Today I came into work to put orders away something I would typically hate doing during the day because it gets in the way of doing the things I love, like cooking and eating. But, today there was a certain serenity in placing the carrots and the cucumbers into their containers so that they looked as beautiful as they did when they came into the restaurant.
It's these little things that I've come to notice the last couple weeks that can really make a difference. Tying a bag around a trash can the right way, writing a perfect label with all the correct information, making a round meatball, sweeping everything off the floor, getting every last drop of stock out of the pot, making a really good mayonnaise, smiling. I've tried to become a much calmer person since I've returned to work since quarantine, a lot of people are asking what's wrong. For this, I have a lot of regret that I hope never to have again. I don't want to be that angry line cook who's old and grumpy and keeps referring to when he was my age he was such a "bad-ass". That's the worst.
I think our restaurant industry needs to come together more now than ever. We need to take care of each other and protect each other. If you screw up, take responsibility. If you feel the need to scream at a person for using the wrong carrots or not blending something to be smooth, maybe calm down a little bit. A lot of the time I race back and forth in my mind between this is my professional career and everything needs to be perfect and on the other hand thinking it's just food. There's so much pressure to perform in fine dining there's never time to breath. Well, right now, I think we all need to take a breath. There is no 6 hour service to sweat through thinking you're going to die. There will be again someday but right now, we need to think about how we can be better people. Not making fun of everyone who doesn't know never to through ice in the fryer (okay, maybe them). But, let's start teaching people and looking out for one another. Teach people how to sweep the best way, how to make an ice bath, how to blend something smooth, how to brunoise a celery stalk. Instead of getting angry because they're too scared to do something they've never done before.
I hope to see a shift in the industry after all of this is done. People looking out for other people is what it's all about. Maybe I wasted a lot of time while I was off from working watching TV and eating a bunch of deliciously, terribly. unhealthy food, but I think I've managed to take a breath. I think if we can band together the industry will survive, if not it's going to be more chaotic than it ever was before. Let's take the next step and pat each other on the back when we screw up and lift each other up when we accomplish things together Let's smile and appreciate one another more than we ever have because as people we are very fragile right now. Stress is elevated because when you work 15 hours a day and then you're limited to only 7 or 8 you start to have time to think about the really important things in your life. So let's give those pep talks and go make great food for all the other people out there who miss our restaurants so much.
Let's use our artistic, creative minds to create the best food people have had. Even if it's in a cardboard box, even if it's 1000 Cobb salads for the homeless population, even if it's a peanut butter and jelly for your kid, let's create and do it with smiling attitudes. Everybody's struggling right now with something, let's let food distract us and bring us to that beautiful world, that creative blank space where we are free to do whatever we want. Can't wait to be back out in the world and visiting all your restaurants soon and eating everything you have to offer. Until then let's do our part and make the world a better place to be.
Here's to a better future,
Tim Buell
(May 11, 2020)
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