LEARNING, THE HARD WAY
I've been having trouble trussing chickens. I'm very comfortable breaking them down from the whole bird but tying them up with butcher's twine is another story. I think I may have it down now but it's taken while. I learn kinesthetically, if I do something, I learn it. Watching someone else do something and listening to someone explain how to do something is well and good but it just doesn't sink in as well. There haven't been that many occassions when I've had to truss chickens and now, nearing the end of Level 2 the chefs expect us to know.
So, you ask the chef how to do then, right? I mean, that's why you're in school after all. Yes, but which chef do you ask? Chefs have different personalities, patience levels and styles of teaching. Some are more able to impart knowledge without brow-beating you with your incompetence than others. Sure you may have other distractions and committments in life, a job, an ailing family member, but you're in the kitchen to cook and cook well. Forgetful-Freds and slow-Susan's beware: you may think you're trying but chef may tell you you're not and hey, step to. But maybe the repeated-reprimands are self-inflicted. Maybe it's a matter of trying to get into the school of hard knocks. I suppose sometimes it's better to be beaten over the head-- if you're not knocked out you usually remember not to make the same mistake next time.
To venture precipitously near the realm of kitchen psycho-babble, do we do things the wrong way on purpose to get caught and clearly instructed. It's like the badass acting out for attention in high school.
You decide to go to culinary school (restaurants being a low-stress environment and all, you know) and probably you're already pretty confident in your culinary skills. You think there are some "pointers" you might be able to pick up or maybe you're certain you have a lot to learn but you think, "I've got a lot of this down, this'll be okay" and then you've got to truss a chicken for the first time.
Or you've trussed one once, two months ago but this is the first time since then and you tie it and you know it's not right but the chef is busy helping someone else and you're supposed to already know how to tie the chicken up so you don't want to get reprimanded but you've got to get the dish going or you'll be late serving it and you'll then get reprimanded anyway. It's sometimes feels as if you do things the wrong way just so that you can try to hide them unsuccessfully from the chef so that he'll catch you and get angry and then drill the correct procedure into your mind.
Is that kind of sick? And is it just me or everyone in school?
So, you ask the chef how to do then, right? I mean, that's why you're in school after all. Yes, but which chef do you ask? Chefs have different personalities, patience levels and styles of teaching. Some are more able to impart knowledge without brow-beating you with your incompetence than others. Sure you may have other distractions and committments in life, a job, an ailing family member, but you're in the kitchen to cook and cook well. Forgetful-Freds and slow-Susan's beware: you may think you're trying but chef may tell you you're not and hey, step to. But maybe the repeated-reprimands are self-inflicted. Maybe it's a matter of trying to get into the school of hard knocks. I suppose sometimes it's better to be beaten over the head-- if you're not knocked out you usually remember not to make the same mistake next time.
To venture precipitously near the realm of kitchen psycho-babble, do we do things the wrong way on purpose to get caught and clearly instructed. It's like the badass acting out for attention in high school.
You decide to go to culinary school (restaurants being a low-stress environment and all, you know) and probably you're already pretty confident in your culinary skills. You think there are some "pointers" you might be able to pick up or maybe you're certain you have a lot to learn but you think, "I've got a lot of this down, this'll be okay" and then you've got to truss a chicken for the first time.
Or you've trussed one once, two months ago but this is the first time since then and you tie it and you know it's not right but the chef is busy helping someone else and you're supposed to already know how to tie the chicken up so you don't want to get reprimanded but you've got to get the dish going or you'll be late serving it and you'll then get reprimanded anyway. It's sometimes feels as if you do things the wrong way just so that you can try to hide them unsuccessfully from the chef so that he'll catch you and get angry and then drill the correct procedure into your mind.
Is that kind of sick? And is it just me or everyone in school?
posted by Turo at 3:43 PM
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