LJ Idol Friends And Rivals: 404

[xo_kizzy_xo]

I was the best dishwasher at culinary school. I was proud of that because I had the tightest system of anyone when it came to the deluge of pans, bowls, utensils, plates and spoons, measuring cups, the blade to the Robot-Coupe, that damn 20-quart stockpot. Put your stuff here, not there. Group all your shit together, especially the silverware.

Comments

[adoptedwriter]

"edible alchemy" I like that! You captured the scene very well!
Guess catty-bratty immature people are everywhere. AW

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Thank you!

To be fair, kitchen work is very male-centric and cutthroat. It's relaxed somewhat in recent years, but that mindset is still very much around.

[witchwife]

hm. I currently work at a restaurant part time - I've always admired what the 'back of house' people do. I couldn't do it. Things seem ruthless back there. And hard. I feel like this entry mirrored my impressions fairly well.

Curious what happens at the end of this story though. What the protagonist does with this criticism.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Hm, interesting question. At this point at the end of the piece I don't think she's as floored as she thinks she is because Chef pointed out a kernel or two of truth. I've been thinking of doing this as a continuous story...maybe not for Idol per se but for my own benefit, even if to flesh it out :)

I've worked in a couple of brutal places. I've had quite a few brutal managers, too. I've learned to see it as an ER of sorts because of the pace and things have to be done NOW because people are waiting. The faster you are, the more you can do. That's where the competition/one-upmanship comes in.

[lrig_rorrim]

Guh, that moment when everyone laughs... I wish instead Jeff had just helped you out, given you a little nudge in the right direction. That environment sounds so competitive, in an unhealthy way - no teams, only rivals. I hope you're enjoying not having to deal with that kind of crap anymore!

[xo_kizzy_xo]

That particular class was quite rough, to say the least :) It wasn't the class I'd started with (I had to leave after a semester for an operation; when I returned, the class I'd started with had already graduated). At one point some of the people there were so brutal to each other that the school's director/owner made an appearance, sat us all down, and made everybody hash out why they behaved the way they did. It lasted from early afternoon to well after dinner time. I don't remember the details, but I do remember the director saying that even though there were obvious personality clashes and a "shit ton" of machismo as she put it, we were there to learn, so everybody shut up and if you don't like it, leave. She then transferred some people to another section, transferred people from that section to ours, and we ended the program on a very different note, LOL

[bleodswean]

This is so honest and revealing. I could absolutely feel the fear, the frustration, and the resignation. You have a knack for telling a story which is akin to "breaking down the entire fish"!

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Thank you so much! I'm glad all that came out clearly in the piece :)

[rayaso]

I thoroughly enjoyed this! I hadn't thought that cooking school would be so cut throat, nor had I thought about the differences in gender in such a situation. I loved "edible alchemy" -- great phrase!

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Thank you so much!

I don't know about other cooking schools, but I've always thought that particular class was a burp, so to speak. I never heard of anything like that so overtly happening in any other class at my school. That said, that cutthroat mentality is always simmering under the surface...not to mention the gender differences, i.e., there's a reason why women have traditionally always been pushed into pastry.

I have no idea where I got the "edible alchemy"!