The story of a cook

Chapter 390
Domineering needs self-confidence and strength.

Proudness still needs support.

I am not a publicity person. My experience from childhood to adulthood has prevented me from being publicized, and at the same time, my self-confidence will not inflate.This is good or bad. The advantage is that it is safe and humble.The downside is being conservative when making big decisions, and always being humble can feel hypocritical.

No one is perfect, try to be as satisfied as possible is the best.

The four dishes sold well that day, and they were all sold out by 05:30 in the evening.Each dish prepared ten selling quantities, all of which were sold out.When the small chopping board withdrew the samples from the previous stalls, it said to me: "Master, our four dishes are sold out."

I said: "Sold well, let's put a new one tomorrow."

He said: "We have nothing to cook when they are sold out."

I said: "If there is no food, there will be no food. I will help them cook."

"Today, our food sells well. When we are busy, they don't help us, they just stand there and watch." He said.

"Isn't our food only served today? They don't know how to do it." I said.

The small chopping board didn't say anything, it seemed that he was unwilling, and went to prepare the raw materials for tomorrow.

The whole kitchen gives me the feeling that everything is too clearly distinguished. Every chef cooks his own dishes. When the meal comes, he cooks his own dishes, and he does not cook his own dishes.In this way, there will be some people who are too busy to hit the back of their heads, and some people are idling and hugging their arms.I am here at noon and evening, with about twenty dishes behind me, and Master Wen and Master Guo next to me have very few dishes. They stood there after frying their own dishes, and they didn’t say they helped me. Over the water.The head chef, Master Li, came down from his stove and looked at me for a while, then left without saying anything.

I'm not angry, it's a good thing to have something to cook, it's better than being idle.I just think it’s okay to divide the dishes in the kitchen, but the dishes are not separated from the family. When you are busy, everyone works together and puts the dishes on the table as quickly as possible. It’s not about looking at each other and not helping.Maybe this kitchen has been stipulated in this way from the beginning, mainly to ensure the quality of dishes.

It’s not good to guarantee the quality of dishes like this. If you want to guarantee the quality of dishes, you still have to make processes and standards. Without standards, the quality of dishes can only be guaranteed in the hands of the chef who makes the dishes. Today the chef is guaranteed here, but tomorrow the chef will rest?Who will cook this dish?Could it be that the chef will not sell the few dishes he was in charge of while resting?
The problem must be solved fundamentally.

After stepping down from the position of the head chef and starting to be a chef again, I found that my point of view of the problem has changed, and I can see it more clearly and comprehensively. I also found the shortcomings of my previous management, and re-deduced the shortcomings in my mind. , how to solve it.

Now that I see that the management of the kitchen is insufficient, I ask myself in my heart, what should I do if I manage it by myself?If there is such a problem with hot dishes, do cold dishes have the same problem as hot dishes?

What about pasta?
The kitchen is a unified whole. How can we instill in the whole kitchen the concept of dividing dishes without separating households?And get actually implemented effectively?

In this way, there is no menu, but the structure of the dishes in the physical stalls. How to set the production process and standards for each dish?Is it made by the head chef or is it made by each chef?

How to set up the cutting board and store the raw materials?

In the past few days, I saw that many dishes were not sold out when the evening market was closed.

Put them in the freezer for safekeeping without opening them. When the market opens the next day, take out the dishes that were placed in the freezer on the first day, remove the plastic wrap, and then re-apply the plastic wrap and take them out and put them on the shelves without checking. Check whether the raw materials are damaged, put them out and pull them.

The exhibition freezer in front is just a constant temperature fresh-keeping cabinet, and the minimum temperature is between one and five degrees, which is still an ideal state.It is difficult to ensure that the raw materials are kept fresh for more than ten hours, and sometimes they will be broken.This requires a more careful work on the chopping board. When the lunch is about to end, the stalls will be withdrawn in time, and the raw materials put on the stalls will be sold in time, and then a new portion will be placed out for replenishment when the evening market opens. .This not only keeps the abundance of the food stalls but also does not cause waste of raw materials.

No one in the kitchen cares about this. Every morning when the stalls are set up, there will be a cutting board that dumps the whole plate of spoiled ingredients directly into the trash can, which is a pity.Sometimes Master Li will say a few words about the chopping board, just talk about the matter, and don't go into it too deeply.

This kind of man-made waste can be avoided, mainly due to management problems.

Seeing these problems, think about how to solve them in your mind, and improve your own management.

