Uncategorized

Gone are the days when people think of cooking as a job that should be done “only by women.”  In the past, ladies had been traditionally relied upon to cook the meals for the family, do the dishes and clean the house, and be in-charge of just about each and every domestic job there is. However times have changed and ladies now play really different roles in society in contrast to what women of the previous decades had been accustomed to.  This change in gender roles has affected both ladies and men — particularly in terms of taking the  lead kitchen.  These days, both men and women now take pleasure in the art of cooking.  Individuals with exceptional culinary abilities are highly compensated.  For that reason, it is no wonder that the stress that used to part and parcel of cooking is now experienced by both men and women.  Food, after all, is about pleasing the senses of individuals who partake of one’s kitchen creations. 

Cooking and stress are not often associated with each other.  The word “cooking” easily implies   gustatory pleasures and not stress which is often associated with one’s work at the office or to problems at home.But it should not be a surprise to know that stress and anxiety now affect the men and women who do the cooking as much as the salesman who attempts to meet his every day quotas or the manager who faces enormous organizational challenges.

In restaurants, for instance, there are now more male cooks or chefs.  These kitchen experts follow a so-called “chef’s ladder” that defines the rankings and specific tasks of every individual in the kitchen. There is the head chef or “Chef de Cuisine” who visualizes the dishes in accordance with the restaurant idea of dining. Next would be the Executive Chef, who really runs the whole kitchen, manage the costs, hire and fire staff, revamp the menu, do particular administrative tasks. Under them would be the Sous Chef who  make the every day specials, takes inventory, watches over the staff, and does the hands-on work in the kitchen. Also called the “Expediter”, the Sous Chef makes sure that the food gets to the table in a timely manner, a job that requires coordination and time management. With the same level as the sous chef, the pastry chef is in-charge of the pastry section of the restaurant. Mainly women reserved for ladies, this task requires preparation of chocolates, souffles, and sweet pastries. 

Under these chefs would be the line cooks who are the ones who actually cook the food.  The line cooks are divided according to certain cooking specialty.  Another key person in the kitchen is the Chef de Garde Manger who handles the cold food section that consists of the salads and desserts. 

If you have watched an episode of the t.v. cooking show, Iron chef, you’d most likely recognize how stressful it is to work as a chef or a line cook.  In that show, the cameras generally show the stress and anxiety in the chef’s faces as they attempt to prepare a particular quantity of meals under time pressure. Anxiety is also seen on the chef’s faces when the judges are tasting their dishes. 

In another well-known reality-based tv show known as Hell’s Kitchen, several people enter as contestants in a game that is designed to select the next “big chef” in town.  Being a reality show, Hell’s Kitchen frequently shows the stress and anxiety on the faces of the contestants while the host shouts and gets mad at them for not doing certain issues right in the kitchen. Anxiety grips each contestant as they try to battle out to win the throne of being the next best chef.