Music is the food of the Soul...

[Peachcreek]

My kitchen Boombox looks like the old family dog. After about 10 years, the thing is almost dead- it won't play most CDs anymore, without a lot of coaxing. The speakers are fuzzy from years of kids and "that darn rap music"! A little greasy? Just a little, actually its de-laminating due to excess washing to try to at least get the NEWER goo off of it. The antenna is gone, the tapes sound muffled, and I'm certain that at times it housed a bug or two.....But like the family dog getting a new one is harder than I thought.
That old boombox had sounded the times of my life. It has been carted around to the last 4 restaurants I have worked in. I bring my knives and I bring my tunes. And a day without music throws off my whole day! The food suffers!
I think of different restaurants that I worked in with not just where I was in culinary terms, but also by the music I listened to. The Grateful Dead and Talking Heads remind me of a fish place I used to work at. Paul Simons' Graceland was played to death when I lived in Portland. I was turned on to REM by a thrashed-out prepcook years ago. A very recent acquisition is POET: a Tribute to Townes Van Zandt. Buy it for a cook you love!
What inspires you to cook? What is your private kitchen music? Am I the only one?

I also nominate Steely Dans' "Dirty Work" as the unofficial anthem of the foodservice industry...

[cape chef]

Hey,
Your boombox sounds exactly like mine LOL.

Depending on my mood,dictates what I play.

I play everything from Vivaldies 4 seasons,to Demeolas Elagent Gypsy,to Led Zepplin....Throw in some cooooool Jazz at times and I'm a happy pup

I know I'll get in trouble for this but, No country in my kitchen
cc

[Athenaeus]

My mom used to tell us that by the day my sister and I were born all I needed to relax and eat was to listen to the radio. On the other hand, my sister hated it....Go figure...

At high schooll, radio was the main reason I decided to become a lawyer. In Greece we used to do something that I am amazed you do not do in the States. We used to have "Pirate Radio Stations" . You know just an antenna and a record player and brave parents, willing to face the Police in case of invasion ,because pirate radio stations were forbidden OF COURSE.

Those pirate stations were popular in a closed society, like the Greek society in the middle '70ies because you could express sentiments and feelings by dedicating songs to boys ( or girls) that you didn't even dare to look straight in the eyes.

Since my two best friends and I made a pirate radio station ( for the purpose mentioned above...) and Police invaded our house we decided that someone of the gang should become a lawyer to get us out of troubles. In such a simple way radio decided about my profession!

Radio was our window to the world! We loved it because we used our imagination a lot! I first found out about a certain Tenesee Williams in the radio since our National Radio produced plays for the Radio.It was "Cat on a hot tin Roof"
It was amazing! You listened to the voices and you tried to imagine the faces...

Like Peachcreek I have all the special occasions of my life connected with songs I was listening to the radio at the time.
Althought I have a mania with technlogy and I love fancy gadgets , palm tops, cells that bake toasts and sing you the carrols etc etc... my radio is old as well.

In the kitchen, my radio plays ALWAYS dance music. Yes, Disco and things like that.I know that Rockers will hate me.
There is nothing funnier that cooking and dancing the same time especially if cooking is your hobby!!

Peachcreek, you do not accept PMs so I have to tell this in public.
This post of yours was SUPER!!

[Pastachef]

James and Athenaeus, I loved your posts. I guess I'm more like CC. What I listen to is determined by my mood. I always seem to end up with Mozart or Barbra Streisand, or Bette Midler. I remember television before it was color, and when the screen was no larger than a dinner plate

[Irene]

You are poets.
Peachcreek and Atheneus in particular.

In the kitchen I listen to the radio. I prefer a radio station with romantic relaxing music.I helps me focusing on the plate.
In my work, I recently became the boss, so I am the one to choose what's on the deck now . My work has to do with knives so I listen to dance music.It keeps me on the alert.

[Ruth]

I bought a birthday card once for a friend and this was the qoute on the inside
"without music life would be a mistake"
have not forgot that since and never will. music is universal it spans all language barriers and cultural walls.
yes it is the pulse of your blood.when i am working anything(x-cept country)goes even opera.come service we shut it off then resume when it slows down.
as sonny and cher say "and the beat goes on............."

[Athenaeus]

Last night I went to a party of a good friend.
The food was perfect, there were 40 people that one way or another we knew each other so the atmosphere was warm and friendly.
This is party is held by the same person almost every year. Last night everyone was trying to find out why we were having good time and we were not bored!!!
It was the music!!!
A friend spend some time putting together a play list that lifted the spirits!
We stayed until 4 in the morning listening to music, eating everything that was left and drying every single bottle of wine.
However hard you work in the kitchen, without music there is no party.

[marmalady]

Your post reminded me of a hilarious happening at a catering kitchen I worked at. A staff of 6 guys, and me and another young woman who had two small kids at home.

Well, the guys played lots of heavy metal stuff all day - it didn't bother me, I've learned from having two older sons to just tune it out! But the younger woman got pretty flustered and one day called a meeting, where we all decided that each person would have a music day where their own selections were played all day.

When the young woman's turn came, she brought in all her children's music tapes - a la Barney, and all the dorky kid's tunes out on the market!! The guys went absolutely bonkers and shouted not fair, but they had to put up with it! After that, they tuned their music selections down a bit!

[Melina]

I want to say that this thread is great.

Yes I do not like the noise radio makes but I got used to it by my sister who is is a maniac with radio and music.
When I hear the noise of a casserole my mind goes to my sister's radio she has since high school.

But this thread is great indeed. I loved every single post.

[Rachel]

i used to have aboyfriend who listene to Celine Dion all the time!! YUCK!! Needles to say, he had to go

[chefboy2160]

Music and food , what else is there ? I will not work in a kitchen without it . Only just keep the song by Lynard Skynard
" That Smell " quite enough that your customers dont hear it .
It kind of gives them the wrong impression . I found out the hard way on this one . Also my plug is Sublime " What I Got "
( Lovin )

[Peachcreek]

Our dining room is a loud place. Open kitchen, tall ceilings, crowded tables, acoustics that make a shoebox sound like Carnagie Hall.. And then that annoying music from the back....I love it.
To paraphrase Firesign Theater-
"Working in my restaurant is like having bees live in your head. But, there they are...."