# Some worries



## gus20 (Jul 26, 2002)

Hello How are u!

Its me Gustavo Gútiérrez a peruvian guy who study culinary arts at le cordon bleu-Perú, i have studied one year now on vacation and i have decided to do externships, im doing, well iw as doing it in an hotel, the first days i felt very well, people was surprised, i worked very hard, even 10 or 11 hours per day, i stayed there looking and cutting vegetables, after soem days i felt bored, cutting the vegeatbles everyday, the same vegetables, preparing the same sauces, but the pastry room was smiling me, it looked great, and the girls in the pastry room like me cuz i didnt stop to help, but after 3 weeks i was scared about doing that during all my life, cutting vegetables and doing soem sauces, it looks boring , doing the same things, i was very scared and i got very depressed, veyr depressed, i couldnt go to the hotel more, and ill go when ill be ok, its like i feel scared, and i have doubts about this, about this career, is it never boring for u? is it normal feeling bored sometimes? please tell me, the pastry room looks interesting , but doing dolls with sugar is not for me, but other desserts looks perfect, just looking some strawberries mousses with chantilly and some decoration looked great, veyr beautiful,,,,
and the sallaries give me doubts, too, at school we receive jobs from usa, spain, and i saw one, it was for working in san francisco for 1000 dollars without room, without food, it looked loud for living in an expensive city, just i ahve doubts and i feel scared, well and im depressed, too, i just want to do the right things, i dont want to be the ebst chef, or being that, i want to do the thing right, in the right way and do a good job,,,,,,,
Thanks for hearing, and if u have questions about how to cook teh origianl cebiche that is peruvian dont have doubts for asking me, for a "a la huancaína tomatoes" , potatoes witha cream of cheese, and cperuvian chili , i can help, and smile and a hug for eveyrbody, thanks for reading this email, bye bye!


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## soussweets (Apr 12, 2003)

gustavo,, i hate to be a sour apple but kitchen work is very repetitive and boreing sometimes. the key to staying happy is to discover new things on your own, and when you get settled into a job, they will let you spend more time on experimentation, running specials, helping with menus. you have to find satisfaction wherever you can. if you are interested in a job where meals and housing are included, you need to think about working on a cruise ship or doing seasonal work at resorts. hawaii,colorado,florida, and plenty of other places have numerous seasonal jobs where they give you room and board, and if you travel arround ever five or six months you always get to work on something new. remember, work can't be fun all of the time,, and often it rarely is,,, but its up to you to find pleasure in what you do.


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## athenaeus (Jul 24, 2001)

This topic is excellent. I wait with anticipation to read everybody's comments.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Gustavo, por favor, no llores. 
Yes, it is boring to do the same things over and over every day. But when you show them that you work well, and that you want to learn by asking questions, you may get a chance to do more.

Remember, too, that it isn't really exactly the same each time: the vegetables are a little different every day, and each one you peel and cut is different from each other. Every time you make a sauce, you have to use the same ingredients, yes, but they are maybe a little wetter or dryer or saltier than the last time, and so you have to make sure to fix it so that it tastes the same as before. Working with food is like working with people: you think maybe you know them and what they'll do, but then one day they do something that completely surprises you. That is the joy of cooking, to me.


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## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Gustavo,

First let me send you a "cyber" hug because your post brought a tear to my tired eyes.

It is a buisness of true endurence, room for little mistakes and often un-rewarding. But, with time and utter commitment it can be a buisness that offers the finest of all rewards, making people happy, feeding them well and feeling a sense of fullfullment that is hard to obtian in other careers.

Gustavo, there is no easy track,no magic wands, only very hard work and trying to compete for the best openings in our buisness.

Turning vegetables is not so bad, we used to play to see who could use the biggest knife to turn our veggies, ha, I am now very versed in turning veggies with a 14 inch butchers knife.

You'll clean fryers and take out the garbage, you'll work a few 12 hour shifts and then wake up at 4:00AM to start again.

You finished your post with a bit of excitment about your ability to cook the foods of Peru, I sensed a smile and confidense in you as you felt comfortable in what you know, this is your ticket, but first you will have to work your way.


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## chef from va (Nov 13, 2003)

i can relate to being bored in your work. i have found a bit of a cure though. i am a culinary student as well and i tend to feel as though all i do is mis en place. i found a bit of a shot in the arm from one of my chefs. he told me that no matter how much chopping, turning, bunoise, julliene, or whatever else you do use it to further your skills. i have had the honor of working with several executive chefs and one thing i have learned is that everyone has started in basicaly the same way. i have seen knife skills put to use that i have only dreamed of. i use this insparation to help me understand that i need to use every chance to pick up a knife that i get to hone my skills. i hope that this helps you. it has changed the way i look at simple "prep work". as far as sauces go i also find that the way to avoid being bored with them is to try and make them taste EXACTLY the same every time. good luck and try not to get depressed everyone gets bored at one point or another. just smile and think someday you may have someone like you are now in your own kitchen and you can help them. :chef:


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