Highs and Lows After a Full Week

One of the most common icebreaker activities at a group or staff meeting is the High and Low game. This isn't really a meeting, but I figured it might be fun to give a few highs and lows of my time at the restaurant so far.

First the Lows:
Yesterday I burned some Pork and Chive dumplings.
The day before I overcooked the potato gnocchi I was making.
I'm too slow at chopping.
My hands are getting all sorts blisters, cuts, burns, and cramps.
I'm the least experienced member of the kitchen staff by about 12 years and I don't speak Chinese.

Next the Highs:
Chinese Donuts with Passion Fruit Curl
Spring Rolls with Tamerind Ketchup
Julienned veggies
Fun and knowledgable co-workers
It is a great opportunity to begin my work as a cook in a high(ish) class restaurant.

Also:
This job has very long, tedious hours at competetive pay. I couldn't decide if that was a high or a low.

So here's the thing. My highs are great. I'm trusted to make the dough and batter for Chinese Donuts, Indonesian Corn Fritters, and now the fresh potato Gnocchi. I impressed my head chef with how I could finely cut (julienne) veggies, make a Thai basil oil, and understand the reasons and techniques of tart crust making and baking. Delicious.

As far as my lows go, they can be improved. I know not to leave my dumplings on the stove for too long. I know not to leave my potatoes in the oven too long. My chopping can be improved with practice and better techniques. This will also improve the number of cuts and blisters I've gathered, as will having a better understanding and more experience in a high paced kitchen. And my experience has to start somewhere. And if I can pick up some Chinese along the way, super. Essentially, my lows are most likely temporary. Sure, I'll cut my finger once in a while, but I'll also stub my toe walking around the house. It just happens. But it can happen less often if I be more careful.

I know this industry is difficult. I know I'll be stressed, challenged, and frustrated. But I can also tell that the more I learn, the better off I'll be. And this place, with these people, is supportive and encouraging me to learn by doing, to ask questions, and to fail so I can succeed. From what I understand of the industry and of the working world in general, I'm not going to find a better environment than this easily. So I'm going to learn what I can for as long as I can do it. At least that's the plan. Does it sound cliche? Maybe a little. But that's okay. It's my blog, I can cliche if I want to.

Two more items. One, the toilet paper at the restaurant is very soft. I wonder if it's 8-ply. Yeah, that soft. Two, in case you're wondering, I don't wear a chef jacket or a chef hat. I wear a cook coat. Someday maybe I'll graduate into a chef jacket. But at least my cook coat has short sleeves and is lighter weight, so I don't have to worry about burning my sleeves or wearing a blanket-jacket. And I like the buttons better. Easier to operate.

Finally, I want to share with you our goal and style, as taken from the insert of the dinner menu. Enjoy.

"Our goal is to not only thrive as a distinguished neighborhood restaurant, but also become a community-centered destination with food, family, and celebration as its driving force. . . . Our cooking style centers on traditional Asian dishes, married with fresh local ingredients and implemented with a European approach. We call it Modern Asian Cooking."