Perfection

Much has been discussed throughout history with regards to perfection. An ever-elusive goal, perfection has been the siren's call for mankind. A conversation for philosophers, artists, engineers and Chefs alike.  For sure, there is no more innately human quest than for the compass setting to reach the elusive shores of perfection through the rocky, turbulent coastline of achievement. Sadly, (and somewhat discouragingly) when you consider that the carrot on the end of the stick will always remain unattainable, perfection is most commonly equated with an abstract scaling towards that which is good. The thought that a tangible, perfect item exists is erroneous; exponentially so when you factor in the plurality of everyone's individual ideals of perfection, and infinitely so when you factor in the ideals of perfection throughout the ages.  Many things elude to, but fall short of, the destination. Perfection is indefinable. It all (and we all) miss the mark. Instead it might be wiser to view perfection as a journey; a search for perfection whose path is paved with imperfect stones. Perfection, ironically enough, is easiest to find when looking at something done wrong. And what better place to find a kitchen anecdote than here?

It was a day like any other; production for the day’s service was moving along, for the most part. Today's perpetrators were lollygagging in their work, thinking that they were better prepared than they were (as is always the case). So, they were not moving at an optimal speed for success, nor were they paying proper attention to detail; not ideal characteristics for successful cooks. Unfortunately this particular station was all about details in advance, it was my garde manger station. And the task at hand was the ever humbling crouton. You see a crouton, when done correctly, is a beautifully cut dice (in this case) of bread which has been carefully trimmed of the crust and sauteed in butter until a golden brown crunchy pillow of bread is produced. They go on a salad (in this case).

Well that's the way I would like them anyway...in my perfect world. But, it’s not a perfect world, RIGHT?

As it turned out the rampant torpidity had caused the station to fall behind and the cooks make a last ditch effort to catch up. With time fleeting and no time to do the job properly, vis a vis saute the croutons in butter, the anxious cook tossed the delicate cubes onto a sheet tray, drizzled them sporadically with half melted butter and dismissed them into the oven. SLAM. The minutes passed when an attentive cook would have remembered to pull the mise en place out of the oven for service. A distracted cook might have even remembered to pull them when the first order for the salad came into the kitchen. However this kitchen "Nero" has the capacity to neglect them joyfully until a billow of smoke made everyone in the kitchen painfully aware that the guest would be waiting more than a few minutes for their simple salad.

Moments later the cook approached.

“Chef? Is this too burnt?” smoldering sheet tray in hand.
I don't know, what does one say at a time like this. The waste of time and resource, the disillusioned guest...

“No Nero, it's not too burnt....you burnt it perfectly.”
"So what should I do?" crocodile tears began begging for a lifeline.
"Again." I paused, "You should do them again."
"Really?" he questioned. "Again? Are you serious?"
"As far as you know Nero, I've never lied to you. So yes, again."
"Chef, why do you keep calling me 'Nero'?" he paused.
"Look it up. You might learn something. Right now, I want my croutons!"

It's amazing how fast a cook can produce croutons when they need to; especially when compared to the inordinate amount of time he fiddled about when carbonizing the first batch.

Can true perfection be achieved? Depends on how you look at it. If it is a perfect perfect than no. Objective, absolute perfection cannot be achieved in that abstract "good" way,. There will always be a flaw. Don’t fool yourself, you are not perfect. What you do is not perfect. Nor is anyone else for that matter. And if you think otherwise that’s just pride talking. Intrinsically we know this; even our superheros that we create have innate, built in flaws that somehow make us relate to them and feel better about ourselves. Instead, you should be realistic and know you will never attain perfection, but you might come closer than before or even closer than anyone else. But know this, you will move towards but never arrive at your destination. Take heart though, it is that pursuit which makes it worthwhile. Look forward to the time when you are less imperfect than you are now.

Absolute objective perfection…not a reality, not in this world anyway. Everything and everyone is, to some degree, imperfect. Embrace it, learn from it. Unless of course you are talking about a perfect imperfection...than yes, there are plenty of those already.

