Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Musings by a Chef
Musings
I could not decide whether I am to laugh or cry about the direction my life
has taken at this particular momentso many blessings, so many things I
miss doing, so many pre-occupations. There isnt enough time to even sort
my thoughts and emotions. I marvel at how one can get from a place of
looking for something to do to a spot of not enough time to accomplish
much and a position of no time for that anymore. My work now is my life.
And for someone who cooks for a living, making a decision to teach young,
aspiring chefs full-time and pursue graduate studiesall at the same time
is perhaps a recipe for lunacy. Still, there is time to reminisce, time to reflect,
and time to be passionate about something. Thanks to my resolve to go
back to school, I get to have a semester-long assignment to journalize my
musings about Values and Ethics. While all else may seem a mess right
now, like a good chef, I am determined to get my act together and turn, what
seems like a recipe for disaster, into surprisingly good eatsand get to
laugh, learn and live.
Its too hot inside the kitchen so they thought it was okay to
partially unbutton the chefs coat while working;
They dont need an apron for now, because they are assigned to
a different area of the kitchenone that did not require an
apron;
They dont have time to change into comfortable shoes;
Its ok to wear a knitted bonnet because it is more fashionable,
for as long as it keeps the hair off the face.
It took me sometime to remind them (and scold them) in an exasperated
voice, that the uniform should be worn the way it was demonstrated to them
during class orientation at the beginning of the semester. I realized then,
that it will take the whole semester to constantly jog their memory of this
policy.
Today, I reprimanded some students doing extra cooking of food not included
in their kitchen module during class period. I specifically told them that any
leftovers from preparation should be packed, properly labeled and stored for
the next kitchen projectthat extra cooking is practically the same as using
company resources for personal use. It may seem to be a small thing now
but a very big thing later, especially when students develop a habit of
pilfering resources thinking that it is okay to do so. I am surprised that
most of them do it because they think that trimmings such as bones, fat,
stems, peels and leftovers from preparation should be cooked and eaten
instead of thrown away as trash. For chefs though, the same are used to
build flavor, hence can be used again for food production. It hit me, that the
decision to do the right or wrong thing is a manifestation, not just of ones
understanding of the human nature, but also because of ones knowledge
of how they ought to behave based on standards set by the authority of the
industry. I am inclined to understand then that the morality of chefs is
determined by the standards of our industry and that our behavior and
actions inside the kitchen demonstrate our respect for the culinary craft.
built in us by a belief system we grew into. In the latter, we run the risk of
falling short. Hence we either choose to follow, downplay or break the rules.
I know I am a happier cook because I am driven by my passion for the art.
The higher calling of a chef-teacher
The report today about Filipino values challenged my work ethic. As a
culinary instructor for BSHRM subjects, it has been a noble task to teach;
train and help students evolve as hospitality individuals. As a chef-owner of
a local restaurant in Baguio, it has been my vision to propagate the concept
of green restaurants. Both jobs are equally challenging. While one hopes to
help build a pool of strong hospitality individuals, the other hopes to advance
the concept of sustainable dining in a world where concern and protection of
our natural environment has taken the forefront.
As a teacher, I hope to encourage individuals to be good professionals
equipped with the proper skills to be competitive in the industry; and to
inspire them to be the best in what they do. After fifteen years in the
teaching profession and countless students under your temporary care, an
occasional thank you, from one, a professional update in Facebook, from
another, a visit from a third who took an incentive leave from a job abroad,
and finally sitting beside someone in graduate school who used to be your
student in undergrad validates that we TEACHERS take our jobs seriously.
It is a good feeling to be in this noblest of professions, so they say.
As a person who makes a career out of the food industry, the kitchen to me
is like a haven a place where I can creatively put to good use my concepts
and ideas about fine food. It is also an area of great responsibility where
staff is directed to work harmoniously as a team. It can be the most tiring
when long hours of work demand attention to detail; or the most challenging
when staff and guests require your personal service and attention. Each day
is unique in experience and adventure always an opportunity to do better.
At the end of the day, a job well done is when the guest thanks you for a
great meal, compliments the chef, and promises to visit again soon.
large commercial kitchen are great. But I will no longer be surprised if the
Executive Chef who runs it is a woman.
Of Sophisticated Consumers,
Feeding the Food World
Food
Safety
and
Implications
Increasing production, especially producing food on marginal lands will likely
require the application of
innovative technologies.
