The Freak Show

Back in the saddle again

2004-11-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

I am happy to tell every one that I am no longer looking for a job!!! I thought I was going to loose my mind from not having a job.
I have recently gotten into Chinese brush painting as soon as I figure out how to post pictures I will post some of them. I think that I would like to try to find a way to decorate my next b-day cake so that it looks like a brush painting. I wonder if it can be done??? Well, I have a while to figure it out.
I really like pesto I mean most people like pesto but I really really like it I have never had a pesto that I did not like, basil, cilantro, parsley, ECT. However I am trying to make a hazelnut dessert pesto so far I have come up with hazelnuts, mascarpone, shredded chocolate but the liquid is where I am having my trouble. Hmmmm coffee syrup, hazelnut liquor, well I will keep working on it. There are so many pastry applications I can think of well sooner or later I will get it. I welcome any and all comments on this.
You know catering is not as boring as I thought it would be. I still love the line the team working together to get the dish out there on time with all parts of the dish finishing at the same time. With that being said when you’re making food for any where between 8 and 3000 it gets crazy as can be and the team has to work together. In the crazy world of catering cranking out food all day long just like you were on the line except that you can afford to be more of a perfectionist.
Well, I guess what Aim trying to say is that I am really happy here the people try hard to make it a great place to work.
When I got my kitchen aid several months ago I bought it in imperial gray so that I could decorate it however I felt. I have come to my decision I am going to get a Varga Girl or a Rosie the riveter on there I just can't think of anything more appropriate.
Stay freaky my freaky friends!

Lock up your sons!

2004-10-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I am done with my externship and I am on the prowl for a new job. While some choose to stay at the place that do thier externship I am just not able to that. The place I was working for was just no challenge to me so when I was asked if I wanted to remain on with them after my externship I told them thank you but, that the restaurant was just not what I was looking for so, I gave my two weeks notice. So, that is all there is for now I am on the hunt for a new job. Now that I have some time I will try to write more often. Thank's to you all for reading my blog and being part of my life.

J-Dawg the 7 fingered prep cook!!

2004-08-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Our new prep cook J-dawg has been the expo of our restaurant for a long time and had been asking , begging, pleading,to become one of the kitchen crew so we welcomed him with open arms. So our expo comando joined our ranks as the new prep cook cuz as all cook's/chef's know if you can't prep it you can't cook it!! So here is the problem in the two weeks that he has been on the team he has cut himself no less than three times the first time he cut his finger tip off the second time he cut his finger open trying to reach into my knife roll ( any cook caught with dull knives should be shot) and the third he was cleaning chicken and he cut himself all three times suga momma had to bandage him up I tell you that boy is so accident prone it is unreal. So, bieng the wize ass that I am I decided to make a joke of this freak show (you know to honnor his achievement) I waited till we had a full staff and I began to tell J-dawg that I was so worried about him and I was loosing sleep and that I just did not know how I was gonna live with myself knowing that I had contributed to his delinqency and he looked at me puzzled and asked what I ment So I told him that I was partially responcable for that fact that now that he had only 7 fingers he would never learn how to count to ten like all the other kids. Every one bust out laughing it was great!!! So chilin's suga mamma's lessin of the day is ifin' you wants to be a cook or a chef you gots to learn how to usen a knife.

The last adventures of Captain Twink.

2004-08-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gentlmen Captain Twink is no longer the capatain of the rag tag dish crew. He has left our restuarant. There are many mixed feelings about this. On one hand he was a funny funny dude however he was sloppy and he just did not have the culinary knowlege let me give you all a visiual imagine that I have just been hired at the French laundry and Thomas Keller ( who is a culinary god) starts to talk to me about food I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I may be holding up my end of that conversation for a little while (you know techniques maybe some of a my fav foods) however I know that he has a metric ass ton of knowledge and that in order to get some of it I should probably listen to what he says, but not captain twink his parents ran a catering company when he was younger and he can cook ok and he has pretty good skills on the line however he just does not have any culinary knowledge yet he thinks he does (and that folks is some scary shit).
The good news is that captain twink was the only one in line for the grill so, the story at work is that when he found out that the grill will be mine he left what is worse is that he really believes that he is the beat all end of cooking. I am ok with the fact that he quit it is how he did it that really made me mad he went on break (knowing that others where waiting on him the come back in order to go on thier breaks) and he never come back. Well, cap'in if you can't handle the heat get out of MY kitchen.
Speaking of grills I have decided that the grill needed a name it's a wolf grill so I desided that I should name her little red riding hood (twink's vote had been the cast iron cunt wich is a great name however, we have a completely open kitchen and well, customers that talk to us really are not the type that want to hear that however, little red riding hood seems to be going over well. I happen to be just evil enough to be considered a big bad wolf.
You know when you have worked somewhere and you learn all that you can learn from that place and you just are not challenged at work any more? I have only been with this restaurant for 6/7 weeks now I am just about there. I could allways learn to pick up more speed I can do a pretty good # of cover's but, I'm going to the Greenbrier next year 1,500 covers in a day. Other than that I have learned all that positions and all the recipies there is nothing else for me except speed and timing.
I guess this will be a good time to do reaserch and some other projects that I have been wanting to work on. I'll keep you all posted.

