JLoeats.com

how ironic and sad that chef’s don’t even have time to EAT half the time they are alive.
COOKS SPEND about 11 -12 hrs of their day feeding other people,
busting their gutts, and hauling butts to cook for others.
they never have a moment to sit down and relax and share food with others.
half of their lives are spent amongst food, usually elbow, knee deep in it,
yet never really get to EAT and enjoy themselves.
in fact, it is nothing but enjoyment when you are not used to the daily grind of it all.

i have discovered that it is one of the most unhealthy professions to be in.
it’s really hard to take care of yourself when you are exhausted, hungry, have been pushing yourself to your physical limit without enough calories in your system for energy, all for the sake of FEEDING OTHERS.

most chef’s don’t get a break within the twelve hours, the only time you can stop is to go out and have a cigarette, and most ppl do because they are so stressed out, and because it’s the ONLY time alloted to breathe for two mins, let alone sit down.
If you’re swamped with work, you don’t even get the two mins to smoke or eat.
and most chefs drink A LOT, holy crap do COOK’S DRINK! because at the end of a twelve hour shift, the last thing you really want to do is cook more food, even if it’s for yourself. because you see, after peeling and coring let’s say about 50 lbs of tomatoes a day (and that’s only one task at hand, there usually are about twenty, not including jumping ON THE LINE for LUNCH AND/OR DINNER SERVICE where you’re pumping out 300-500 covers in about 2 hours) – you don’t want to even look at food anymore when you get home. (think about it, most ppl who do their profession full time, don’t work or even go near it during their off hours)

i have never worked so hard in my life.
i have DARK DARK circles under my eyes now, (never mind the horrible oil splashes and burns and steam facials i get from working on the HOT LINE sometimes)
i feel malnourished and over exerted 9 out of those 10 hours a day,
i can’t feel my feet, in fact i’m pretty sure i feel only pain and calluses forming.
my muscles are dead sore, and i’m pretty sure i’m tearing something in my lower back and/or shoulders every time i try to lift a giant fifty pound box of anything in a freezing cold freezer or refrigerator onto a shelf, having to organize and clean it out on top of all our other duties.

it’s almost inhumane to push workers like this,
in fact, it’s just insane.
but food costs are so high,
and restaurants just don’t make enough money to double up on labour or overlap workers so that their shifts are shorter.
and in food, there’s just too much work to be done and never enough time to do it.
and because it’s perishable stuff, it never ends b/c everyday you’ll get another shipment of things to peel, dice, chop, mix, or carry…to prep a station, to work on the line, in order to feed the masses.

and it’s restaurant week.
well – WINTERLICIOUS. (so it’s 2 wks)
food is put out faster, quality is sacrificed, and it’s cheaper than usual to make, for them to be making any money what so ever on volume. (which in theory, is AWESOME for stirring up the slow season in the economy during the harsh and cold canadian winters, but it just sucks for the cooks making minimum or less than minimum wage most of the time)

my hand was shaking from exhaustion and hunger after lunch service today, in which i did 300 covers of desert (i am now working the pastry station – thank god, and living out my 6 year old childhood dream in wanting to become a baker when i grew up, but who would’ve known i’d be making 500 lbs of bread pudding a day at this rate and volume at such a young age)
it was 3pm before i even realized that i hadn’t sat down or eaten anything in over 6 hours.
i had to take a two min break, and even then, i felt guilty, because everyone was in the weeds since we were SO BUSY and SO PACKED full of people. (again, ultimately GREAT for business – where the owners benefit only, but stressing the entire staff out and burning them all out in a two week straight run is crazy.)

if i can survive the next two weeks, let alone the next 6 months,
i will give myself a pat on the back,
a massage, a big hug, a GIANT BEER, and a huge NAP.
and the bragging rights so i never have to work in a restaurant kitchen ever again if i so choose, when my time is done.

There just are better ways of taking care of myself – since i’m not in it for the money –
working here 60-75 hours a week is not only going to kill me faster, but i won’t even be able to survive off of the wage financially!.
i have ways i want to teach others to live:
and i like to practice what i preach.
i know i have to pay my dues,
and i know i sill LOVE TO COOK,
but i think i just LOVE TO EAT MORE.

i know i need to EAT properly, at the very least when i don’t get the chance to sleep well, in order to take good care of myself, because i have low blood sugar and i get headaches and i get really dizzy when i don’t eat every two hours, and yet i’m still pushing through like superwoman.
i can’t help but scream and grunt, and be cranky all day long when i’m covered in food scraps and garbage and working ten to twelve hours is just straight burning me out. period.
and it’s only been 3 days…

chef: “hey J, how are you doing today?”
me: “ughh, i’m so tired”
chef: “are you kidding? TIRED? you’re too young to be tired!”

no, i’m just way past how young i USED to be in not knowing when to stop pushing my body when i know it’s limits now. ;)
i’m just smarter at reading the signs of when my body mind and soul tells me to stop.
and yet, i push on.

PLEASE FOLKS,
TIP YOUR COOKS.
they topple over, burn themselves, cut themselves, and put their health at risk just to feed you.
the least you can do is TIP your cooks for making you food that you have no time to make yourself,
to feed yourself.

we all must survive.
and there is an entire group of ppl out there who do this everyday, killing themselves,
to feed YOU.

ps -
THIS IS AWESOMELY INTERESTING!

http://www.gourmet.com/foodpolitics/2009/01/alice-waters-letter-to-barack-obama

*ALICE WATERS had a great HAND in introducing the ORGANIC movement into AMERICA.
i love that it stirred up so much attention!!! :)
cuz that’s exactly what i want to do, and get to –
ppl may think she’s nuts about the letter — BUT I THINK IT’S INSPIRATIONAL!!! ppl complaining aren’t the ones writing letters to OBAMA wanting to CHANGE the world, and having a hand in DOING SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS AWESOMELY RIGHTEOUS AND INPSIRATIONAL, and in ALL GREAT INTENTIONS.
ppl who like/love to eat, but who are pretentious and judgemental about leading chefs in the world who do things to change the way things are – obviously have NEVER WORKED IN A KITCHEN BEFORE,

because
you don’t know what you’re made of,
until you work in a kitchen
you don’t know where your food comes from,
until you have to kill for it.
and hopefully you will never complain about having no varieties or veggies again, if you step onto a farm and grow them yourself.

growing, producing, distributing, cleaning, and cooking FOOD Is HARD WORK.
and then after you’re done, who cleans up your mess?!?!
hopefully U do.

TRY SHAKING the HAND of THOSE WHO FEED YOU once in a while, and THEN WE’LL TALK.

RESPECT to all those in the industry
SUPPORT to all those who do this everyday,
and LOVE for all that is FOOD, all that is SUSTAINABLE, and all that continues to GROW each and everyday for our benefit.

xoxo paix xoxox

pps – TiP YOUR COOK, TIP your COOK, TIP YOUR COOKS! :)
i’m going to sing it like a song now.
because it’s my turn to speak up.
please please please,
TIP your COOKS.
write it on the BILL “please share my tip for the waiter/waitress with the cooks!”
we will love you forever,
and your food will be proud in your stomach too.