October 27, 2011

goodbye main kitchen

After veg station, it was time to rotate back into the same station I started in - prepping for Latin Quarter. The station was chaotic as always, what with order sheets changing every day, so there was always something different to keep track of, not the mention the last-minute requests and modifications.

I tend not to lead unless asked (or unless the leaderless situation warrants it), so one day I got into this situation where I thought I was making a certain number of things but kept getting asked to do other things. Which was fine, except I wasn't getting my stuff (namely red mole sauce) done. Dustin and I had talked about working together on the mole, except he had gotten pulled into doing other things too, so I was alone and demoralized and stopped caring and burned all of the dried peppers that were needed to go into the mole.

So I went into the storeroom and cried, partly over the burned peppers and failed mole but mostly over how I've been feeling like I've been alone and abandoned with stuff to deal with. But Dustin helped me get more peppers (thankfully there were more), and when I came back to my station, I found everybody helping me to stem and seed them. I almost felt like Chef Hammerich (whom I had approached earlier when tears were just starting to escape) said something to everyone about how I needed help - that's how much these hands seemed like miracles.

seeding dried peppers

Today was the last day of our rotation in the Main Kitchen. Chef Hammerich made a speech about how he really enjoyed having us, noting that we were exceptionally good at helping each other without being asked - a rare and almost unteachable trait.

That makes me love being a part of this group, or any group - because isn't that what we're here for?

little hammers

Go team.

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