Some of these are
already controversial:
Biotechnology
Nanotechnology
Synthetic biology
And then there is globalization of food supply. Increasing globalization of
both supply and demand for agricultural products and the consolidation of
processing, distribution, retail have posed grave challenges for global food
suppliers.
Implications
Differing standards for quality and safety among cultures, countries, and
regions
Further, consumers get sick because of new strains of bacteria and toxins in
food. Hence, food producers are challenged to administer surveillance and
analytical abilities to explain the occurrence of these food contaminants that
were not evident in previous years. There is pressure for food providers to
increase their ability to identify patterns of food borne illness outbreaks
Increasing public and regulatory attention on the quality and safety of food
The likelihood of an increasing number of food recalls
Today, we run the risk of constantly inventing and re-inventing the way we
market food security because of higher consumer expectations.
I have
observed that consumers in the developed world have come to look at the
food system as a utility. They expect that when they walk into the market
they will find food that is available year-round (and the same as the week
before), food that is fresh, nutritious, of good quality and taste,
convenient to prepare and eat, inexpensive and safe to eat. Increasingly
also, it is to note that consumers in the developed world expect their food to
be grown locally, be organic or natural, be raised and processed under
humane conditions, support fair-trade, be elegant, exotic, and fashionable,
have been sanitized and ready to eat, have neutriceutical properties and
are able to prevent or alleviate disease.
Safe
Food
and
Sanitized
Foodhow
much
information about food I serve should my
restaurant guests know about?
The paradigm shift of safety over sanitation is a response to the growing
awareness of consumers on issues about safety. The level of food safety
demanded by consumers and regulatory agencies alike has escalated in the
light of recent cases involving food poisoning. That escalation will continue
in the years ahead. There is also more interest in the health and well-being
of people and concern about improving nutritional factors in the design of
foodservice menus. These have had a major impact on service. Consumers
are now centered on expectations that actually validate safety and sanitation
issues. Food is perceived to be safe:
If grown locally
If organic/natural
If raised and processed under humane conditions
If it has been sanitized and ready to eat
If it has neutriceutical properties that are able to prevent or
alleviate disease
To recycle wastes
Another issue that has entered the mainstream media in a lot of countries is
Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food. A lot of food
that we eat today contains genetically modified ingredients and usually
without our knowledge. Supporters of this technology maintain that it
ensures and sustains food security around the world as the population
increases. As time goes on, the science behind genetic engineering is no
doubt improving. Biotechnology could be the wave of the future and
genetically modified foods could really provide alternatives to help increase
food production. However, there is a growing wave of concern from
citizens, farmers and scientists who question the way the research is
currently being handled by a few large, profit-hungry corporations. That is, as
Patenting laws go against the poor around the world and allow
biotech companies to benefit from patenting indigenous knowledge
often without consent.
This is a very young and untested technology and may not be the
answer just yet.
Crop uniformity, which the biotech firms are promoting, will reduce
genetic diversity making them more vulnerable to disease and pests.
This furthers the need for pesticides (often created by the same
companies creating and promoting genetically engineered crops).
And then there are fad diets. Fad diets take form in many ways: low-fat, lowcarbohydrates, high-protein, or focusing on one particular food item such as
grapefruit. These diets lack major nutrients such as dietary fiber and
carbohydrates, as well as selected vitamins, minerals, and protective
phytochemicals, such as antioxidants (substances found in vegetables, which
are protective against disease). Over the long term, by not receiving the
proper amounts of these nutrients, you may develop serious health problems
later in life.
After listening to a lecture about truth in advertising, I was curious to find
out why fad diets exist and do they actually work? I am also amused at how
these diets are being marketed, and the number of people who actually buy
these diets. Or if fad diets do not, indeed work, why then are they so
popular?
While there is no set approach to identifying a fad diet, many have the
following characteristics:
Dramatic statements
organizations.
Recommendations from
individuals or groups.
that
are
studies
refuted
that
by
ignore
reputable
differences
scientific
among
Although there are many different fad diet types, most fad diets share a few
common characteristics. For example:
You can only eat a limited amount of foods or the entire diet is based
on one food as a catalyst for quick weight loss.
The diet encourages you to use pills as a weight loss aid or pressures
you to purchase expensive prepackaged meals.
