Was I Wrong ?

[ldts60]

mikeb Some of my best teachers are dishwashers ,line cooks,and little old ladies .
and I would take a screaming psycho.french chef that gave answers ,my chef did not
the only way she would answer was by throwing up her arms and state "Fine do whatever you want ! Note: The statement or question was as simple as.....
So and so doesn't know what a Cobb Salad is . Very reasonable attitude

[Pete]

Most of those screaming, psycho french chefs don't give answers. Usually their response is "Do this way because I told you to!!!" It was up to you to find out the whys.

[lukeygina]

I'm quite new here but if you read my intro you will note that I come from being in the military... I think knowing when to run my mouth is something that the military taught me well and it will help me in the business.

All and all you need to respect the time and dedication that your teacher has put in before you... She earned her title and that title deserves her respect.... Same thing as rank in the military... my supervisor was a complete *** and I hated every moment with the guy but you can bet I always addressed him as staff sergeant and always said yes sir... You don't have to respect the person; just respect the face that they are more knowledged and more experienced than you are...

[spicypickles]

Hi, Im Doug and I go to school at L'Academie d' cuisine(proffesional program) outside of DC.
Anyways, getting yelled at for some reason works on me. I went back to the place I washed dishes at when I was a lad. I came back from CO after 3 years and needed a job. Anyways, I cook on the uh "line" I guess you could call it. 2 months ago I left the walkin freezer door open all night by accident, came into work the next day(this all on top of in general messing up tickets and doing stupid stuff) and I got the goods, I feared my sanity and my life,well not my life. My boss stalked me in the kitchen harrassing me for a month. After that, I havent done a single stupid thing.
Wow it sucks...but it works. School is a different beast.

[lukeygina]

Spicy pickles you must have felt the boot in the butt if ya know what I mean... **** that boss must have been pissed... I understand, that stuff happens... I haven't mad too many bad mistakes in my time other than stupid stuff... No big killers on money side..

[spicypickles]

the freezer was inside the walk in fridge,so I was very lucky.

[kuan]

This whole thing about earning a title and respect is hogwash to me. A chef may have earned the respect of your crew in some kitchen somewhere, but come into a new kitchen and the chef needs to do it all over again. I don't care who you are, Maitre Cuisinier, CMC, whatever. You're just a person to me until you can show me otherwise. Don't mean to be blunt, but your Food TV fans may like you. I may not.

You won't even believe the kinds of things said about me in the kitchen, to my face or to someone else behind my back. I don't sit back and take that kind of lip, I prove that I'm no BS'er. Sometimes I'm wrong and I admit it, but most of the time I'm right.

[ldts60]

School is like ...."What fresh **** is this ? " I'll take being in the weeds with people that have a clue than being with the clueless !
Example: 1 week before term finals we always have some buffet day or some event that needs to be presented, we did Italian ......Morning of buffet day my fellow classmate and carpool buddy ask's ? What"s Calamari? Is it Italian?
Mind you we had the menu a week before and the Chef went over it .(WOW)

[Pete]

Kuan, I agree with you that each and every chef needs to earn respect. They have to prove themselves, but I also feel that cooks have a duty to respect the title, Chef, and that means treating the Chef (even if they don't personally respect him) with respect. Respecting someone and showing respect are two totally different things. If your chef is that heinious that you can't respect him, at least show him the respect his title earns him. If you can't do that, then maybe you shouldn't be there. It's time to move on.

[kuan]

You know how it is Pete, you've changed jobs before. Respect for a person is a little different than respect for a person as a chef.

You walk in the kitchen your first day on the job and people look at you funny. They'll make a judgement right there the first time they meet you. They're mostly sizing you up to see if you know your stuff or not. You gotta show you're not full of crap the first day, if you don't, you'll never get that kind of respect. You'll get the kind where they do things because you said so, not because it's the right thing to do.

I'm not saying you have to spend months earning the title of chef again. Experienced cooks know immediately whether someone has it or not.

[sancyr]

I have a slightly different take on the student-teacher respect thing. Respect is something that you give voluntarily right? So if someone earns your respect, you respect them.

In the instance of a teacher, you gave the ENTIRE SCHOOL your respect when you decided to attend there. "I want to learn there!" I'm going on the assumption that you researched your school before you attended. You gave your respect the moment you signed your agreement to enroll. You chose to study in this school, under these teachers. That's why you should respect your teachers. Always.

Afterward, when the class is done, you always keep the knowledge you gained. But your choice as an artisan lies in whether you decide to use it.

If you feel you've made a mistake in choosing the school you did, it is YOUR mistake. You can then leave.

Just my two cents.

Sara

[Pete]

I totally agree with what you are saying Kuan. I don't expect cooks at a new place to respect me right away. I want to earn their respect. It goes a lot further than ruling by fear. But I do demand that they show me respect from Day 1, and I expect it. They can hate my guts, they can think I'm a "shoemaker" (until I prove them wrong), but I expect to be treated with a certain amount of respect due to my title. Again, there is a difference between respecting someone and showing respect. I show respect to police officers, though I may personally not respect some of them. I show respect to older chefs with years more experience than me, some of whom I think are complete hacks and I have no respect for them whatsoever, but I still show them respect, and treat them with respect.

[redace1960]

heres my 2 cents.
IDTS60, you have a right to *****. assuming you did not win your
education on the price is right you probably paid bigtime for school.
for that kind of money, you should at the very least be able to buy
the services of a decent teacher, not someone who can't be bothered
to help students, answer questions and..you know, TEACH, fercrissakes.
this person obviously had to know her onions and prove she knew to get
a job, but giving good interview and being a good instructor are two
utterly different things, as you now know.
that having been said, next time look around first before you render an
opinion. this person is not the least of what you're going to run into out
in professional kitchen land . ps, kuan is right. respect is earned. you
have the right to choose the *** you kiss!

[Mikeb]

Originally Posted by ldts60

mikeb Some of my best teachers are dishwashers ,line cooks,and little old ladies .
and I would take a screaming psycho.french chef that gave answers ,my chef did not
the only way she would answer was by throwing up her arms and state "Fine do whatever you want ! Note: The statement or question was as simple as.....
So and so doesn't know what a Cobb Salad is . Very reasonable attitude

Believe me, I had to strangle every bit of info out of that chef. Most people he would yell at, curse at then fire (in the short 4 months I was there, half a dozen people were fired - experienced cooks too)... When I first started he would call me stupid almost everyday, I'd work 50-70 hours a week (salary, no hourly pay, no overtime pay), and even come in on days off. Every single day I worked I thought I was going to get fired.

I had to show that I was interested in learning (his way), and that I would bust my *** to make sure everything is tight. Once I could show him I was very serious about being the best I can, he opened up a bit and taught me alot.

Being sarcastic to chefs won't get you anywhere. I'm sure that your teacher has plenty to teach if only you would be more open to listening. If you can't handle 1 crazy chef, not to mention doing food calculations (your other thread mentions this), then maybe this isn't for you?

[ldts60]

Like I stated before " I was wrong" and I am embracing my math phobia and doing all of the things I should be doing .
Why as a matter of fact I made a formal complaint about this chef and she is currently being investigated.....so I must not have been wrong when It came to her teaching style. Usually when someone is under the microscope
It's due to the complaints of many , not just one whiny smart *** ,chef wanna be.