Kitchen Bullies

I have something to say.

I have something to say that will most likely upset people.

The people who will most likely be upset are the people I see in class. Every. Single. Day.

You guys are rude and egotistical. You think that whatever you have to say is more important than what anyone else is saying; having a conversation with you people is like trying to scream over a bullhorn. Being interrupted at this school is like breathing, in that it happens at least every 15 seconds. It's just about as easy as breathing as well, it occurs naturally and without resistance. I have ceased trying to prove any point, even when I feel very strongly about it, because, well, you wouldn't care anyway. By the time I gather my thoughts and find the courage to speak up, you've moved on from a conversation about the proper consistency of pastry cream to the tragedy of lemmings leaping to their death off of cliffs.

That's just the beginning.

In class, there are very few people who know how to act like professionals. Rolling your eyes, spouting off unnecessarily sarcastic quips, getting angry about a few dirty dishes left in the sink, raging out not only on your fellow classmates, but people you call your friends...all of these things are unacceptable. At first I believed that the six months of experience required to attend this school was to make sure that you knew what you were getting into, but now I think it is absolutely necessary to teach individuals how to work closely with their peers. If you are at work and you speak to your co-workers or your boss the way that some of my classmates speak to each other, you would be fired. I don't care where you work, you will always have a boss. If you own a place and speak to your investors improperly, they'll stop funding you. If you work in a restaurant as a Chef and speak to your owner in a sarcastic manner, you're going to get fired. If you're working at a pastry station in a hectic kitchen and a line cook catches you talking shit because he left a dirty pan on his grill for longer than you liked, you're going to get yelled at.

The worst part about all of this is that I feel bullied. I feel that the people who speak so terribly to my peers have no business doing so, as we are all on the same level. Some of us may be able to decorate a cake better, some of us might like chocolates, and some of us might want to teach later on, but regardless of our different aspirations, we are all the same. We are all in the same class, paying the same money for the same semi-disappointing education. We have our good days and we have our bad days, but in the end, we're all in this together. Being surrounded by these people has made it harder and harder for me to remember this. I am here to learn, and my learning is being impeded by the terrible attitudes floating around the classroom. It's hard to squeeze every bit of knowledge out of a chef when you're being screamed at by someone. It's extremely difficult to build lasting relationships with people because you are never sure whether or not they're going to like you the next day. I understand you're tired. I'm tired! I'm so tired! But you know what, I truck through it.

This rant does not apply to everyone I have met at this school. And even the people it does apply to, it does not always concern you. I believe, in my heart, that everyone here is genuinely (at the very least) a decent person, and that we all want to learn to be the best chefs, cooks, pastry chefs, confectioners, and bakers that we can. That's what you're paying for, right?

So check yourself at the door. Follow the best advice I have heard from any boss ever and leave your grievances at home. Don't bring them into the kitchen. If you can't check your attitude for your own sake, at least try to think of the people who are trapped in the room with you for a constant 6 hours. We don't have a choice but to listen to you bully us. Please know that what you say affects everyone in your proximity. When one of my classmates treats another one with disrespect, it makes me feel awful inside, but saying something is damn near impossible without feeling the wrath myself.

I don't want anyone to think that what I'm saying is about any one person. It's about all of us. I know there are times when I could be more respectful to people, I will never deny this. But dammit, I'm trying. My goal for life-after-extern was to work on my attitude. I didn't want to belittle anyone; I didn't want to be a bully anymore. I want to find a way to take this school for granted and get so involved with the chefs and educators here that I might actually get my money's worth. I wish that everyone felt the same way that I did, because if you all did, I wouldn't walk out of class every day feeling like a shriveled shell of a person.

I know there are those of you out there who are unhappy because of more than just our most recent chef. I want to apologize on my behalf, and on the behalf of anyone else who has made you feel like you're any worse than anyone else on this campus. Who are we to judge you? We're all just students ourselves! If you ever feel like this, search deep down inside yourself and decide whether or not you have the passion to continue. Do you? Then remember the wise words of Chef Schorner when he said, "I can teach skill, but I cannot teach passion."

To conclude this seemingly never-ending rant, I just want to encourage everyone to at least try to be a professional in our bakeshops from now on. Even when life is hard, put a smile on and dig your hands right into that bread dough, or that sugar, or that buttercream. Remember what you're here for. It's not to strut around the kitchen and make everyone else feel inferior to you, it's to learn. If you aren't here to do that, then please leave; you're getting in my way.