Late into the Morning

Just past three a.m., temperature is gradually falling to the freezing point, and I’m zipped up to the chin, feet on the space heater. Macgyver is on, but I saw this episode a few days ago. Nevertheless I’ll watch that mullet and too-tight jeans escape from Russian soldiers by constructing a hot air balloon out of a parachute, countless blankets, and half a shed. Awesome. Dexter is on next, and Hot Fuzz after that. You may ask yourself, “Why does he have a list of things to watch at 3 in the morning???”

Simple, I have a bit over three hours until the Champions league final; Manchester United v. Barcelona. Thanks to the slight time difference from London, I get to watch it live at 6:30 am. I guess I could have gone to bed and got up early, but there is no way I am taking the chance of sleeping through the alarm. I will see the sunrise, then watch ManU get slaughtered. Ahhhh, it shall be a lovely morning. Then I’ll sleep all day! No kitchen duties for me!!

Barcelona shall reign supreme!!!

 

3 a.m. in the mountains

Chibi

Kitchen Kitchen

The weeks just keep passing by yet only the weather changes up here in the mountains. Autumn needs to quit playing with the temperature and settle into winter already. It has been wet and unseasonably warm for the last week. The sand flies are making a final stand before their impending doom when the chill arrives.

The kitchen has been somewhat busy on weekends and occasionally on weekdays, but we expect things to cool down was winter hits. Oo, horrid pun… Less work may seem like it should be warmly welcomed, but honestly speaking, life in the kitchen runs much smoother, and cooking is easier when you get into the rhythm of it. Cleaning behind refrigerators, cleaning out the walk-in, organizing the kitchen, doing prep-work, etc. between orders can be demoralizing to say the least. When busy, the kitchen just seems to naturally flow. Unfortunately, the wait staff always seems to be short handed. Needless to say we become a bit irate as the food we work hard to get out in minimal time sits under the heat lamps.

Enough complaining, here’s a tour of the kitchen.  

Center Station - Peter Territory 

Dish pit in the corner (that silver machine is the bane of my existence... Always seems to explode at the least opportune time)

The Walk-in, behind steel doors.

The big cylinder is an enormous rice cooker. (35 cup capacity!)

The Slave Driver. (All-knowing machine that orders us about)

In background: Portal to the unseen maw.  

Standard issue pans, ladles, vents, fluorescent lights. 

Nothing says manly like a baby-blue chef's coat. 

(Especially when everybody else is in white...)

Top three reasons to work in a kitchen:

1. Gastronomical Alchemy 

2. Playing with knives

3. ELASTIC PANTS 

(Makes anytime feel like Hammer time!!)