A regular guest once told me that she felt the food I served was very wellbalancedthat the food combinations on the plate made her feel she was
eating something that was healthy but did not fall short of flavor, and that
the treatment I did with my dishes was always a welcome surprise to the
palate. Every single day that she dined with the restaurant, I always felt an
affirmation that I was doing the right thing with my food. No fuss, no frills,
no diet fads just simple, organic, straightforward meals.
Now here is a topic that deserves to be written about. I was born in the 70s,
and it was just about the time when going to the market involved an exercise
of carrying your own basket. The very idea of an earth bag was a remote
idea. It was commonplace to pack your purchases in baskets that did not
require any plastic at all. Then the 80s came, and it was just about the time
when Orange Julius , Tropical Hut, Coney Island, Kentucky Fried Chicken and
yes, the first McDonalds found their way into Philippine shores. I guess my
generation was so full of them and now I feel a great responsibility to clean
up our act. I guess it was about this time that convenience food found its
way into our kitchen most kitchens. And somehow, I can no longer
remember a time when my bread wasnt wrapped in plastic.
It hit me that a lot of the issues concerning global warming and climate
change are not just about managing our waste. In fact the idea of waste
being managed wasnt something to be concerned about before. It really is
about population explosion and lifestyle change.
I think about people depending on packaged goods because there is no
longer time to cook in kitchens. I will not be surprised if houses built will no
longer have kitchens as part of the layout. I also think about plastics that are
used for these goods and how much of these does an average person
actually use or purchase in a day. Every day, I can actually count the
number of times some form of plastic surfaces in my life from shampoo
bottles, toothbrushes, cosmetics and food. If this is how we live our life now,
what kind of earth will future generations have to live by? It is a scary idea.
And what of paper? Starbucks, Mc Caf and most fast food restaurants have
jumped into the bandwagon of image-building to include environmental
responsibility. Their excuse from using plastic is paper. A recent study
however, shows that though paper is biodegradable, it takes about the same
amount of toxic chemicals to be released into the atmosphere and trees to
be cut down to produce paper. Critics say that the process also contributes
to global warming and climate change.
I am concerned that most people consume meat than they do vegetables.
Hence marginal lands originally intended for agriculture have been converted
to grazing lands for cows and pigs. In one study, cow dung is one of the
major causes of global warming too. If forests are being denuded to
accommodate cows, we should seriously start rethinking about changing our
diets to include more vegetables instead of meat.
If we build a super mall in a once laid back town, how will it affect the local
businesses in the area? Will it reinforce peoples lifestyle or break down their
culture? Will it benefit the locals more or will the mall investors enjoy the
premium benefits?
If we build hotels and lodging facilities, do we build around trees or do we cut
them?
If we stimulate tourism demand for a destination, do we create programs or
festivals that reflect the culture and products of the place?
If we were to develop the place, will we still recognize it for its unique
tourism qualities?
What we do not want to see, if we were to predict the future, is a place that
is teeming with too many tourists, a culture that is dying, a heritage that is
lost, a land without trees and natural vegetation, world-class hospitality
that does not include locals, and a once beautiful place we no longer
recognize.
Like our natural resources, tourism resources are also scarce. Of course,
what is being referred to here is the natural attraction of the placepeople,
culture, environment. It is true that tourism planning sits on a three-legged
stool, where private, government and local involvement is critical to the
success of any tourism activity.
However, tourism is not solely the
responsibility of people in office or private investors. It is largely the
accountability of every person who lives in the area. What needs to be
pursued in local tourism development, therefore, is sustainability.
For
tourism to be sustainable, an appreciation of the destinations inherent
properties, of culture indigenous to the area, and superstructure and
infrastructure built to uphold the character of the place is a more proactive
approach to tourism development. With these sustainable guidelines for
development being facilitated by the local government with the cooperation
of individuals and groups from the area, tourism will be greatly improved and
destinations preserved for future generations to enjoy.
How well does the leader clarify the priorities and goals of the
organization? What is expected of us?
Sharing
My uncle may not have experiences the returns on his investment on trees.
He did give up a very lucrative agro-chemicals business for his trees. What
he did not gain in wealth (it takes 20-30 years of waiting to turn these trees
into wealth) he gained in recognition. And I know it is time to continue his
legacy. A sort of paying it forward. I realize that if there were more people
like him, this world is one step better.
Serving
This whole exercise has taught me about the importance of living out and
being a good testimony. I live life now with a whole new perspective about
being a good chef and a teacher who inspires her students to achieve
greatness.
Carpe diem!