The last two months of writing my thesis were the roughest
simply because I was not only presenting data in the three most crucial
chapters, but extrapolating assertions from them. Needless to say, I was stressed day-in and
day-out; sleep was crap; and I was constantly in need of diversions.
So I started watching cooking shows.
Not just any cooking shows.
First I ran through a season of “Cutthroat Kitchen” on Netflix. Alton Brown’s enjoyment at offering up culinary twists and monkey wrenches for contestants to buy and use against each other made that show well worth it. I always got a kick out of the low laugh he’d let loose when saw a trouble-making item and knew that of the people in the room, he was the only one who knew what it meant.
Then, when my episodes CK ran out, I turned to Gordon Ramsay and theU.S. version of
“Kitchen Nightmares.” Watching one of
the most intense and intimidating chefs in the world work with floundering food
establishments to bring them up to spec was very interesting. I not only learned a little about the inner
workings of a restaurant kitchen, but I learned that Gordon had a softer, human
side that doesn’t get the attention that his rants and swearing do. After watching some of his YouTube channel
videos, seeing how he worked in the kitchen and describing what he was
creating, tasting, and smelling, I discovered that there was a intense passion
to go with his intense temper and that the temper served one purpose: shock
people into reality. Gordon Ramsay is
the Gunnery Sergeant Hartman of culinary world.
He’s tearing down poor habits in chefs and owners to build up chefs and
owners who have passion for their work, their food, and how they serve their
customers.
So, interestingly enough, while working on my thesis, I was also learning some fascinating life lessons from Alton Brown and Gordon Ramsay.
First, never let a setback or the metaphorical curveball get you down. As a writer, working in both fiction and non-fiction, that’s critical. Chefs have a wealth of experience and knowledge and the employ that work their way around roadblocks. Writers who have been working at the craft for a long time develop similar traits and using a depth of knowledge as well as looking back on experience gives us perspective for dealing with the current issues.
Second, give a damn about your audience and the product you’re putting out. Respect the craft. If it’s crap, and you know that and don’t care about it, do you really expect people to keep coming back for more? I mean, there are masochists out there, but NOT that many. Also, it makes you look pathetic and can you really expect your audience to respect a pathetic person? What do you think?
Not just any cooking shows.
First I ran through a season of “Cutthroat Kitchen” on Netflix. Alton Brown’s enjoyment at offering up culinary twists and monkey wrenches for contestants to buy and use against each other made that show well worth it. I always got a kick out of the low laugh he’d let loose when saw a trouble-making item and knew that of the people in the room, he was the only one who knew what it meant.
Then, when my episodes CK ran out, I turned to Gordon Ramsay and the
So, interestingly enough, while working on my thesis, I was also learning some fascinating life lessons from Alton Brown and Gordon Ramsay.
First, never let a setback or the metaphorical curveball get you down. As a writer, working in both fiction and non-fiction, that’s critical. Chefs have a wealth of experience and knowledge and the employ that work their way around roadblocks. Writers who have been working at the craft for a long time develop similar traits and using a depth of knowledge as well as looking back on experience gives us perspective for dealing with the current issues.
Second, give a damn about your audience and the product you’re putting out. Respect the craft. If it’s crap, and you know that and don’t care about it, do you really expect people to keep coming back for more? I mean, there are masochists out there, but NOT that many. Also, it makes you look pathetic and can you really expect your audience to respect a pathetic person? What do you think?
Thirdly, treating people like human beings in all you do
goes a very, very long way to success.
If you treat those you work with and work for like crap, they’ll lose
all respect for you, even if what you do is great work, making it very unlikely
that they’ll want to invest any more time with you or your product. In a world where not all that glitters is
gold, the Golden Rule goes a long, long way.
Finally, everybody – and I mean everybody – struggles and falls on bad times. I’ve been there, done that, and buried the t-shirt. But, I was reminded that not all struggles are equal, but all suffering is the same.
It’s important to be a decent human being. Life is too short to ignore the people around you. If you can, give back to those you’re journeying through life with. Gordon Ramsay has 21 restaurants across the world, three Michelin stars, millions of dollars, but he helps small, family restaurants because he wants to. Yes, it gets good publicity for him, but the simple fact of the matters, if he didn't want to do it, he doesn't have to do it. In the end, he’s imparting knowledge and guidance to people who need it in the hopes of making their lives, their work, and their relationships with other people better.
It’s amazing what watching cooking shows can teach you besides how to make a decent hamburger or lasagna.
Finally, everybody – and I mean everybody – struggles and falls on bad times. I’ve been there, done that, and buried the t-shirt. But, I was reminded that not all struggles are equal, but all suffering is the same.
It’s important to be a decent human being. Life is too short to ignore the people around you. If you can, give back to those you’re journeying through life with. Gordon Ramsay has 21 restaurants across the world, three Michelin stars, millions of dollars, but he helps small, family restaurants because he wants to. Yes, it gets good publicity for him, but the simple fact of the matters, if he didn't want to do it, he doesn't have to do it. In the end, he’s imparting knowledge and guidance to people who need it in the hopes of making their lives, their work, and their relationships with other people better.
It’s amazing what watching cooking shows can teach you besides how to make a decent hamburger or lasagna.
