Friday, May 6, 2016

Kitchen Confidential #1

Anthony Bourdain talks about when he first realized that "food was something other than a substance one stuffed in one's face when hungry."  What roles has food played in your life beyond just being fuel for your body?

The restaurant kitchen Bourdain described in P-town was rife with characters and behavior that may be viewed as less than professional.  Why do you think an environment such as a kitchen might attract such characters or breed such behavior?

10 comments:

  1. I think food is a great for helping to nourish and heal relationships, it helps us bond. If you have an issue with someone its easy to just have them for lunch or dinner and just talk it over. It's neutral ground and everyone loves to eat so its almost always a good time. Even with animals, two of my cats hate each other but when they're hungry and I fill their food bowls they don't even mind each other (their food bowls are right next to each other's). And simply it's just a way to show someone you care and love them by cooking them a hot meal or baking a cake or even something as simple as going out to eat together.

    I think it's as simple as anonymity. Many kitchens are closed off from the public that enter the restaurant, for the most part, so the cooks and employees have that area where they can do whatever they want. Also I think the long hours and bonding while cooking the food comes into play. I don't think the salad boy came in on his first day sporting that he did cocaine or meth or whatever else. It probably came up in conversation one day and he felt comfortable enough to expose himself and that got the ball rolling.

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  2. In my life, food has been the biggest way that I experience different cultures. Sure, there are other ways to experience and appreciate different cultures, but none of them allow you to truly 'feel' the difference as food does. For example, as someone who does not speak either language, Korean and Japanese music can sometimes sound the same, however, I can easily taste and see the difference between the two cultures when I eat their food. For me, food has served as a conduit for experiencing different cultures.

    I think that the kitchen attracts such a wild characters because of its atmosphere. Bourdain mentioned that there's a feeling that someone can only get by working in a kitchen-an intimacy that can only be brought by making things for others while being separated by a single wall. There are many more nuances that come with working in a kitchen, but that's the simplest way to put it. Such an atmosphere attracts peculiar characters because it is unlike any other. Just like in nature, these people find their niche in a place that can handle their character.

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  3. Food has served as a means of gathering and communion among my family and friends. In my opinion, no gathering is complete without delectable entrees and tasteful music. An assortment of homemade dishes and enjoyable company can create an enticing and welcoming atmosphere that, at times, can be nearly impossible to replicate. While I grew up, I travelled to Italy every summer where I had the distinct pleasure of encountering my mother's culture first-hand. I enjoyed bottomless pots of homemade pasta and sizzling piles of panzerotti and through these flavorful meals, my family was able to grow closer and savor the best food on the planet.

    I believe the kitchen attracts and then harbors these peculiar characters because it creates an environment in which one has the freedom to create. The kitchen allows for all kinds of people to unleash their frustrations and inspirations into the culinary arts. Cooking is an art and just like many other artistic fields all peoples can discover and liberate their talents.

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  4. Coming from Portuguese descent, food is filled with tradition. Portuguese people are famous for their codfish and bread. To me, these foods are more than just a means of survival, they are a symbol of who I am and what my people have spent hundreds of years mastering.

    When I think of restaurants, I think of rich people just trying to blow their money away and young people trying to get crazy. Most of the time restaurants are filled with rich people and rich people can easily come across drugs and alcohol. All these people need to do is start abusing these things and they can easily get out of control. Especially younger generations because they will do anything to have fun.

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  5. Besides providing nutrition and fuel to our bodies, food plays an important part in my life. Over the years food has allowed me to sit down at several restaurants and kitchen tables with my family members and friends to talk about different things and enjoy a well cooked meal. I mostly have experienced this whenever I visit my grandmother. I always find myself having a meal at her kitchen table and her asking me questions like, how am I doing and how are things going at home. As we both enjoy the meal at the table we also start to make jokes with one another. Sometimes after a meal we play card games which allows use to bound and have fun as a family.
    While a chef may enjoy preparing meals for people in the kitchen, I think that most chefs may be under a lot of stress and pressure when they are in the kitchen for various reasons. The first reason is that chef has no clue who they are cooking for. For example they could be cooking for a famous celebrity or important world leader who could have a huge impact on the chef's career. The chefs also don't know if the person they are cooking for will enjoy the food, and they do not know how the food they are making will come out.Thinking about these things may lead to a chef to lean towards cigarettes, drugs or sex to relieve some of the stress and pressure they may feel.I also think that since working in a kitchen is a business you have to have a lot of confidence in yourself and in the meals that you prepare. This is something that not all chefs have which is why they may also lean towards drugs, alcohol, and sex. I personally believe that these behaviors can be avoided if a chef really focuses on how much he or she likes to cook and feed others and if think about how they are impacting lives thorough their meals.

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  6. Food is also a way I show gratitude. Sometimes when I appreciate things people do for me I cook. I tried to make something that shows and I appreciate what they did for me. Also food for me is a way of expr things people do for me I cook. I try to make something that shows and I appreciate what they did for me. Also food for me is a way of expressing culture and through different foods one can experience a little bit of each culture.
    People view cooking in different ways. Some may take cooking seriously others may know it all depends on where you're from and how you view cooking. Where he was drew a crowd that enjoyed cooking and share the same passion with him. The kitchen attraction people in those same people enjoy and love cooking and if they weren't attracted to food cooking they wouldn't be in the kitchen.

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  7. Food is also a way I show gratitude. Sometimes when I appreciate things people do for me I cook. I tried to make something that shows and I appreciate what they did for me. Also food for me is a way of expr things people do for me I cook. I try to make something that shows and I appreciate what they did for me. Also food for me is a way of expressing culture and through different foods one can experience a little bit of each culture.
    People view cooking in different ways. Some may take cooking seriously others may know it all depends on where you're from and how you view cooking. Where he was drew a crowd that enjoyed cooking and share the same passion with him. The kitchen attraction people in those same people enjoy and love cooking and if they weren't attracted to food cooking they wouldn't be in the kitchen.

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  9. Food has played a big role in my life beyond just being fuel for my body. In my family and culture, food creates unity because it allows us to gather together not only to eat, but to talk to each other and strengthen our family bond. Food also gives me an opportunity to reach out and experience different cultures.

    I think an environment such as a kitchen might attract such characters or breed such behavior because of the fast paced environment of a restaurant. In the chapter, "Food Is Pain," Bourdain explained how the restaurant he was working in became busy within a short period of time. As orders flooded the restaurant, the tension in the kitchen rose, and ultimately lead to Tyrone losing his cool. Such behavior can be expected in a fast paced environment such as a restaurant kitchen, especially since chefs are put under huge amounts of pressure to perform consistently.

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  10. Food has never really been fuel for my body. Any type of food can't just be fuel for your body to keep going, no it's something more than that. See, when I reach for something to eat, I reach for it's flavor, it's taste. The sweet or spicy food that brings joy to yourself and have no choice but to say "hmmmmm". Food not only has been a sense of joy for me, but is also the language of the world, along with music. Everyone can relate to food and share recipes and that's what's great about food, this is what food has brought me other than fuel for my body.

    The kitchen is a very enclosed environment when it comes to a restaurant. The chefs as well as the helpers are almost always in the kitchen whipping up some special dish for someone who is ready to blow their money. The whole day almost everyday a week is spending time with someone who you are enclosed with all the time, there is bound to be short tempers and arguments. I don't believe those people were always like that but u believe that the kitchen gave birth and is giving birth to people like this as we speak.

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