One in a Million

I have to say that throughout my life I have had a chance to encounter a broad variety of people and not one of them the same; we are in fact, unique. While our uniqueness quite often is taken as a priceless commodity, it is commonly translated into the misconception that we are indispensable. It is true there is no one like you, but that is not to say there is not some one out there who can replace you. In this competitive world, you need to decide what kind of one-in-a-million you are. Are you the hard working stand out one-in-a-million or the standing still with all the others, one-in-a-million? In order for you to set yourself apart, and in one way or another you will, you must decide which you are. It begins with this simple choice, your personal answer depends quite frankly on how you read the phrase,  "I am deserving..." Are you deserving in that you are working towards it, or are you deserving because you are there and entitled to it? In fact, do you do what you say, or say what you do? Moreover, how you responsd will continually define you throughout your career and life.
     Anyone who knows me knows I love my dishwashing staff. As a chef, I know there is no other more important position in the kitchen than that of this overlooked manual laborer.  The magnificent hum of a well orchestrated kitchen is nothing if this essential position is not operating at its peak efficiency . Needless to say, I treat my dishwashers well. That is not to say however that they themselves are indispensable, just the task. Just like everyone.

It was a typical Saturday night, so I thought, and the kitchen was getting hot and heavy into the first seating. Orders were coming in, the kitchen fervor building and from what I could tell from our first seating, it was going to be a great night. 
As we got into it however, it became apparent to me that one of our teams was not keeping up. Strange, it was a Saturday, I had my best in the kitchen. The laggards were in fact the dishwashing crew. The cooks on the line began to clamor for saute pans, and the wait staff for glasses and cutlery as we tried to regroup for the next big push. 
"A little faster there boys" as I shot a passing update, " we're gonna be busy here."
There was a slight uptick in one of the young gentlemen, trying to comply. He was a solid kid, always going above and beyond no matter what the job. They called him "Ardilla", I think it means squirrel in Spanish, because he was always keeping busy. A true "one in a million". But, what I noticed next was disturbing. The "head" dishwasher put his hand on his shoulder and scolded him, "No, slow." Ardilla looked crushed. He loved his job, but it soon became apparent the crew had decided to, as a team, slow down.
"Come on guys, I need you to pick up the pace. We are getting busy here!" The waitstaff was now bordering on panic as they tried to retrieve the glasses and flatware to reset the tables for the next turn. And quite frankly my sphincter was tightening up as I saw all the saute pans piled up not being washed; the kitchen printer began to whir....orders started coming in.
"Chef, we want to talk to you." the "head"dishwasher chimed in, almost on cue as we got slammed.
"Later sunshine, once we feed all these people."
" No Chef, we'll talk now" By now, they were at a dead stop. I was pissed to say the least. I won't go into my ability to treat someone well, but I will tell you they were well compensated individuals. I would feed them whatever they ordered and I would purposefully overstaff so I could give people a proper break or let someone go home if they wished or needed to; I was a good boss to have. All I expected in  return was good solid work. Well, as a side note and unbenounced to me, the crew had a gentleman who helped them get into the country, get them papers, and lodge them. In return, they gave him their paycheck and got a little in return to live on. They supposed if they could get a raise without him knowing, they could keep the difference; a fact I would find out in the near future, but a story for a different time. Right now, we were in service.
"You are kidding me right!?! We need to talk RIGHT NOW!?! Right now or what!?!" I was done being nice and out of the corner of my eye I noticed the whole kitchen was now on edge, including my "Ardilla".
"Or no more work." The ringleader now presented his hand. The rest of the crew, save one, folded their arms and stopped moving.
"Oh, I get it. You're not going to work? Unless I suppose I give you more money?" I affirmed.
"SI!" The crew nodded, again save one. I'll let you guess who.
There was more than a little tension in the kitchen at this point, everyone was screaming for the things they needed. My dishwashing crew had a lever right up my fulcrum at this point and they knew it. I could tell from the smug looks on the their faces.
"Well now, that makes this all so much easier...why didn't you just say so!" (sarchasm intended).
They all began to nod their smirking gobs.
"GET THE F'explicative' OUT!" I reeled, verbally smacking that stupid looks off their faces. "You really think you are going to get more from me by giving me LESS!?!" . I pointed to the back door, "OUT! NOW!"
I don't think they saw that one coming. They really didn't know what to do. Most people don't when their bluff is called, especially in a situation like this when there is so much on the line. They thought they had all the cards, but they obviously were not aware of what a Chef was capable of. I escorted them to the door by the scruff of their necks, not so gently or politely.
Kicking the door shut behind them I bellowed to the kitchen, " You, you, you and you" pointing to my line and a few bus boys, "scrape, rinse, machine, stack." My gesticulations coinciding to the person and their newfound position.
I jumped on the line. Grabbed the dupes off the printer and began to call out our next seating. 
"And I need pans, flatware and glasses yesterday!!! You hear me? Or do you want a raise now too!" (again, sarcasm, my preferred dialect.)
"No Chef, Yes Chef, coming right away!" They burst into action.
Before you knew it the kitchen was back up and moving, I mean really moving. Something really inspired those people; a little fear? Perhaps, not necessarily a bad thing though. But more so a reality check. And once again we were on the same page, serving the same purpose.
What happened to "Ardilla" you ask? Well that's a story for a different time, in the meantime...

