# Illegal immigrant cooks....



## chefintraining (Jul 29, 2006)

Why are there so many illegal immigrant cooks in California.....


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## boosehound (Jul 17, 2006)

mexico is very close for one thing (as is new mexico, arizona and texas all with the same problem) second they will work for very cheep do whatever they are told, third they will work for cash, fourth... **** i can go on for hours, learn to deal with it(if your gripeing), it comes down to this (and i dont want to sound like im discriminating) but most illegals or south american workers have a pretty good work ethick, work hard, fast make sure the boss is happy and they get paid well, granted my worker is a piece of **** who talks on his phone all the time and you have to scream at to get some clean pans and so forth, but mention immigration and god dam does he spead up, back to the point, restaurants are very easy places to get work at , people are always coming and going if you can get paid cash it is hard to track who actually worked. im sure i missed something someone will mention it im sure


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## jim berman (Oct 28, 1999)

When did the term "immigrant" automatically become "Hispanic"?

Not trying to be a catalyst for anything grim, but everything listed above _is _discrimination, by definition. Catagorizing a class of people is discirmination. Furthermore, it is derogatory... and illegal in content.


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## mikeb (Jun 29, 2004)

While everything you say is true, the fact remains that there are alot of illegal immigrants that work in restaurants in California, and the vast majority are also Hispanic. Discrimination or not, illegal or not, it's just the way it is...


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## nowiamone (Jan 23, 2005)

I want one!! 

Send him UPS collect!! 

I don't care if he is a 2'3'' midget with green skin, as long as he shows up straight every day, has a work ethic with a sense of responsibility and doesn't whine all the time...... I'll even double his salary!!!


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

Here here!

Hey ChefInTraining,
Maybe it's just me but there are certainly some "red flags" popping up around you. That kinda worries me not only about your success but the success of people that work around you and may end up working for you someday. Like I said maybe it's just me but I can't remember when I have run across anyone with as much "negativity or contempt" at such an early stage of their career as you are perceived to have. You really need to take a step back, start to absorb things and become more flexible and understanding. 

Ya know there are two types of "trees" (metaphorically speaking) in this business. The mighty oak and the weeping willow. So You can stand there like the Mighty oak and be snaped off limb by limb during the storm or you can bend with the flow like the willow. Believe me both trees are firmly rooted in the ground (standing on beliefs) but only one is gonna be standing in tact after the storm. 

I have to say I have known and worked with my fair share for legal and unknown "illegal" workers throughout my career. That is since most of the companies I worked for had a strict policy regarding I-9 documentation. Now with that said.....Back to the statement or issue at hand. 

I started in the dishroom. Had to work my way out of it by being clean, efficient, organized, punctual, etc, etc, etc. Infact that was about the only way to get a start as a highschool kid who wanted to get into the biz. 

Nowadays you can't get anyone to start or even fill in there. Everyone has stars in their eyes and think they're gonna be making big bucks after a couple classes or years at culinary school. So a trip to the dish room or prep or any number of other mundane positions that are not only in this business but in this country, are considered "beneath" most folks.

Because of this there has to be a group of folks that fills these positions. Now I don't condone nor agree with the fact that anyone enters this country with forged documentation of none at all and I'm not all to happy about the tactics of late. Infact it bugs the crap outta me. But these folks are willing to come in and work their butts off in jobs that no one wants. Is this justification? Maybe so but it is also a plain truth. 

As I said before I have worked with many and there were some of Hispanic descent, but I wouldn't trade a handful of these motivated "immigrants" for a battalion of non immigrant workers in some/many cases. 

Now you may not like it and just wait until you have to start really competing with these folks.... but if and when you start to move up and accomplish the goals you have set for yourself you're gonna need allot of these folks around you to pull off what it is that needs to be done. Especially in Calif or Atlanta, Chicago, New York, all of Florida and about another dozen states out there.