Ah Jian came here with ten cases of abalone and ten cases of sea cucumber. After helping him for a while, he said to me after serving them all: "Master Tan, your vegetables are selling very well."

I said: "It's okay."

"You cook well, you are a master." He said.

"We are not masters, but we always cook these four dishes and are familiar with them." I said, "I sold them on the first day, and I don't know what the feedback from customers is. It's just a new taste."

"I think your four dishes are very good, and they suit the tastes of Binhai people." A Jian said: "Binhai has a small population, and I don't like spicy dishes very much, but slightly spicy ones are okay. Mainly Binhai people don't like oily dishes. , When cooking, don’t overdo it with oil.”

I said, "Thanks for the reminder."

Ah Jian said, "You're welcome, Master Tan."

When I got off work at night, I wanted to call Lin Yan, but I didn't call after it was almost ten o'clock. I thought that at this time, both her mother and her son were asleep, and it was not good to disturb them.After coming to Binhai, I talked with Lin Yan on the phone. She said that when she got home, her mother was very happy to see her son, and she was so happy from ear to ear.The son is not naughty when he arrives in his hometown, he can play by himself.Tell me that the eldest sister and the others have all gone back, and the house is lively.The fifth sister would ride a motorcycle home after school every day to help take care of the children, and she was also much more brisk.

The mother promises to be happy when she sees her son. Can a person in his seventies be unhappy if he has a big grandson?I can imagine my mother's mood, gratified and happy.

Fortunately, there are five older sisters who have always cared about me, so that my old brother has no worries.

All I have to do now is earn money to support my family.

I have been working for a week, and I feel pretty good. I want to continue working here.Although it is far away from home, it is enough to earn money. I have worked hard here for a few years to save some money, so that Lin Yan and his mother can live comfortably.

About to go back to the dormitory directly, Zhang Li called and asked me where I was now, and I said I was in Binhai.

"How did you go to the seaside?" she asked.

"Make money, come to make money, come to work here." I said.

"I thought you were home," she said.

I said, "No, it's been a week."

"How's it going there?" she asked.

"It's okay, I didn't see anything in just a week." I said.

"There's nothing to do today. I'm not too busy at night. I want to ask you for a drink. You went to the seaside." She said, and then asked: "Is that where you plan to do it?"

I said: "Not necessarily, let's see what it looks like first, it's okay now, who knows what it will look like in the future."

"Everyone says Binhai is good, people from the provincial capital all go to Binhai for tourism, is that place good?"

"It doesn't look like I go to work every day." I said, "I don't feel anything else. This place is just damp. The quilt is always damp, and it's uncomfortable to sleep in."

"Can seaside cities not be damp? The air is humid." She asked, "Aren't the girls in that place pretty?"

"I didn't pay attention. I don't go out in the kitchen every day. I don't have time to look at beautiful women." I said.

"It is said that Binhai girls are good-looking and have good skin. You should pay attention there, and don't go to the girls when you see them." She laughed after finishing talking.

I said, "Maybe, it's quite far away from home, and no one cares about it, so maybe it's a bitch."

"Okay, I won't chat with you. If you are not at home, I will go to Li Shuang for a drink. I will pay attention to myself there. If it is wet, I will dry the bedding frequently, take a bath frequently, so as not to get eczema, and sleep with a quilt at night. The sea breeze Don't let the wind blow." She instructed.

I said, "Yes, I'll be more careful."

Binhai is good everywhere, but it is too humid and the air humidity is high. People like me who have lived in the provincial capital for a long time can't bear it when they first come here.It's summer now, and it's not too hot, but it's a bit stuffy, and I always feel wet and uncomfortable.It’s been a week since it rained lightly almost every day, and I don’t know when it will rain. The sky looks good, and when a cloud comes, it’s rain, and when it’s over, the sky is clear again.It is most uncomfortable when I sleep at night. Both the quilt and mattress are damp. It is still a bit cold in the middle of the night. I can’t do without the quilt. After covering the quilt, it is even more uncomfortable. The quilt is damp, and the mattress is also damp. It is uncomfortable to hang around like clothes.

I asked Master Wen and Master Guo, and they said that they were not used to it when they first came here. Now it has been better for more than two months, but it is also uncomfortable.Looks like I'm not the only one who feels this way, everyone feels the same way.

I talked to Zhang Li on the phone just now and she said she was drinking, but she hasn't had a drink in the past few days since she came here, and she forgot if she didn't remind her.I thought I wouldn't be able to fall asleep even if I went upstairs, so I might as well drink some wine before going upstairs. Drinking some wine will warm my body and prevent moisture.