Everyone would love to think they are indispensable. In a temporary sense, some are and some aren't. But you can look through a history book or a cemetery and realize that at some point or another there will not be a you; and the world will go on. What we are capable of being is indispensable "now". You can choose to work hard and do your best and act like what you do is vital,and it probably will be. You should find yourself in a place where that act is additionally vital to someone; and you should continue to do it with the same vigor and passion you had at the start. In turn you will build your self worth and a proper place in the world. Or you can think that you are vital, and that people should find in you worth knowing that your uniqueness means what you provide is thus rare and valuable. You would be wrong in this assumption. Thinking you are the only one who can do the job is a dangerous and short lived way to find security. It's what you are capable of doing not being that formulates your success. As well, I can assure you, it is a far more satisfying route and leaves you more in control of your career and life. You're either the needle which is sought out or one of the many wisps of hay in the stack.
So, which one in a million are you?

You have to want it

Some people are just more likely to achieve than others. Some people attribute it to intelligence, but studies show that is not the best indicator. Some people attribute it to position, but being born with it doesn’t mean you’ve achieved anything, actually it's quite the contrary. Studies also show more and more successful people come from poverty. So what “determines” our ability to achieve? That’s right, determination. It’s been a hot topic as of late, people trying to figure out what makes one person more likely to achieve than others. We’ve been told from an early age that you can do anything you put your mind to. While I know that literally anyone cannot do anything they set out to do, the evidence supports the notion that it is a good indicator for success. A desire, a need to overcome, creates within us a determination to do something; and this determination is the leading cause of success. If I may quote the wisdom of Solomon, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes to poverty”. Such sayings speak directly to this innate human psychological need.
 
I often give tests. On one occasion I decided to place within the 100 question test (#42 to be precise), a sub-test on following directions. Question #42 simply stated “For the sake of the environment, please submit your test completely blank and you will receive a perfect score.” For while I was handing out the exam I told everyone to read the exam thoroughly before beginning, including writing your name. I was surprised at how many of those tests I had to grade. There was one young lady, though, who carefully read through the pages; the rest dug right in after a cursory perusal. After about five minutes the diligent young lady approached me. “Chef, are you serious ?” She pointed to the question. “Absolutely.”, my hand outstretched to receive the pristine paper. “But…” she hesitated. “What ? You don’t want the 100 ?”, I taunted. “Yes, but I really want to take this test. I know I can ace it.” “But can you get 100 right here, right now?", It surprised me only a little when she went back to her seat and, nose down, hunkered in, determined to ace the test. It was an amusing hour. About 35 minutes in, people started getting to #42. The room was filled with sighs, groans and a couple of cusses too. “Shhhhh! We’re in the middle of a test people.", I chuckled as I looked up and caught that one young lady’s eye as she wagged her head at me.

Let’s face it, you've gotta want it. Not even necessarily the goal, the perfect score, the extrinsic thing, but the desire to get it, the act of accomplishing, the intrinsic internal satisfaction derived from the doing. Deep down inside you create this desire to control your situation and its outcome. You actually revere the pursuit and becomes its own reward. And when the achieving the reward in fact becomes the reward, it become a marked step essential for self fulfillment, a fundamental human need. In essence, doing for the sake of doing trumps doing for the sake of reward. This determination is the first step towards success. Next, recognize this relationship we have, of ourselves to our environment and others. And how our determined action plays its part. Once we own this, we can recognize the value in what we do; we have agency and self importance. Our achievement becomes connected in a human need way, that of connectivity. The next step of a determined, motivated person is demonstrated by the value of what they are doing and its relevance to the world. Once we grasp the intrinsic nature and relevance of our determined act, we can set ourselves towards a truly motivated achievement of the goal. We recognize the value to the group, now we recognize the value to self and our autonomy. How we fit our independent achievements into the collective enables us to find our meaning, our purpose. So what should we take away from all this ? Set your sights, be resolute. You want to achieve something? Set your mind to it, realize its importance, and internalize it. Know that what you are doing is important and needs to be done. Not just to get it done but to be getting it done. Once you’ve got that under your belt, get off your butt and do something about it; act. Don’t just think about it, do it. Remember, it wasn’t about having the perfect score, it was about getting the perfect score. There’s a difference, it’s called determination.