A picture posted by a chef on Facebook has been creating some serious debate about kitchen culture and how many chefs eat after or during service.
The pic, originally taken by chef Kirk Westaway, shows a chef hunched, sitting on what seems to be a trash can as he eats.
The image was picked up by chef communities on Imgur and Reddit where it sparked wide commentary about the ongoing topic of chef sustainability and how the kitchen world looks when the grit is shown ahead of the glamor.
The amount of chefs commented on posts with the picture, explaining how they also cook hundreds, sometimes thousands of meals a day only to finish service hungry or eat as they go is what caught our attention. Hundreds of chefs justified the practice in comments, "it's part of the job", "it's what we sign up for", this made us consider what Carlo Petrini said recently about how kitchen environments must change - how there is even a sadomasochistic relationship taking place inside kitchens.
There’s a lot of talk around the dynamics of the kitchen at the moment: structure, hours, mental health, sick pay and proper time off are all being discussed heavily within the industry, this picture speaks to one of the most basic and fundamental disconnects that we all need to consider. Those who dedicate their time to nourish, care for and feed us, should also be given the time and space to nourish themselves, even if they think the sacrifice is normal.
Lots of chefs commented to say they had experienced similar, sometimes even worse dining situations, some even posted their story as a badge of honor - should it really be this way?
