Monday, April 18, 2016
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
The Hiatus
(Disclaimer: I share the opinion of A-Rod that is held by nearly all Boston Red Sox fans. Mea culpa.)
Yesterday I listened to an interview with Alex Rodriquez on Mike & Mike and at one point he started speaking about his "hiatus" from baseball in 2014. He addressed that his career was on a downward trajectory and after sitting out a year he feels better than he has in over a decade. And as he spoke of professional rejuvenation and fresh starts something resonated with me. Shudder to think it, but I knew exactly what he was talking about.
Let me start by saying that I am not on a hiatus; I still cook for a living. However it does feel like I am on a hiatus, as I am not currently working 80-plus hours a week and I actually spend time at home and with friends and family. My days no longer start before the sun comes up only to end long after the sun has set in the west; I actually get to see my daughter off to school and tuck her in at night--things most people take for granted but I had not done with any regularity for the better part of ten years.
I have a dream job--a literal 1-in-43-opportunity-of-a-lifetime. Although I no longer work everyday, I work for very intense, relatively short periods of time. I am grateful for the opportunity, my boss, and the freedom that both allow me with this job.
So how does this all tie into the concept of being on hiatus?
For me it all revolves around my new found "down time." For the first time in...I'm not sure when I was last able to do the kind of introspection I have been able to do recently. I find myself being "judgy" towards actions of colleagues, but in a positive--and private--way; in a way that is helping me to see my own shortcomings--hopefully positioning myself to ditch them--and eliminate or correct them, (or at worst, live with them). By recognizing my foibles in others, I am acquiring the mental skills to be a better chef.
I also have the luxury of sitting on the fringes of the food and beverage industry and being able to see into the industry with a pair of refreshed eyes. All I can say, is that it is true that you can sometimes be so close to the forest, that you cannot see it through the trees.
The heightened self awareness that comes from being "removed" from the day-to-day grind of 12-hour+ days cannot be underestimated either. This is one of my favorite benefits of my current situation. I am able to think about how restaurants operate, kitchens are designed, staff is hired and trained, and ponder alternate methods of doing all of the aforementioned actions--all without being encumbered with having to go do dishes because the steward call in sick, or vacuum the dining room because the staff is shorthanded. I am able to develop a better way of doing things in the vein of: if I could "do anything I want" within a restaurant.
Of course, with all of this freedom of time and thought comes a downside. Because I DO sit on the outside looking inward, I am not playing reindeer games anymore. As I champion my colleagues in their successes, charitable endeavors, pursuit of--and acceptance of--national acclaim and awards, I am no longer pursuing those same goals, and in some cases I am ineligible to. I am operating in a world of self-imposed professional exile; yes, I do still cook to make a living, BUT I am out of the public eye and my eligibility to be regarded as "one of the guys" has been revoked, (driven home when I submitted a request for a range of samples from a manufacturer and I was told I couldn't have them because I was no longer 'serving the public.') I have eaten my share of crow and humble pie while having my ego checked on a daily basis.
But once I take the ego out of the equation, I begrudgingly admit I am refreshed--both mentally and physically. The time away from the line and a brigade have really been good for me, (i only used vacation time in previous positions because I was forced to...I have a super-high old school-blue collar work ethic ingrained in me). To be able to step away, while at the same time keep my toes in the water of the industry as a whole, has been a blessing--more than it has been a curse, I assure you. And, yes...I have developed some great new ideas and systems for operating my pie-in-the-sky-maybe-someday-restaurant; I am able to escape the tyranny of "we do it that way because that's the way we have always done it."
At the end of the day, I am glad that with my current "break" from the day-to-day restaurant hustle I have exchanged the pursuit of fame and glory for myself, for the opportunity to meet Joolz when she gets off of the bus in the afternoon.
Yesterday I listened to an interview with Alex Rodriquez on Mike & Mike and at one point he started speaking about his "hiatus" from baseball in 2014. He addressed that his career was on a downward trajectory and after sitting out a year he feels better than he has in over a decade. And as he spoke of professional rejuvenation and fresh starts something resonated with me. Shudder to think it, but I knew exactly what he was talking about.
Let me start by saying that I am not on a hiatus; I still cook for a living. However it does feel like I am on a hiatus, as I am not currently working 80-plus hours a week and I actually spend time at home and with friends and family. My days no longer start before the sun comes up only to end long after the sun has set in the west; I actually get to see my daughter off to school and tuck her in at night--things most people take for granted but I had not done with any regularity for the better part of ten years.
I have a dream job--a literal 1-in-43-opportunity-of-a-lifetime. Although I no longer work everyday, I work for very intense, relatively short periods of time. I am grateful for the opportunity, my boss, and the freedom that both allow me with this job.
So how does this all tie into the concept of being on hiatus?
For me it all revolves around my new found "down time." For the first time in...I'm not sure when I was last able to do the kind of introspection I have been able to do recently. I find myself being "judgy" towards actions of colleagues, but in a positive--and private--way; in a way that is helping me to see my own shortcomings--hopefully positioning myself to ditch them--and eliminate or correct them, (or at worst, live with them). By recognizing my foibles in others, I am acquiring the mental skills to be a better chef.
I also have the luxury of sitting on the fringes of the food and beverage industry and being able to see into the industry with a pair of refreshed eyes. All I can say, is that it is true that you can sometimes be so close to the forest, that you cannot see it through the trees.
The heightened self awareness that comes from being "removed" from the day-to-day grind of 12-hour+ days cannot be underestimated either. This is one of my favorite benefits of my current situation. I am able to think about how restaurants operate, kitchens are designed, staff is hired and trained, and ponder alternate methods of doing all of the aforementioned actions--all without being encumbered with having to go do dishes because the steward call in sick, or vacuum the dining room because the staff is shorthanded. I am able to develop a better way of doing things in the vein of: if I could "do anything I want" within a restaurant.
Of course, with all of this freedom of time and thought comes a downside. Because I DO sit on the outside looking inward, I am not playing reindeer games anymore. As I champion my colleagues in their successes, charitable endeavors, pursuit of--and acceptance of--national acclaim and awards, I am no longer pursuing those same goals, and in some cases I am ineligible to. I am operating in a world of self-imposed professional exile; yes, I do still cook to make a living, BUT I am out of the public eye and my eligibility to be regarded as "one of the guys" has been revoked, (driven home when I submitted a request for a range of samples from a manufacturer and I was told I couldn't have them because I was no longer 'serving the public.') I have eaten my share of crow and humble pie while having my ego checked on a daily basis.
But once I take the ego out of the equation, I begrudgingly admit I am refreshed--both mentally and physically. The time away from the line and a brigade have really been good for me, (i only used vacation time in previous positions because I was forced to...I have a super-high old school-blue collar work ethic ingrained in me). To be able to step away, while at the same time keep my toes in the water of the industry as a whole, has been a blessing--more than it has been a curse, I assure you. And, yes...I have developed some great new ideas and systems for operating my pie-in-the-sky-maybe-someday-restaurant; I am able to escape the tyranny of "we do it that way because that's the way we have always done it."
At the end of the day, I am glad that with my current "break" from the day-to-day restaurant hustle I have exchanged the pursuit of fame and glory for myself, for the opportunity to meet Joolz when she gets off of the bus in the afternoon.
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