NON-ALLITERATIVE TUESDAY: WORN HANDS

Non-Alliterative Tuesday: no obligations, no rhyme, reason or methodology other than that it's something relevant to food and goings-on in Kitchen Toro...

Three weeks ago when I was in pastry (Patisserie) my chef asked me why I had my sleeves rolled up. Now they were only rolled over twice, but really that's at least once more than we're supposed to roll them up.

Why roll your sleeves up when you know you shouldn't?
-It's summer and it's really hot.

Why shouldn't you roll your sleeves up?
-Let's say you brush up against the hot convection oven as I did a few moments before chef asked me why I'd had my sleeves rolled up, well, if your sleeves are rolled down you wouldn't burn the side of your arm, as I did. Stop asking so many questions. Kidding, kidding.

What was interesting to me was what the chef said next...


Chef explained that when he went to his wife's family's house for parties or special occasions he would always hide his hands because he was embarassed by how they looked.



Wait, is that a thumb?
-Yup, it's my thumb.


Now I don't know exactly what about Chef's hands was most embarassing to him nor do I know what kind of people he was hanging out with who made him so self-conscious. I'm not saying that every chef you'll meet is embarassed about his or her hands-- this may very well be idiosyncratic to this one chef. That said, if you're thinking about starting a career in the kitchen, it is something to consider!

Is that your pinky?
-Yup.

Why do you keep showing me your fingers and what the heck is that nasty stuff on them?
-That's why I'm showing you my fingers.

No matter how much care you take of your hands, they're going to take a beating. Mine have been taking more of a beating lately than I'd care to admit. It's not that I'm embarassed about scars (I've always kind of seen those as badges of honor or signposts to stories at the least) but it hasn't been any fun lately to have dry, peeling hands.

Between perpetualy being wet from washing things, holding wet towels, sponges, repetitive washing, temperature shifts and accidental slips of the knife, you can get dried skin, scars (the ones that will fade and the ones that won't) and cracked skin that doesn't make using salt, lemon or vinegar very much fun.


Chef suggested that we protect our bodies well in the kitchen and to especially take care of our hands.

I'm trying moisteners and pumice stones to keep my hands smooth (though I've never been ashamed of having rough hands that show I'm willing to work hard) but chef's right, between the accidents we've seen some students have cutting themselves, personal experience (I had a cut in my left thumb from the outside of the skin on the left side of it to the nail in Level One and a few close calls since then), and spilling hot stocks, water and oil, we really should have our sleeves down and be taking extra care to show ourselves some love.