What do you love most about the profession?

[Entropy]

There's nothing I love more than jumping on to the hot line, getting into that rhythm, breaking a sweat, hearing that clanging of pans, the sizzling of foods, searing those meats/fish just right for that beautiful color, finishing sauces with a dab of butter, keeping 20+ plates with different temps organized mentally and striving to put perfect plates up into the window.

What do others love about the biz?

[kuan]

The money brother, big buck$$$$$ vato!

[panini]

I enjoy the compensation so I can enjoy my life out of the kitchen.
Let's face it. We work for others that are playing, that's hospitality indust.
The favorite part of my job is exceeding any expectation I may have.

[chef_oz]

The food!
The atmosphere
The food!

[cookingwithfat]

Braising roast leg of waitron. My, what could be better after a long hard holliday weekend?

[Erik]

I work in a bakeshop that is very open to the public's view. I get to interact with customers all the time while I'm working. I love it.

And as I always tell them when they are gawking at the 90# of cookie dough I have on my bench:
Why play with your own food when you could play with someone else's!

[mredikop]

I love the freedom of expression in both the food and yourself. Coming from a highly corporate background just being able to wear jeans and have visible tattoos and piercings is very important to me. Apart from that the constant motion is great for my energy level and makes the day fly by faster.

[inkedchef]

i love everything I hate about this business long hours, annoying servers, creeking body, the knowledge, watching servers grab a plate that burns them, yelling, power, respect, after the heat lamps go off and the beer comes out, the stress, the 1000ct. bottle of advil, talking to the well done steak guy that said it was great and you threw it in the fryer and then the microwave because it was "on the fly", the girlfriend saying "why dont you ever cook for me" Writiting menus and getting the slammed by the owners. Its a love hate thing for me. you have to be a different person to work in this business and all my line cooks and my dishwashers are just as messed up as me.

[RAS1187]

Knowing that some day I can be the guy that writes my own schedule, shows up late, and leaves early.

On a serious note, I really just enjoy the social interaction I get from people of extremely different backgrounds and lifestyles.

[Entropy]

Originally Posted by inkedchef

i love everything I hate about this business long hours, annoying servers, creeking body, the knowledge, watching servers grab a plate that burns them, yelling, power, respect, after the heat lamps go off and the beer comes out, the stress, the 1000ct. bottle of advil, talking to the well done steak guy that said it was great and you threw it in the fryer and then the microwave because it was "on the fly", the girlfriend saying "why dont you ever cook for me" Writiting menus and getting the slammed by the owners. Its a love hate thing for me. you have to be a different person to work in this business and all my line cooks and my dishwashers are just as messed up as me.

I know what you mean. Whatever it is that drives us in this business is inexplicable. After a really difficult yet satisfying night a co-worker once said to me, "We'll always win the battle, but we'll never win the war." Yet we keep returning to the trenches for more blood, guts and glory, don't we?

[Greg]

Originally Posted by RAS1187

Knowing that some day I can be the guy that writes my own schedule, shows up late, and leaves early

So you want to be unemployed? A lofty goal, to be sure.

[mredikop]

Originally Posted by Greg

So you want to be unemployed? A lofty goal, to be sure.

Nice one. Sounds like RAS has a chef that gets away with that stuff. Most chefs don't get those luxuries. The ones I know schedule themselves more than anyone else.

[inkedchef]

Last time I left early was...oh, last monday when we shut down at 9:00pm. Last time I came in late was, um...Sat when I had to be here at 10:00am. Sat is great no lunch no 8am-11pm stuff. Can I get a job like RAS' chef.

[RAS1187]

Originally Posted by Greg

So you want to be unemployed? A lofty goal, to be sure.

I have come to the conclusion that my chef has a secret exit in his office (pull a special book off the rack or something) that leads to his batcave where he makes his unannounced/unnoticed getaway.

He is a great chef and all... though his stealth could possibly outweigh his cooking talents.

---Now getting back on topic---

Because we are a small operation, I have the opportunity to occasionally talk to the cutomers, and I really enjoy hearing that they enjoyed their meal. Hearing this makes all the hard work worth it.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Working with whole animals, and seeing the seasons change through our produce orders.

Tasting!

Always something new to learn.

Always something new to do.

And.... you can't outsource my job!