I shot the sherrif but I did not shoot the deputy.

2004-08-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

All around the restaurant where I work
They're trying to track me down.
They say they want to bring me in guilty
For taking over the line,
For making the boys look bad.
But I say:

I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self-defense.
I shot the sheriff, and they say it is a capital offense.

Sheriff Marshal always hated me;
For what I don't know.
Every time that I plant a seed
He said, "Kill it before it grows."
He said, "Kill it before it grows."
I say:

I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self-defense.
I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self-defense.

Freedom came my way one day
when I was given a chance to run the grill.
All of a sudden I see sheriff Marshal
Aiming to shoot me down.
So I took the line, I made him look bad.
I say:

I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy.
I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy.

Reflexes got the better of me
And what is to be must be.
Every day I work and sometimes I share the grill,
But one day the grill will be only mine,
Yes, one day the grill will be only mine.
But I say:

I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy, oh no.
I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy, oh no.

That about sums up the day that I had on thursday Let's just say if there was any doubt of weather or not I was going to be a perminate fixture at the restaurant and on the line that has been clarified this grill bitch is here to stay (well till I get to go to the greenbrier in April)

the lost entry!!

2004-08-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

It was a hot and balmy saturday night and the kitchen gods had smiled upon me. I had been asked to work the line on a saturday night (the joy I felt cannot be described by mere words). If you are a chef or a line cook or a culinary student then you will remember the 1 st time or the anticipation of the first time you were put on the line. Here I was a saturday night I was cranking out the food there were no errors no send backs I imangine that I was a little slow however in no way shape or form was anyone waiting on me for any thing. So, here I was cranking along (it was later said that I was more than holding my own) and we ran out of fritter batter so, I was asked to make more. Cool right?? Well, normally I would agree with you however in this case it was all a nasty plot to get me off the line and to put the favorite back on the line (the owners would later confirm this in the hour lecture that we recieved) enter the sherrif (the dreaded evil that is employed were I work) so anyway back to the story I'm making fritter batter when the kitchen manager starts flipping out because I was not on the line. Well, J-dawg cut the tip off of his finger durring all this and so I took his spot on garde manger. It was a crazy night. I really was not as mad as the management I was alittle mad however, I felt that they were probably just trying to make sure that I did not get over welmed I was fine but, I choose to believe that the intentions were tru and just. (ok I know that is a lie but this is my blog)

The New Kid!!

2004-07-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been the new kid? You know first few weeks of a new job, or a new school, new house, or even new to a family or group. Well, I am currently the "new kid" so even all the shmucks at work (yes I actually used the word shmuck) think that they can boss me around. It is so fustrating to have someone try to tell you what to do when you are already doing a better job then them. In the three weeks that I have been at my Job I have done every job except 2 which is really good for a kitchen job. I already have my arch nemesis I intimidate him and so he tries to make my life miserable however he is the sweetest person 5 mins later. There is at least one person who I swear has no business working here . You know being the new kid when you are an over achiever with OCD. (bet you would love to work with me) Any way, because I am new every one assumes that I couldn't possible know as much as them. However in past 3 weeks that I have been working there we have implimented at least 5 changes and I now have everyone trying to out clean, out work, just plain out do me and the sad part is that they are working hard just to keep up with my norm just wait till I turn up the heat and start trying hard. (insert evil laughter here)

Captain Twink and the dish crew!

2004-07-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

I really love my job as you know if you have read some of my other posts. I work with a guy we call twink. The funniest stuff happens to Twink. Twink and I are creatures of the night we work the night shift together. We have a dish washer whose sister also works at our restaurant. Well, it is well known that they are very close and tell each other everything bla bla bla.... well, it bothers Twink and J-dawg that every time you tell his sister to do something she goes to the dish room to tell him first. So, it became the topic of discussion well, twink commented that what they do is their business, and implied that their was some brotherly& sisterly lovin' going on.... well, J-dawg thinks for a moment and says..... "you know incest is really not that bad" Twink and I began laughing so hard we could be heard from inside. J-dawg began stammering and trying say what he really meant. It is now our goal to try to find some new comment each and every night to remind him of this blunder. Well, as you can guess his new knick name is "brotherly love". When ever he gives anyone any trouble we all respond "Who's your brother ...... who's your brother..." Gotta love working in a kitchen.

Traveling Circus.

