Making the Chef

Walking Wounded

Cooking is my second career. In my first career I was in the IT industry and I was at a job where you made three times as much money and had cool benefits like, oh, say, subsidized (or even free) health care. Now as someone that is living on the other side of the fence, I think back to some of the cocktail parties that I went to and listened to the political talk that emanated from some people's mouths. The lack of perspective is frightening.

Want an example?

Today was Mother's Day, one of the busiest working days in the industry (Valentine's day is another one, as well as any major holiday like New Year's or Thanksgiving or Christmas - trust me, Norman Rockwell's picturesque image of a family sitting around a dinner cooked by mom is long dead in many households). Between 10:00 and 1:30 we did around 145 covers with just three people ... the exec as expo, me working the flattop and prep, and one saute cook. I was busting my ass all day. In fact, I've been busting my ass the past few days, days in which I've been sick.

Sick as in feverish, chest congestion, aching muscles, wish I could be in bed sick. Sick as in, if I stopped a few minutes on the line, my aching body would just catch up with me and I would wish that I could be in bed again. Sick as in when I got home every day, I would slip into bed, take a nap, then get up and make myself something to eat, then crawl under the covers again, waiting for it to be bedtime. Sick as in, if this was my previous job, I would have called in sick and not gone into work. Sick as in I would have gone to a doctor.

So I was stay in bed sick, yet I was at my position, working on one of the biggest days of the year. Why?

Now, I'm an hourly worker. I miss a shift, I don't get paid. I don't get paid enough as it is. I need that cash to pay my bills for the month. And there's no way I can go to a doctor. Most cooks in my situation usually go without health care. I'm at least of sound enough mine to buy a catastrophic plan ... but I won't be using it unless, say, I lose my leg in a freak skiing accident (luckily I don't ski).

So I work sick. Sometimes this job can be a miserable toil of an experience, but you do what has to be done. And in fact, that's part of the job description. You go to work unless you literally can't get into work or you've had a death in the family (and we're talking like immediate family ... your cousin can wait until your day off for a funeral). The only thing that doesn't make it a miserable toil is the fact that I can actually have fun while having a day like this.

Sometimes I look back and think that most of the cocktail set has no conception of working this lifestyle. They should try living this lifestyle for a while and then still support things like our current healthcare system (anyone can have it ... as long as you can pay for it). And that just doesn't go for the free-marketers out there ... many of the compassionate do-gooders out there also lack that sense of perspective. In a sense, it becomes condescending ... I don't need condescension. A regular doctor, dental and vision insurance would be nice instead.

PS Yes, I'm sick writing this post ... but my focus carried me though ... well that, and a bunch of medicine ... back to passing out on the couch ... new episode of Family Guy will be on soon.

posted by LindyChef @ 9:33 PM