So Tom went to the Digital Experience show today to cover it for DSM, and he said it was kinda boring actually but he mentioned he went to one of the luncheons there held by Sprint and Palm. I’ve been to these shows and there’s usually really good food there and of course I replied back that at least he got to eat for free anyway, and he replied back to me that I seem very fixated on food…
There’s a point to this actually, the reason I’m fixated on food is that I was an Executive Chef in my ‘past life’ as I call it, past life being what I did before doing what I do now.. not the supernatural past life thing…
But it got me thinking about all that and my time or I should say years of my culinary escapades… Not to blow my own horn or anything but I was damn good, and well I still am, but I rarely get the chance to make any extravagant dishes anymore. I do miss it sometimes, but I think I’m happier now.. one of things I hated was all the ass-kissing and nepotism of the restaurant industry, sorry I don’t kiss ass, and well sometimes that’s what it took to get ahead, so I didn’t get ahead as far as I could have…
but I can say that in my time I’ve had my food creations published twice in magazines, I’ve worked with some of the top chefs out there, I’ve catered events with senators and congressman and met numerous celebrities as well, so it wasn’t all that bad…. I even had a chance to try out for the culinary olympic team… just a hint but you shouldn’t go out drinking and partying the night before you try out for the olypmic team, it ruins your sense of taste and just ruins your concentration and everything else needed to do do good at something like that .. I was young and stupid.. ah well
What I really miss is the rush of it all, it might not seem to some that it’s that stressful, but it is a very stressful career choice, if you can’t handle pressure then don’t even think of the field of culinary arts. I actually loved the stress and pressure of it, I thrived on it really. I remember years ago a study in some major magazine or newspaper that ranked the stress levels of jobs, what I did ranked right under Brain Surgeon, so yeah it was stressful at times… but damn fun
I think the part that I missed the most was seeing the looks on peoples faces as they watched me work, they were just in amazement at my ‘skillz’. and I’m serious, not just bragging, I was good at what I did. I prepped/catered parties for 1000+ people with little or no help from others, and I don’t mean wedding buffets, I mean sit down fine dining, black-tie affairs…yes I’m seriously good at multi-tasking…
I think I can say that I’ve ate more different types of food in my time cooking than most people will ever eat in their entire lives… there was actually a point where I would say no to filet mignon and lobster and prefer a hamburger because I ate so much of it…
ah well, I have my memories anyway…