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

I'm not a chef, but my parents were immigrants to the US (albeit legal immigrants, but they could just as easily have been illegal) and live in Italy. America, (north and south), is the land of immigrants. All but the Native Americans are immigrants, and even they came from somewhere else. Immigrants are there for the most part, to survive, and to survive you have to do stuff that people who haven't had to think about survival, but possibly only have to think of how to buy a car, or a big tv, or a bigger house, because they have homes to go back to and food on the table, won;t do. Italy is full of illegal immigrants, who work their a*ses off to send home a little bit of money so their families will survive, and possibly to make a new and better life for their children. They do all kinds of jobs no one else will do and put up with being treated like second-class humans, but they come from places where you have to do much worse jobs for much less money and are treated even worse. It;s certainly not an ethnic thing or a racist thing to say immigrants work hard, don;t complain, are content with less money, etc - you would too, in their shoes. When survival is in the balance, instead of "more" - you do what you gotta do.


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

Chef in Training,
Close your mouth and open your eyes - you may actually learn something!
Kitchens are built on teamwork, tolerance and co-operation, not on inflamatory remarks and controversial statements.
Everytime I read a post from you it is negative, what is your problem??


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

When I was in Alaska we had several Hispanic workers, all legal, we had one "illegal alien" and he was from Australia!


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## andrew563 (Oct 12, 2005)

I would take anyone right now, I am so fricking understaffed.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

I'll take the green midget too...

Illegal immigrants. Well, it's a fact of life. The world is getting more and more populated, and TV and movies from the 1st world make it look like that we all live in mansions, drive in Rolls, and generally lead a good life. 'Course, when your house, crop and posesssions are stolen or burnt to the ground, when the entire male side of your family is dead or Shanghai'd in an army, and the entire female side of your family has been, uh, abused, it kinda gives you an incentive to get out and try living illegaly in a new place. Can't say as I blame the guys who try, but I feel much more different about "snakeheads", or the smugglers who fleece the ones who try.

Like I said, it's a fact of life and you'll have to live with it. Don't like them? Well, best thing to do is to respect them for who they are and what they do in the work place. If the entire N.America was suddenly removed of all illegal immigrants the hospitality, construction, and other businesses would all collapse...


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## jfb1060 (Aug 3, 2006)

I do see both sides of the issue. Illegal immigration is a real problem and does create ominous security threats to the United States as well as add to some of the financial issues we face as citizens. 

At the same time most of the individuals here illegaly are good people just trying to survive. It's too bad that a very small percentage has to bring into question the status of all illegal immigrants.


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## gus20 (Jul 26, 2002)

I ask,whats the problem? I know if you get more inmigrants your salaries will be reduced (sorry for my english,CUZ IM HISPANIC,and proud of it), thats obvious,and its a problem for americans and for old inmigrants who have some time in the USA. But I have seen inmigrants usually get jobs that americans dont want to do: maids, cooks, waiters, painters, construction. Come on they are filling a market that cant be cover in your own country. I know inmigration is not ok, because u are breaking a country rules, but i Wonder why a country never made anything againts that, becasue you need them as europeans countries are needs people cuz all tehir population is old.
Now, let me tell you, being an inmigrant in a country like yours, a big big monster,,,,,wow,,,,,its not so nice because we love living close to family,,we are very close to feelings. Here guys dont choose universities far from family, we choose universities very very close to our families. So being an inmigrant is not easy,,,,,and an ilegal, worse. 
I can say I have never met a "pure" american. I had some guys at home, came to my university. So once told me his roots were italian, other her roots were polish, other her roots were chinese,,,,,,,so theres no a pure raze, come on ,,,its a country of inmigrants,,,,,,,,,is there anyone fam of the first english in the USA?, dont think so.
Hugs and just wanted to say something I hear everytime,
Gus


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

Studies on immigration have shown that only if the percentage of immigrants is OVER 10 PERCENT of the workforce of a particular industry will salaries be reduced. That reduction in salary is shown to be about 3 percent. Again, only when over 10 percent of the workforce is immigrant is salary be reduced. If anyone is interested in the study, I can probably dig out the title of the book and such that released the data.

Gus, I'm an immigrant too. It is tough. About 9 percent of the total US population is immigrant (legal and illegal combined). Heritage may be immigrant, but immigrants are definitely a minority.


