An open letter to culinary students and aspiring students

[marmalady]

Hello to all of you out there who are either thinking of a career in the culinary arts, or who are attending a culinary school at the present time.

We welcome serious inquiries; but we are also very hardworking people who just don't have the time or the inclination to sit down time and again and answer the same questions over and over.

We would like to see you students do some of your own research; many of the questions you ask have already been asked and answered on this forum, as well as, I'm sure, on other similar forums. I am assuming you are all computer literate, or you wouldn't have found your way to Cheftalk. You will note at at the top of the page a heading called 'Search'. If you have a question, or would like to research a subject, please use the search function.

Please respect our time, as we will respect your serious questions. Put yourself in our shoes; you're a high school student, or a culinary student, attending long hours in school with many subjects, and loads of homework. How would you feel if, after coming home after a hard day and then doing however many hours of homework, you booted up the old computer to chat with some colleagues, and found yourself bombarded with 15 questions on what it's like to be a student? How much work is there really? etc. etc.

Guys, we love ya, but if you want to get by in this crazy, changing world, you have to show some initiative instead of trying to just plug in to what seems like an easy source. Most of us didn't have the luxury of the internet when we were in school; I think it's sad that you don't avail yourselves of the opportunity to do good old fashioned research.

[dcifan2k]

Dear Marmalady,
I know that this is something you see as a problem of people not making an effort, and I know that most of their questions are simple ones that may not need to be put in a forum of there own. but you need to remeber half the people who are posting these questions are asking them for the first time, it's like working anywhere and someone asking you where the bathroom is although you have answered the question a million times that day this person asking is asking for their first time. and this forum is for culinary students you do not have to come to this section. I know that the person who watches over the other sections tries to put all questions that pertain to this section in here and not let them stay in the wrong section. I don't believe that you have to look in this section at the end of a long day so please be a little kinder to the people in this forum I know we all ask a lot of the same questions, but we sometimes learn different things to add when the same question is asked. so please vent somewhere else

Michael

[Greg]

Actually, this is a problem that I addressed in a post some 3-4 hours ago. If anybody would like an explanation as to the reasoning behind it, feel free to PM me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. As far as any further discussion in this thread goes, keep it constructive and keep it nice, please.

[KyleW]

I don't think marmalady was saying you could not ask questions. I think she was simply suggesting that there may have been others before you (or anybody) that have asked the same questions. I think that if you do a little digging, using the search function, you will find the answer to most questions. Doing it this way has the added benefit of providing instant gratification, rather than having to wait for a reply. If you find part of the answer, you can ask for clarification by replying to the thread. We will be happy to respond. If you don't find your answer, ask away! I have been part of many web communities. ChefTalk has no equal when it comes to civility, helpfulness and overall sense of community. We are happy to have you with us

[chrose]

I would like to add my 2 onions worth. Most of the problems seem to stem from the same questions over and over ie: How much do you make? What does a chef do? what hours do you work etc?
It's like asking us to answer an essay over and over. A simple search on the site or the internet should yield the answers. These are obnoxious questions no matter how well intentioned they may be. Also the problem lies in the asking of us to do ones homework. My 10 year old son could find the answer to most of the questions posted.
Now if you post a question that has been answered a 1000 times but is legitimate such as "what's the best way to cut an onion"? or "how do I make a clear consomme"? you'll find us happily discussing the issue yet again. We have an endless supply of energy to discuss food over and over again. Just don't ask us to do your work for you. We paid our dues! Pay your own!

[marmalady]

Michael - I was not venting; I will not vent; I do not have time to vent. I was not slammng you or anyone else. I was merely suggesting, like many others have done, that you do your homework and THEN come to us, rather than making us your homework project. As far as 'being kinder to people on this forum', please read some of my posts, especially in the Late Night Forum. I am probably old enough to be your grandmother, please have respect for us, also.

CHrose, and Kyle - Thanks.

[Jeromy_Bender]

"Entirely too many people fashion their lives after French bread-one long loaf"

Study! You know what's right

[monkeymay]

Did anyone hear the report on "All Things Considered" on NPR concering students and plagerism from the Internet? It seems that so many students are using the Web as a major source for term papers, copying and pasting without crediting, that some professors have created software programs to catch cheaters. By typing in key words and phrases, they can reference where the info came from, (Like going on to google and typing in a key phrase, say "what does a chef do?" ).

Perhaps we should create something like that on chef talk.
A list of generic answers to generic questions, posted at the top of the page.
That way people who are not interested in true research can just cut and paste. Let their instructor take them to task for the lack of originality.

Given enough rope, I have found that most people will hang themselves

[chrose]

Jeremy-Bender......Great song by ELP

[chiffonade]

Originally posted by dcifan2k
...the people who are posting these questions are asking them for the first time, it's like working anywhere and someone asking you where the bathroom is although you have answered the question a million times that day...

Looking for a posted sign that says, "Rest Room" is not unheard of.

Serious inquiries will never be rebuffed. However, attending culinary school and not cracking open a book to find the simplest answers is lazy.

"Vent somewhere else..."? I don't consider it venting when a legitimate explanation was made by someone who didn't owe an explanation to anybody. I think Marmalady was downright kind. And succinct.

This whole subject is moot. If any of these "students" who have made every assignment a poll question ever actually make it through culinary school, they'll fail miserably in the real world. And I don't ever mind pointing out where the rest room is, but I refuse to actually "go" for them.

[chrose]

Originally posted by chiffonade


And I don't ever mind pointing out where the rest room is, but I refuse to actually "go" for them.