ScoopKW
-
Posts
1,036 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by ScoopKW
-
-
I had a Kyocera mandoline. I liked it a lot. Notice the past-tense? It fell apart in my knife bag. Cracked in three places. I need something more sturdy.
Recommendations, please. I googled and googled but could not find a small stainless mandoline, preferably with a ceramic blade.
-
Thanks!
And curses! Now I have a new mission in life. Get a table at this (and the Mexican) restaurant. Never did get a table at el Bulli.
-
I've never understood why people will leave a restaurant unhappy or feel uncomfortable about sending food back.
Maybe they're afraid we're going to spit in their food? Not happening where I work, not a chance. Even on a day when we're getting crushed, we all recognize that the chef isn't paying our paychecks. The guests are. Guests get what they want. And if we can't make the dish the way they want it, they deserve to have something else instead.
We'd never send out a sloppy dish like the one BeeZee described. The cooks would be afraid to put that in front of the expediter. The expediter would never give that to the food runner. And the food runner would never accept it from the expediter. Everyone's paycheck depends on that dish going out right. The food runner's pay is DIRECTLY affected. At least three people screwed up -- the person who prepared the dish, the person who put it on the tray with the other orders for BeeZee's table, and the person who put that dish in front of BeeZee.
That tells me that there is more going on than simply a "sloppy cook." I agree with Tri2Cook -- sloppiness. Probably on more than one person's part. Unless this "mom and pop" is a very, very small place where pop is the "chef/expo/cook" and mom is the "server/busser/hostess."
-
In general, I've found you have to stand up to FOH, because they will make your life a living hell with special requests if you let them. Since the gist of that paragraph was "respect everyone and do things the way they want them done," I think that the chef is acknowledging that the cooks don't necessarily have to kow-tow to the servers. In a good operation, all server requests go through expo, anyway.
-
Cauterize it on the flattop and get back to work. Seriously. It's just a cut. No biggie. Better than going to a hospital/immediate care center and getting stitches and missing half of service. And honestly, it's less painful. Better to not cut yourself in the first place. I haven't done so (at least not seriously) in a very long time. (Knock wood, etc.)
Unfortunately, in the restaurant industry unless you are vomiting or are so sick you need to go to the hospital you are expected to work. It's really nothing like most other professions in that regard. If someone calls in sick in a kitchen there's a really good chance the kitchen is going to go down in flames that night. Ive seen people cut themselves so bad they DEFINITELY need stitches, but they just superglue that thing closed, throw a bandage on, a glove on top of that, an go back o work. Working sick/injured is a badge of honor in a kitchen.
-
Isn't Bloomington a college town? Perhaps that has something to do with it.
I appreciate the jargon used to weed out the wannabees, but the whole "I decide if you're sick" nonsense is foolish. I don't want to think of sickly cooks making my food (or anyone else's, for that matter). The sanitation issues aren't exactly lightweight, are they? If you're too sick to work, you're too sick to drive across town (or take the bus, or whatever).
-
I found the whole thing condescending. Or is this a normal sort of talk down to the cooks attitude common in kitchens?
Not really. But we get a lot of "cooks" who read Kitchen Confidential (and ignored the part of "why you shouldn't try to become a cook") and now think they can hop on a line. Food TV has created legions of people who think their home kitchen skills translate directly into the restaurant environment.
Much of that list can't be understood by these cook wannabees. They certainly don't know what a "pick" is. I knew exactly what that chef was talking about, and I agree completely. Know your picks, and then clear your mind and reset for the next pickup. That's SOP and a mandatory skill. Anyone who can't do that has no place on a busy line.
I'm quite happy working where I am. But if I lived in the Bloomington area, I would go stage at this restaurant just to see how they operate. I'll bet it's a great kitchen for cooks.
-
It may be long but most of the stuff in there seems to be pretty solid characteristics to be on the lookout for. Is there anything there that's really egregious?
Most people are taking exception to the "come in sick and let the chef send you home" requirement. There are, frankly, cooks who cannot be trusted to do the right thing in this regard. They call in sick when they're really just calling in drunk, hungover, want to do something else.
But the rest of it is beyond solid. This would be a good kitchen to work in, I have a feeling. Especially if everyone is on the same page.
