It’s been an up and down few weeks. We are still waiting for our shipping container to arrive from DC and getting very impatient now. We are both needing our things now as winter is approaching and there are lots of our personal effects that we’ve missed long enough now. We were expecting it this week but customs has decided that some items need fumigating so we have to pay to get that done. I hope we get our stuff soon.
I finally got to take my first flying lesson here which left me feeling somewhat disheartened. I will be flying a different aircraft type which I was not expecting. This means that I have to learn the little differences for that aircraft. While not a huge thing, it was an extra set of challenges on top of what was already going to be a challenging first flight. I was also challenged with the change in some units of measurement such as litres instead of gallons and meters instead of feet. After 3 years of imperial measurements, it’s hard to think back to metric. My first flight was all about getting my hands back on the stick, learning the new airspace and generally getting familiar with the new plane – a Piper Warrior. This is a low wing aircraft; the Cessna Skyhawk is a high wing which is where the wings attach to the roof. The low wings attach to the bottom of the plane. It gave a different view at certain times. My instructor was lovely and was aware of my nerves getting back flying after 6 months. I was very rusty with my manouveres and landing at a new and busy airport was daunting. The process to get my license is a little different and I will have to take a few steps backwards which has left me disheartened. I can’t fly again until June and it seems quite busy at this school. I’m trying to understand what the testing requirements are and feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment. I want to continue but it feels a lot to change to at the moment. I’ll do some more research and hopefully my feelings will change by the next flight.
Easter and Anzac Day have been yet again and I worked all of these days as is common in the hospitality industry. It was incredibly busy as it was also school holidays. It was sad to not go to the Anzac dawn service but I think I’ll be fine next year when I’ve adjusted to the new work regime. School holidays have now finished and work has settled down although I found out today we have a busy weekend ahead. We celebrated Deb’s birthday and I cooked her a 3 course dinner. I experimented with the dessert making her an Eton Mess which is a messed up pavlova with fruit and cream.
I am feeling a little more comfortable at work. It’s been two months now and I have to admit it’s been a big adjustment. It’s also tough being new but it’s also tough for me to not have the knowledge that I have previously enjoyed throughout my career. I’m learning all over again and it’s a hard position to adjust to. Some days are better than others but I’m taking one step at a time and enjoying learning lots about food, cooking and kitchens. Masterchef has started on TV and it’s been a few years since I’ve watched this – I feel like I’m watching with a new interest.
So working in a busy commercial kitchen is not for the faint hearted. I remember my first week and hiding in the corner as I chopped away listening to the action going on around me. Now, it’s not as daunting but I’ve learnt some good lessons and thought I’d share some of the inside info with you.
Be busy. No matter what, be busy. There is always something to do and there’s no time to stop, chat and go for a coffee break. Everyone is on the go and I can only say it’s like walking through the streets of New York city. You have to listen out for ‘backs’ or ‘hot behind’ as people push past your back or with something hot like a pan or a tray. It's a frenzy at times especially during service.
Work clean. The golden rule in the kitchen is to keep a clean workspace, bench and tools. After every job, clean up before the next job. We all have our own knives and keep them clean and sharpened.
All Day. I used to hear them yell ‘3 all day’ or ‘2 all day’ when someone asked how many pizzas, burgers or whatever. I thought it was odd wondering why they would counting things served all day. But no, this is the code for people checking how many of one item is actually on the board at that time. So you might have 4 dockets up with a total of 6 burgers. So to help the chef, someone yells that’s 6 all day so they know they should be making 6 in total.
Service Please. I haven’t had to use my lungs like this since I was on parade back in the air force. Whenever food is ready for pickup, we have to yell out ‘service please’ so the front of house staff hear and come back to collect. I was confused when I first started work as I wasn’t sure who was yelling out and why.
Dread the Docket Machine. I have developed a fear of the dreaded docket machine. I have one behind me which is for the café section but my docket machine is across the bench in front where the head chef works. When it chatters out a docket, it’ll have my entrees on it and the head chef yells out what’s needed. So when it gets busy, I hear brrrtttt, brtttttt, brttttttt and shit myself, look up and hope it’s not my docket machine and sometimes a miracle occurs when people don’t order entrees. So that brrtttt, brrrttt noise is feared more than a dripping tap or the smoke alarm at home.
Salt and Pepper. Everything has salt and pepper in it. No wonder food tastes good when you eat out – it’s got lots of salt, pepper and butter and of course all those things that give you cancer, clog your arteries, make you fat or anything else that’s bad in life. But geez it makes food taste good.
Playlist. A great thing about the kitchen is being able to listen to music most of the day. Usually the young guys put their playlists on but I’ve had my chance to play my music and you feel 'like a boss' when you get to do this. There is all kinds of music being played and it makes the long hours a little easier when you get to share memories when certain songs get played.
Well that’s enough kitchen bitchin’ for now. I’ve noticed my perspective has changed when eating out and cooking at home is a bit more organised than usual.
The light rail (tram, train thing) has finally started operation in Canberra. It runs from my local shopping center to the city and has caused chaos for commuters. The bus schedule has totally changed and I think it will be a long time before it’s seen as a positive initiative.
Deb also went to Melbourne for a girls weekend and took some fabulous photos as always. Here is a classic Melbourne tram and some of the great street artwork.
Until next time, here's a pic of the two munchkins snoozing as the nights get colder and a funny thing I saw on Facebook.