2004-07-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

I really find it very interesting to take road trips. My favorite parts are the pit stops. Gas stations, rest stops, truck stops, the smaller the town the funner the times. (Is funner really a word? Well, it is now!) I recently took a road trip to east Texas of all places for any one who lives there I apologize to you for the comments I am about to make. You all live in the arm pit of Texas. Inbreeding is not a taboo it is a fact of life. I swear as we entered some of these towns I could hear a faint singing that got louder and louder as we closer. It was a male voice kinda giddy at first I was unable to make out the tune it was just a slight sound. As we got closer it got louder. We all began humming la la la. Then as we entered east Texas I began to see the words on people’s expressions then it became very clear to me as we entered Rusk..... I'm my own grandpa..... Really folks these people there were like 12 in the front yard of this house and they all looked the same the only difference were there ages. Well, I can definitely say with confidence that I am happy to be back in the city were in breeders are few and far between.

The Consesstion stand

2004-07-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

I sometimes wonder do I have what it takes to make it in the kitchen. Then I look at who has made it and what they are doing. I look at what is hot in culinary trends and then I step into the kitchen I pick up my knives and I start cutting. It is then right then that I am asurred that I am gonna make it in the kitchen. Not because I am the knife Zen master or some such shit. (only Chef Saki is the Master of the Knife) It is because I can become lost in what I am doing. Some people can sit down to watch t.v. and realize that it has been 4 hours or maybe it is the game system or more personal to me (my old man) the computer. For me it's in the kitchen or with my knives I can start cutting and next thing I know I look up and it 4/5 hours have passed. I also know this is it because I love going to work.

The Bearded Lady

2004-07-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

why is that the bearded lady, the half woman half man, the ape girl , and the 2000lb lady manage to get married, I firmly believe that every one deserves to find that special one for them. without gender or age (within the law) size or freakieness restrictions. I do have a point really hang in there. So to recap the popular concensis is that we freaks find each other and seek each others companionship RIGHT? (insert answer here) no one then we'll say I'm right. Now, lets take a look at the "normal" people that are out there. They have a really hard time finding love in there "normal" world. Just ask any spinster or bachalor. Or look at any of the personals adds or they even had a TV show about their inabilities to find thier own happiness. Which I guess by our standards makes them freaks. So, I guess again I have proven yet another therum that all people are freaks. Then why is being a freak or being called a freak considered so bad??? I think that being a freak should be an honnor not a shame. I have some how climbed so high on my soapbox that I am beging to get a nose bleed. Chat at you later my fellow freaks!!

The donkey show.

2004-07-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hello again my freaky freaks. A lot has happened since my last posting. I went and numbed my mind a little by watching the new movie DODGEBALL with Ben Stiller. I really had a great time at the movie. It was funny, sarcastic, dumb, and awesome all at the same time. I particularly like the seen where the dodgeball team gets the wrong uniforms and they come out looking like a S&M freak fest!! Like I said it was a blast.
I got a job!! I am finally in the kitchen. All of culinary school finally coming to a whole.
Will a year of school really set me up for the career that I want so badly? Time will only tell. Though I have to admit that all the culinary school in the world will not do shit for you if you have no talent or desire to be the best. So, put on my new chef's coat, a pair of black pants (strictly forbidden in culinary school only black and white check are aloud)and I went to work. I was intimidated and existed all at once (just like one feels at the donkey show)(You all know what I mean, you are helpless to look away and you just have to go to see what it is like) I was thinking that I should not be there. But I was wrong I was ready to be there (though hard as I might look I could not find the woman or the damn donkey) I had a relatively seamless nite I messed up a few things but not many. I have increased in skill and fluid motions in the kitchen and I get better each and every day. The kitchen is a place like no other. If you love the kitchen it will show.
I hope that eventually as people begin to read this blog they will ask me questions weather it be recipes or cooking questions or even to send me some feaky stuff for the freak show.

Welcome to the show that never ends!

2004-07-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Well, here goes. Being a freak is not easy but, there is a little bit of freak in us all. I mean really you don't think so? Well, let's take the average geek who has to have there grades exact all the time and hates it when they are not the best at something? Not you well, you could be that antisocial person who would rather enjoy life if there was enough space between him/her and the rest of the world except there is really never enough space is there? Still haven't hit on your freak show yet? Oh I will eventually. The point is that we are all freaks in some way or another. There is no such thing as the perfect life or the perfect well, anything. What you perceive as perfection is just someone else's compultion. What was the point of all that rambling . . . . . Oh yeah, I think that the freaks of the world should unite and stick together and be freaks. I should be their leader as I have a feeling that I am the freakiest of all freaks! As the leader of the freaks I promise equality of the freaks. No more eating at the back of the restaurant in the darkest corner so people will leave you alone. Under my rule they will leave you all alone if you tell them to or they will face the dire consequences.
seriously I just wanted to start this fun over opionated blog and I hope people read it and like it. Oh yeah, and by the way I am prone to spell things wrong some times on purpose.