-
Personally, I think whoever wrote this is a genius.
http://www.happyplace.com/23551/ridiculously-detailed-craigslist-ad-for-restaurant-line-cook
-
As far as clothing is concerned, I make it easy for myself. I only buy chef clothes that were made in America. And all the rest of my clothes were made in Hawaii. (I have a zillion Aloha shirts.) All of my shoes were made in Germany -- Birks or nothing for me. And I try to find socks and underwear that was made someplace reasonable. I cannot vouch for the political integrity of all of my socks and underwear. But I do try.
And when it comes to restaurants, if I learn that a place is exploiting their workers, I won't go there. We have a few bars in Las Vegas that are guilty of this, and I don't give them my patronage. And I refuse to be an exploiter myself when it comes to tips.
Incidentally, I asked the servers where I work about tipping practices. First of all, FOH where I work makes a lot of money. A lot. Six figures. At least three times more than I do. I think that is unfair, seeing as they wouldn't be making all that loot if it wasn't for the cooks in the back. But that's how it is. (I work for the experience, not for the money anyway. But I do feel a bit sorry for my co-workers, who I think are being shafted by an unfair system.) The division of salary between FOH and BOH should be a LITTLE more equal. But we're union cooks -- everyone at every resort makes exactly the same hourly wage. I knew that when I accepted the job. So I won't whinge about it.
The servers said unequivocally that the worst patrons are [an ethnic group] [a gender] Americans. "They run you ragged and then stiff you." Continental Europeans are the second-worst. UK/Ireland is third. "They're not going to tip, but at least they're polite." Then Asians. Then Australians/New Zealanders. And last on the list, Canadians. "They tip, but almost always 10%."
These servers just see it as part of the job. They're making a very good living because a 20% tip on a 20-top is basically the same as a mortgage payment. And we have regulars who tip 100%. Nobody needs to worry about FOH where I work. That's for sure.
But what about the servers at an mom-and-pop joint in a tourist town? They aren't getting many 20-tops who pay 100% on a $5,000 check.
-
As for your last statement "We should be willing to pay a little more for the stuff and services we buy . . ." Count me out. It makes me sad that you would tell others how they "should" spend their pay. It's wrong and sounds like our president lecturing us that "At some point, you've made enough money". Who is he or anyone else, for that matter, to make that determination? Our social safety net has become a social hammock. (I addressed this phenomenon in another post, so I won't respeak it.) With our new tax structure we are working for Uncle Sam until August before we start earning for ourselves. It's unsustainable and our middle class is vanishing because of it.
We're the only first-world country with a large homeless/beggar demographic. Roughly one-third of our citizens are two paychecks away from homelessness. Sure, most of them are in that position because they don't know a thing about finances. But they are largely set up to fail. We don't have a social hammock -- our large homeless population is proof positive that the system isn't working.
So a tourist in the States from the UK, may naturally assume that the situation is the same.
And we can naturally assume that everyone drives on the right side of the road. But that doesn't make it so. The excuses I hear from foreign tourists are just that -- excuses. It is not hard to find out how things work in America. We drive on the right side of the road. Drivers are usually allowed to make a right-hand turn at red lights (when it is safe to do so). And we tip our servers and bartenders because for the most part they don't earn a decent living otherwise. Tourists from the UK should stop naturally assuming.
-
I disagree, Annabelle. Let's pick a low-skill job like trash collector. Those guys make almost as much as my wife, who has a BUNCH of letters after her name. I don't think there's much skill involved. And let's be clear -- I do not begrudge them their salary. I certainly don't want their job. (And I work in a high-stress kitchen -- most people would look at what I do for a living and say, "Oh hell no. I don't want any part of that.")
The way I see it, if someone is working full time and doing something productive for society, they should at least earn a living. It might not be a GREAT living. But nobody should have to choose between food and medicine. There are many, many fields where workers are basically exploited. Right here in America. That doesn't sit well with me. We should all be willing to pay a little more for the stuff and services we buy so that everyone can earn a living.
-
One of the points that we all keep going back and forth about is the concept of a living wage. A living wage in San Francisco is vastly different than a living wage in East Bumbleduck, Oklahoma. Even with $10.55 plus tips, the server needs to hustle to pay the rent (or mortgage if the server REALLY hustles).
-
This is why they're so resistant to change. They prefer the evil that they know to the unknown evil.
