Why are chefs miserable?
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2011-06-18 09:13:34 - Graham EllisI've heard it said that chefs are a miserable bunch. And that it's understandable. After all, the go to a great deal of trouble to create a work of art, and just a few minutes later it's been destroyed. Reflecting on that, though, I'm not sure that I agree.
This week, Rachel's been on holiday and I've been preparing and setting up breakfasts. I've done it many times before, I'm more than happy to do so, and in fact it's part of the plan that I'm standin. Put out the breakfast ... try to judge it just right (that fine balance between wastage and too little food), and then the end of the buffet becomes available. During this week, people have been eating light breakfasts; fairly typical for business guests, who have perhaps eaten out and heaviy the evening before. This Saturday morning, there's been a change in guests - to 'leisure' visitors - and the breakfast 'take' per person is a far heavier one.
Am I scowling because my serving handywork has been more thoroughly destroyed? No - I'm delighted because my handywork has been more used (and perhaps appreciated) and I revel in clearing into the kitchen, noting that there is a little left so I hadn't left our guests short.
Oh - I started asking "Why are Chefs miserable". Sorry - I haven't answered that. We're not miserable here. We revel in you eating our food - and that whether it's breakfast, a coffee and croissant midmorning, or an afternoon teas. And that's whether it's Heather, Sarah, Rachel, Leeanne, Kim, Anne or myself serving you.