloin with some type of veg and cobbler like you would get at a cafeteria chain

Shola you and Sean brock, Ideas in Food, Sam Mason etc are my refuge :)