Technically, they are supposed to at least make minimum wage. If tips plus $2.33 per hour doesn't average out to minimum wage, their employer is supposed to make up the difference. This never happens in the real world, however.
Here's a thought.
Let's say that my state changed its policy so that there were no exceptions to the minimum wage for tipped employees. I would immediately have to raise hourly pay for servers, bartenders, etc, probably around 2x - 3x the current level. I estimate that I would need to raise menu prices by about 20-25% across the board to cover this increase in labor costs. Maybe more if you factor in increased payroll taxes.
At that point, would most customers revert to a European style of tipping, e.g. leave a couple dollars if you feel like it? I think most would.
And while this would certainly reduce the volatility of servers' pay, would they end up making less on average? I think in a lot of cases they would.
-
Yes, that's where I got my information from, the culinary workers--that is, the cooks.
Sigma, I'll be waiting to hear your research on the respective trades and their salary ranges that are pegged to trade qualifications.
Well, you were misled about how the union works. Nevada is a "Right to Work" state. That means that the employee is NOT required to join the union, and yet they get the same benefits as those of us who pay the dues. You fill in a form when hired and that's that. It basically works like the ideal situation you described earlier where the unions have to do a good enough job that workers WANT to pay dues. That's exactly how it works with the Culinary Union in Las Vegas. I don't know if this is the case elsewhere. But that's how it is here.
-
I do know that in the large hotels in Vegas new hires are given the optioon of not joining the Union, but whatever choice they make, they still have Union dues deducted from their payckecks ,
Incorrect. Nevada is a right-to-work state. A worker who opts-out of the union DOES NOT have dues deducted. Many of my coworkers opted out. We all get the same benefits, though. My medical benefits and pension come DIRECTLY from the union. The other casino workers have their own health and retirement plans. Culinary is a completely separate entity.
If you need information about how the culinary union works in America, feel free to ask. You are debating armed with facts that are simply incorrect. If you knew how things actually work here in America, I have a feeling your debate position would be vastly different.
-
If you're addressing my previous post (the quote feature is useful), I'm saying that the servers where I work have full medical, retirement and pension benefits, just like every other member of the culinary union. When it comes to benefits, only United States senators have it better than we do.
It doesn't matter if you have worked 30 years in the industry or on how many continents. This isn't the first time I have told you how compensation works for a member of the culinary union in Las Vegas. Either you have a very short attention span, or you think I'm a liar.
Benefits? What benefits? As far as I know the only benefits in the hospitality industry are free meals, or meals at a "staff discount", and that opinion is formed after working close to 3o years in this industry--in three continents.
The only way out of this mess is have qualifications and benchmarks for the respective trades within the hospitality industry. And that can't even begin to happen until employees acknowledge it.
-
Even here in Las Vegas, the culinary union only represents the workers at the big casinos. We all have it pretty good. And servers here make more than $2.33 -- and they get benefits. So the union is doing it's job for us.
But MOST culinary workers in Las Vegas do not fall under the union blanket and get nothing. For every server where I work, there are 50 who work at places like Applebee's, Red Lobster, and Ma & Pa's diner. Many of the "ma and pa" operations pay under the table -- their workers have no benefits and not even workman's comp or unemployment insurance. And people put up with this because times are still very, very hard here. Any job is better than no job. That's just the reality of the situation.
You seem to be awfully optimistic about the options these people have. I'm telling you they don't have options. And your rebuttal is usually something along the lines of "well, they should." I absolutely agree with you. But that isn't reality. The reality is $2.33 and no benefits.
I don't buy that. Unions don't want to, yes. Powerless to do so, no. Fact is, not many people--Americans or non-Americans, know about the "tipping wage". Paying far below minimum wage is pretty stinky, but lobbying and getting your way to ake it so is even stinkier.The unions would like to address the issue. But they are powerless to do so.
-
And the way far too many people deal with this knowledge is to say, "Well why don't you go get a better job?" How very Scroogian of them. (I'm sure "Scrooge-like" is probably more correct.)
Things are a bit better here than they were five years ago. But servers HAVE a job. There are many people who want one and still cannot find one. The single parent server trying to raise children on $2.33 an hour plus tips need TIPS. What they don't need is a lesson in Macroeconomics from a smug person with a vastly-inflated sense of entitlement. They don't need foreign visitors telling them they should simply get a better government. They don't need people telling them they don't like the tip culture so they are opting out. And they also don't need people who are stuck in 1958 and pay 10% for good service.
