I wrote this a week ago
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To my friends,
I have about a week and a half of school holidays to go before classes resume. I don’t know what my schedule will look like next sem because I have 3 days of school and I’ve got two new rakets (Pang tennis). But busy is good and I am so happy! I’ll just switch on the scheduling/planning side of my brain and put it to work again hehe.
I want to tell you about my work because I’m excited haha. And also because I want to continue the tradition of apprentice storytelling by (milder) way of Medium Raw (Anthony Bourdain) and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (apprentice of the owner of El Buli).
I work at a seafood restaurant here in Sydney. It’s located in Rosebay and it’s situated near the water, duh. So lovely in the morning but freezing when I go home at night. I applied for the job a few weeks before the term break and they offered me unpaid work (aka internship) during the break so that I could receive work experience. I’ve only gone twice this break though but I’m going again 3 times next week.
No one has screamed at me, yet. I’ve just gotten mumsy comments from my head chef not to drag my feet when I walk, to hold the knife safely and to drink my coffee before it turns stone cold. But I’ve seen him go all diva on many of the people in the kitchen, so the possibility of fraks and you idiots is looming. Me so scared. But I guess that’s just kitchen life. One moment you’re side by side with your head chef happily plating a dish then another moment he’s cursing you for putting shallots in the onion bin. The kitchen is home to many strange people, yes including me.
If my head chef is kenkoy bipolar, the head of my section has a mild case of tourettes syndrome, he makes random noises while he’s working. I think I’m developing it too, I’ve noticed that I make the Gaaahhh sound when I’m tired (I do this when I go to the restroom to rest for a few minutes haha).
I have to build on my stamina if I’ll work long hours (and if I want to keep up with all the boys in the kitchen). If only I could work on my height! Everything is not built to scale—me! I think the people in the kitchen are mildly amused with me because I’m a girl and I’m short and I can’t lift the garbage bins like an ant. But I think the novelty will wear off soon and they’ll get annoyed (and won’t volunteer to reach stuff for me anymore). There’s a blue step stool in the kitchen that I’ll make my best friend.
Meanwhile, flashback to my previous life, I’m in an events company again. It’s a company that does cooking lessons for corporate clients. I’ll be the one to assist the presenter chef and be the official photographer. Occasionally, the company will be hired to do food demonstrations in food shows. That was my first shift and boy was it looooong. I didn’t get briefed that I would be helping the chefs prepare about a thousand turkey burgers, they told me taga punas ako ng set up. It was like playing 8 hours of cooking mama w/o flexing your fingers first. Funny thing is, I ate a burger from Mcdo after haha.
Haba na!
More when there’s something interesting ulit :):)
Love,
Mia