There is a barbecue stand under the street lamp opposite the dormitory, a temporary one, surrounded by seven or eight people eating barbecue, I walked over to order a few skewers and drink some wine before going upstairs.

A young couple set up the stall, and there were all kinds of baked things on the stall.It’s really a seaside city, most of the grilled seafood is sea crucian carp, small yellow croaker, sea catfish, octopus, squid, sea oyster, sea rainbow, etc., as well as roasted garlic, roasted beans, roasted leeks, There are some green vegetables such as roasted peppers, and there are very few meat skewers, only lamb skewers, chicken crispy bones and meat tendons.It's really relying on the mountains to eat the mountains and the sea to eat the sea.

I ordered ten skewers of meat tendon and sea crucian carp, but I didn't have wine, so I wanted to go to the canteen next to it to buy it myself.I went to the canteen and bought a half-jin bottle of liquor and a bag of spiced peanuts. I sat at the small table and started drinking.

After the pork tendon was roasted, it was not very tasty after eating a bunch. It was not salty and not too spicy. I asked the boss to take it back and add some salt and chili noodles.The boss asked me if I was from other places, and I said yes, and the boss said that only you who are from other places can eat spicy food.Looking at the baijiu I drank, he gave me a thumbs up and said bull.

This is not a cow, it is a standard configuration for eating barbecue.

The meat tendon was brought over after adding salt and chili noodles, and it tasted a little better this time.After a while, the sea crucian carp also came up, let alone grilled, it was very bright.

It is said that Binhai is beautiful, but it is not so beautiful at night. The streets are not as wide as the provincial capital, and they go uphill and downhill. There are many squares, but they are all small.In front of the Coarse Grain Store is Erqi Square, and further ahead is Sanba Square.They are not big, similar to the small square in Santaizi.

There are two tables of young people eating barbecue next to them. If you look closely, they should work in the restaurant. They are all young girls and boys.After a while, three more people came. I know these three people. They are the orderers of coarse grains. I met them in the morning.The three of them saw me eating barbecue alone, and the orderer who spoke to me first asked, "Where are you drinking here, master?"

I smiled and said, "Well, myself."

"Why are you still drinking by yourself? It's so boring. Let the three of us accompany you."

She was familiar with it, she asked the other two to sit down together, and then skillfully ordered what she liked.

"Where are you drinking liquor, master?" she asked.

I said, "Well, I like to drink white."

She said: "Bai is so spicy, I can't drink it, the three of us drink beer." Then she said to one of the girls: "Xiaomei, go get a beer."

Tell Xiaomei to get a beer.

"Master, what's your name?" She asked me.

"My surname is Tan."

"Master Tan, my surname is Niu, my name is Niu Xiuli, and I'm from HLJ." She introduced herself.

I wish I could not be so generous, it turned out to be HLJ's, which is understandable.

She said, "It's the first time for Master Tan to come to Binhai. I've been here for ten years, and I got married here."

I said, "You are an old coastal man."

She smiled and said, "That's right." Then she said, "Master Tan, the four dishes you made were sold out today, right?"

I said, "Yes, it's sold out, thank you so much."

She said: "Thank you, that's right. Today, the four of us strongly recommend these four dishes to our guests. I told the guests that our chef said that if they don't taste good, he will pay the bill. Many guests laughed when they heard it. Let’s try it, there is a table of guests who ordered all four dishes.”

"Did the guest say whether it was delicious or not after eating?" I asked.

"Then I didn't ask. The four of us are only in charge of ordering food, regardless of the service. I'll ask the waiter for you tomorrow." She said.

"First, thank you."

"You're welcome. I guess it must be delicious. I want to eat the food after hearing your talk. Could it be delicious?"

"That's not necessarily true. What I cook is the taste of the provincial capital. Maybe people in Binhai don't like it."

"Master Tan is being modest. Judging by your dishes, they should be delicious."

He asked Xiaomei to bring the beer, and the things they ordered came out one after another. We ate and chatted with them.

Niu Xiuli said: "Let me tell you, Master Tan, you have to be careful of the chief chef when you work in the back kitchen. He is quite shady. Several chefs who are good at cooking have asked him to leave. The old man still trusts him very much."

I said, "Thank you for reminding me, I haven't seen him for several days."

Niu Xiuli said: "You don't know, he divorced his wife these few days. I heard that he fell in love with a woman who was prettier and younger than his wife." Divorced after elementary school, his wife is blind."

I didn't say anything, and I had a somewhat bad impression of the head chef, Liu.

(End of this chapter)