My first week has passed and gone. And there is nothing like being yelled at in a language you cant fully grasp. Aside from Spanish beratement, I have been doing fine work at my stage, though everything is not as it appeared five months ago when I agreed to come here.
1- The restaurant has not only changed its name, it lost its Michelin Star, which was a big part of my coming here to slave away. I figured at least I would be around some different avant garde food.
2- This place is totally disorganized, you know why nature has a heirarchy system? because its efficient! There are soooo many fucking interns here that I am a strong hand in a bucket of hands, at times I literally want to LOOK busy.
I cant even just get a list of things to do for the day, at least then I would have some level of responsibility, but no-
and why should they be more efficient? nearly their entire labor force in the kitchen is working for free
3- I was hoping my Spanish would be improving at a better rate- you know when people say that when they were in a foreign country and the language just "clicked" one day. Still waiting for that morning.
The big drama this week was with regards to another restaurant, one of the top 5 in the world. there was a fire and burned the place down. big news all over the culinary world, and especially in my kitchen since some of the interns are to be deployed there after here.
apparently it was an electrical fire, and all their top end equipment was destroyed. Now the crew from there is working in one of our catering kitchens to prepare for their events.
funny thing is I was going to choose to intern there and now most of there interns are being sent home. So I guess I should shut my mouth and be happy where I am at, because I could have been sent away with no work.
This is a great place to be around food, and I want some very Bourdain-ian experiences eating at weird places late night, but this town keeps it quiet most of the week, and I rarely have time to go out anyway when I am working up to 12 hour days.
All in all, I do not enjoy working here, but I do enjoy being here. Being around other people who look at food in a similair way, who like to cook, who can enjoy learning, and being in Europe.
I have a lot more to say about it later when I have my time to write
