The culinary world is known to be grueling towards its devoted followers forcing them into hard labour, long shifts and very low paying jobs. It’s notorious for its late nights, heavy drinking and definitely attracting a lot of curious individuals into its realm. However, I recently realized that it evolved into something even more grueling right before our food crazy eyes. It has become a world of no job security, benefits or in many cases almost no income; without real justification for all these downfalls. Why do we do it?
Everyone believes that the journey towards becoming a self sustaining chef able to create and run your own restaurant should involve a harsh beginning where you were eaten alive by your superiors while on the line. But why is that? Why can’t a culinary career involve working only a normal 8 to 10 hour day? Why do others get to walk all over you as part of an unnecessary initiation ritual?
Don’t get me wrong, when it comes to cooking in the industry I do agree with the brigade system that was set in place by our culinary forefathers where one needs to work their way up through all the ranks in a kitchen in order to the “ruler”. But why the abuse during the process?
The only way I can justify this phenomenon is by claiming a surreal love for food. Love for pleasing the senses of those around us with morsels of euphoric nourishment with only slight praise as our payment for our grueling work. But there may be more so therefore, this topic is certainly open for discussion since I may be missing the key element to this idea.
This would have to be the one question every apprentice, commis, tournant, saucier, sous chef, and chef de cuisine has asked themselves at one point, even multiple times, looking for a source or understanding from which they can use as a foundation. It is a fascinating question to ask oneself and debate with fellow colleagues and/or other people outside the realm of the kitchen, either resulting in common consensus or mixed opinions or complete doubt.
Maybe the question lies in the statement/question, for the love of food, what is it about food that makes it loveable? Could it be its historical importance? Its aromas, tastes, beauties, textures, complexities? Its ability to bring people together? Or is it just simple enough to say that we need it daily to live, its nourishment, that makes it unquestionably (or questionably) loveable?
There are those that may in fact love food, but only toil in the professional kitchen because they found nothing elsewhere. It now just becomes a job, one to be repeated daily, routinely, and mechanically. The payoff being that they make just enough to get by, send some money home to love ones, in the hopes of saving enough to get out before it’s too late.
For the love of food…a subject that will surely spark a lively debate across kitchen tables, both professional and amateur. A subject that I, myself, am now thinking over…