Of course, the servers have to keep their end up and do a good job.
We can rethink tipping culture however we want. I don't think it's possible under our current political gridlock. (I also don't know if foreigners have any idea how bad it is in America right now. If I were capable I would replace our government, top to bottom, with names selected randomly out of a telephone directory. It would be an improvement over the status quo.) BUT UNTIL SUCH TIME that we can overhaul a tired and outdated system, I don't see why the people who are stuck in that system need to suffer further. Most of them have no health benefits, no retirement benefits, and occasionally get religious tracts in lieu of pay. Why heap more abuse on these people?
That's all very well and good. But my point was -- perhaps somewhat obscurely -- that bonuses and benefits are not relevant in this conversation because most servers get nothing in the way of bonuses and benefits.
-
The problem is "on average."
In tourist towns (Orlando, Las Vegas); or in tourist areas (Fisherman's Wharf, Times Square) four or five stiffs a day can mean the difference between paying the rent and homelessness.
And this pervasive attitude of foreign visitors, "Too bad. Not my problem. Why don't you just become more civilized," doesn't help matters.
-
The unions would like to address the issue. But they are powerless to do so. The government operates at the pleasure of business. Not the other way around. Tourism boards work for the benefit of business, not people. And you're right, nobody will address the issue. Welcome to America.
But how does not tipping or under tipping help?
Cheating employees out of wages is pretty serious business, yet no one wants to address this abuse--not the Unions, not the local or regional Tourisim boards, not any form of Gov't. The legal minimum wage is ignored and a loophole is put in place, no one will adress this abuse. And yet we should all follow this tipping system........
-
Perhaps you can't hear the tourists who *do* tip normally, or you never realise they're European?
C'mon. We're just as capable of spotting foreign visitors in our country as you are.
The fact that your server is genuinely surprised that you haven't stiffed him or her should be the BIG CLUE about how most of your countrymen treat servers.
-
Finally there are, of course, some people who know everything all too well and just decide to feign ignorance and be assholes about it, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to label most European tourists who undertips in this way. Most of them DON'T know better. Most travellers I know AREN'T poring over guidebooks and learning societal norms before a trip to the US, because US culture is so ubiquitous we think we know it all already.
Sorry, but this doesn't square with my reality of living in American tourist towns my entire adult life. I have sat in restaurants where I live and heard your countrymen brag about how they weren't going to tip at all, because they can claim they don't know better. (When the waitress was out of earshot, of course.) There is a PERVASIVE "well, we're never going to see HER again" attitude when it comes to visitors to the USA.
I am not suggesting that this attitude is common here on eGullet. I think most of us are more enlightened. But this is my reality. (To be fair, this is the reality of my friends in the front of house positions. I get paid the same no matter what.) But I absolutely assure you, no server in the US jumps for joy when a busload of European visitors pulls up at their restaurant. I truly wish more servers posted here so you could read just how bad things are.
-
The woman was shocked because in her country servers are paid a regular wage. She gave Donna ten dollars but there had been 8 people at the table and their bill was well over 100. so while she got something, it was nowhere near the "estimate" on which restaurants EXCUSE their paying pitiful wages.
Frankly, it is not much better than indentured servitude and in my opinion is degrading.
This has been my experience as well. (Well, I'm back of the house, so I just hear the horror stories.) I have lived my entire adult life in tourist towns. I've watched this unfold for the past 25 years.
I think the ignorance excuse is becoming anachronistic. Most of the ignorance I see these days is willful ignorance. "How you do things does not square with my reality. So I think you are lying to me and I'm going to do what I please." While they don't come out and say that exactly, that's what I infer from what they do say. And yet if we don't kowtow to all their silly cultural idiosyncrasies when we visit their country, we're "ugly Americans who really should know better."
Our tipping practices is a silly cultural idiosyncrasy -- so when in Rome, NY, or Athens, GA, do as the New Yorkers and Georgians do.
Where does all the 'Prime' meat go?
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
It's a logical argument. Many places buy sides of beef and only buy prime. The cuts that aren't going to be sold as steaks are ground for tartare and hamburgers. So, yes, USDA prime hamburger. It would be easier to simply add fat. But if you have half a cow already -- make the most of it.