As you can see, I've definitely welcomed some good ones to the family. I get a lot of "Oh, Ingrid... poor girl!" kind of reactions when my friends see my burns, but they really only hurt for the first few hours. The only one in which I actually feel any pain currently (and only when I touch it) is the pinkish one on my inner right arm, which is a recovering blister from stray fat that came from searing off a lamb rack. I wasn't even shaking the pan or anything; I was turning the rack with my tongs and a pocket of fat in the lamb popped out.
Note the ones on and near my knuckles on my right hand--that's a first.
Also a first: My face! WTF?!
Yes, it's tiny (the dark spot on my cheek near my earlobe), but I never thought my face would be part of the action. Lesson learned: Do not lean too close to an active pan on the stove when pulling things out of the oven.
Speaking of things I've learned...
1. See above.
2. Clean clean clean clean clean. Work clean!
3. Try not to get roped into kitchen work while wearing 3-inch heels. It's doable, but precarious, to say the least.
4. Due to a series of recent occurrences, I've been reflecting on my time at OCI quite a bit, and still have no regrets or qualms about attending culinary school, even though a majority of cooks have not gone to culinary school. I definitely get my fair share of shit from cooks for having spent the money on "food college", but I made the right decision for me, and it was the platform I needed to head down this path. A more in depth post about culinary school is in the works.
5. Confidence in the kitchen and in your abilities is essential. ESSENTIAL. I did my first solo Saturday night on grill station last weekend, and after a rough couple of days last week, I came into work Saturday with the mindset that I know I can do this right, not letting that itchy doubt linger in the back of my head. Not that you have time to linger on any particular thought during a busy service; you just do it. I went into service feeling prepared and confident, and we knocked out some pretty fine lookin' plates. It wasn't hitch-less, per se, but pretty smooth for my first solo Saturday.
Bonus Thing I Learned: The chorus from "Electric Feel" by MGMT is a great song to have in your head during service. Other songs I've had stuck in my head during service recently: "The World is Yours" by NaS and "Get Money" by Junior M.A.F.I.A. (featuring Notorious B.I.G., of course). I've been on a crazy Biggie kick for the past few months.
5 comments:
I assume you've heard the Katy Perry cover of "Electric Feel"?
i usually start hummig Christmas carols when we're getting slammed; a blistering, humidity-laced August day? Perfect for Tis the Season!
ahh burns. i burned my right top knuckle and finger on a wood-buring stove while brewing beer in a ski hut. it took ~3.5 weeks to heal, and hurt the whole time... the deep burn over the joint sucked.
i'll be in portland in like 2 weeks!!
Tim - haven't heard it, gonna check it out though. I haven't heard much Katy Perry. I heard she did some song about kissing a girl and liking it, right? I'm out of the loop.
Matt - Christmas carols might drive me bonkers. Also, any time I think of Tis the Season, I can't help but think of the "A Christmas Story" Chinese restaurant waiter rendition. "Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra..."
Mel - where're you staying? What are you doing? Tell me!!!
Funny, I do the same before being slammed at the restaurant, my songs are usually : Every Little Star by Linda Scott, it's from Mulholland Drive movie. Another one is Twisted Nerve from the Kill Bill movie!
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