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## chef khoo (Sep 19, 2006)

oldschool1982;140759 said:


> Here here!
> 
> As I said before I have worked with many and there were some of Hispanic descent, but I wouldn't trade a handful of these motivated "immigrants" for a battalion of non immigrant workers in some/many cases.
> 
> I COULD NOT AGREE MORE.


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## aprilb (Feb 4, 2006)

For ages it was easy to cross the border. (Which won't apparently be a whole lot longer thanks to "Dubya B"  ...totally off topic) BUT the reality is a US$ stretches a lot futher than a Peso. (or used to anyway)

It was easy for people to come here (meaning California), get a job picking, cleaning or whatnot without papers. Below minimum wages, cost of living was low...

Decades later it's an entrenched fact of life. Call it a kind of ferfdom where the employers here can/did hold workers implied hostage because of being illegal, meaning they could pay them less than minimum wage, <which is far more than what they'd get in little "East Jesus, Mexico" anyway...(this is coming from living in So. California for half of my life)>

Illegals paid under the table don't pay into the 'system', like income tax, SS, and whatnot being...well...illegal. This makes the 'employer' complaiscent and used to getting cheap help...meaning they don't want to pay someone who's legal to do the same work for much higher wages. By "legal" meaning people who taxes, money towards healthcare, SS, etc. Why should they when illegals are plentiful?

I am really insulted that somewhere down the line it has been implied (No doubt to justify people enterting the States without a 'green card') that people who legally live here in the US won't do the 'implied' s**t jobs done by "illegal imigrants".

What it boils down to is illegals can be bought cheap. This has driven the pay for certain tasks into the dumpster. Why hire someone that is born here or legally living here for 2x what a cheap labor illegal will provide?

It's all about money.

I am so incredibly insulted. In my 50+ years I've been a maid, I've done housekeeping, I AM a FRIGGIN COOK, I've done yard cleaning, landscaping..But making it sound like we, meaning people who are born here or legally imigrated won't "DO" the implied s**t jobs just to make support for illegals sound justified is way beyond my comprehension.

Oh, friggin please...

Employers pay c**p wages because that's what they CAN pay to someone who is here and afraid of deportation and once they're used to that they want to extend that over the entire work force.

Before you all jump on me, think about it...

April


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## ras1187 (Oct 3, 2006)

It shouldnt really matter who you work with. The goal of the kitchen is to combine efforts for the guest's benefit.


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

In and around the various Cities, Towns and States that I have opened or operated restaurants I heard very frequently from people (and not just the employees I was around) "You couldn't pay me enough to do that job" or "You don't pay me enough so I'm not doing that" and how about "I ain't makin squat here but when I get a real job that's when things will be different". News flash it is a real job!

Anyhow there are many variations to these statements, mostly content, and the only "accent" I ever heard from the person speaking was "Regional US Dialect". Anyone that had an accent that was "Latin" in nature never complained to me. This includes all the "***'s" (By the way this means With Out Papers and is not just limited to my not so distant Italian ancestry ) 

I would gladly trade any (and almost all in some cases) George, Tom , Dick or Harry for just a handfull of the Jorges, Hectors, Ernestos, Juan Pablo Garcias I had woring for me. 

If you don't have the issue in your region or area of finding commited, reliable, hardworking locals then that is a tremendous thing. Unfortunately that woul have been a very rare find in many of the places I have been.


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

April, illegal aliens pay an awful lot into the system, especially Social Security. It was in the tens of billions of dollars last year. How? Well, they use fake Social Security numbers and the SSA knows they're fake. The money collected goes into the "Social Security Earnings Suspense File". One of the reasons politicians are so against amnesty, guest worker programs or simply processing the visas in a reasonable time is that the free money they're collecting that never has to be paid back would evaporate as it did during the last amnesty.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Most people don't have a clue. I love when people get up on the soap box and start throwing around the word illegal. We made it legal.
FreeRider is is spot on about the SS 
The most halarious thing is when peop0le start talking about the "illegals" that don't pay into the system. WAKE UP!!!!! The poor and the rich are in the system and the middle class is footin the bill. Are you people living under a rock?


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