The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 12 How Much Do You Say Is Appropriate

How can I live with food wrapped around my belly?

Everyone was silent.

Yes, food wraps my belly, how can I live?

A chef makes a living by frying vegetables, and if he eats what the guests have, what do he do to survive?
This is not about gaining the moon first, but a violation of discipline and kitchen ethics.Is it that good to eat one bite?Can you eat enough?It is estimated that I should be laid off when I am full.

Many people think so, especially those who have been stealing.

Of course, some people disagree, thinking that Lao Tan's exaggeration is not that serious at all.What is stealing something?Why, you still want to be fired?

Niu Hongtai thought so.

He thought that Lao Tan was targeting him, because only when he ate secretly was recorded.If he wanted to target himself, he was targeting Master, and prevented Master from stepping down.

He raised his eyes to look at Wang Gang. Wang Gang had a serious face, and he didn't look at everyone, but at the food stall.

"The patriarch left a commandment, you are not allowed to steal food. This is what we cooks should strictly abide by, and it is also professional ethics. How can I make a living when I eat food? Brothers, think about it." Old Tan said with a complicated expression. Mood said.

No one speaks.

"Li Xu, you are the sous chef, how will you be punished for stealing food at our house?" Old Tan asked.

"A fine of [-] for stealing food once." Li Xu replied.

"Niu Hongtai, is Li Xu right?" Old Tan asked Niu Hongtai directly.

Niu Hongtai never dreamed that Lao Tan would ask him directly, and he was stunned for a while, not knowing how to answer.Tilting his head and staring, he thought for a long time before reluctantly saying: "Yes."

Old Tan asked another chopping board who was stealing: "Qi Zhijun, is the sous chef right?"

"Yes." Qi Zhijun replied with a blushing face.

The other few who were caught stealing food by Lao Tan hurriedly lowered their heads, fearing that the next one would ask them and start to regret it.

The employees who did not steal the food were happy, and waited to see Lao Tan's next move with the mentality that watching the excitement was no big deal.

"The state owns the state law, and the family has its own rules. There is no rule without rules. Now that we know how to deal with stealing food, let's follow the rules." Lao Tan asked Niu Hongtai directly after speaking: "Niu Hongtai, do you have any objections?"

Niu Hongtai was taken aback for a moment, feeling that the situation was a bit serious, and that the bald man was going to be serious.If I say I have no objection, then the 50 yuan fine will be implemented. If I have an objection and I just admitted it, it is tantamount to slapping myself.

He looked at Wang Gang again, and Wang Gang was still looking at the food stall.

The two brothers Cui Kai and Cui Xuan beside him gave him a sympathetic look, with four words written on their faces - gloating.

"I'm just trying it out." After Niu Hongtai finished speaking, he felt that he had no confidence.

"Young man, a mistake is a mistake. Don't look for excuses. It won't do you any good. It can only make you lie." Lao Tan continued: "Although I don't know you very well, I know a general idea. This year is 25, the year of birth. Like me, you belong to the tiger. You are aggressive, born in August, and you have a clever mind, and you can do whatever you want. But lack of toughness and self-righteousness, this is your biggest obstacle.”

"My younger sister is in junior high school, and she is doing very well in her studies. My mother has rheumatism and pancreatitis, so she can't do heavy work, so she takes medicine a lot every year. There is not much land at home. My father came to the provincial capital for two days, and lived in Tiexi in winter. Pile driving at a construction site in the square. The family conditions are not good, but you are filial, sending half of your salary home every month."

"I talked with your father on the phone for a while yesterday. He said that when you were in school, you studied well and were able to pass the exam. You came out to work because of difficulties at home. I feel sorry for you. You are very caring, and your master and I both Be optimistic about you. You know what you are doing now, so I don’t want to say more. I am a few years older than you, so I can be considered a big brother. I tell you that we can learn if we are not good at craftsmanship, but it is a lifetime thing if we don’t have good character. Someone help you."

Niu Hongtai was silent.

Everyone was silent, feeling like they were talking about themselves.

Niu Hongtai's eye circles gradually turned red, and his eyes became moist. He choked up and said, "It's wrong for me to steal, so punish me."

"Fifty fine, pay it now." Old Tan looked serious.

"What?" Niu Hongtai was startled, wiped away the overflowing tears and asked, "Isn't it okay to deduct from salary?"

"No, the boss can get the deductions from your wages, and you can't do it. Fines belong to the kitchen. Your master and I have rewards for fines. If you make mistakes, you will be rewarded for good ones. If you perform well, you may be rewarded with the money you were fined."

"I don't have any money in my pocket." Niu Hongtai had a bitter face.

"If you don't have any money to borrow, pay it right away." Old Tan's tone cannot be questioned.

Niu Hongtai had no choice but to look at the two brothers Cui Kai and Cui Xuan with pleading eyes. The two brothers emptied their pockets and scraped together 34 yuan, which was still sixteen short.I borrowed it from the person next to me, but I didn't get it. I felt very ashamed, and my face turned red all of a sudden.

Seeing Niu Hongtai's embarrassment, Lao Tan said: "Brother, I hope you can understand a truth today. The mistakes are made by yourself, and no one will pay for your mistakes. If you make mistakes, you must have the courage and ability to bear them. This is the man!"

Then he looked at the crowd and said loudly: "We will hold an on-site meeting today to announce the punishment regulations on stealing. If anyone finds stealing, he will directly pay a fine of 50 yuan. At the same time, the boss of the stall is jointly and severally responsible, that is to say, the owner of the stall will be jointly and severally liable. The younger brother who steals food, the boss will be punished together. The fine will be handed over to the sous chef, and used as the kitchen’s activity funds. Those who have stolen food will consciously go to the sous chef to pay the fine. It’s best not to take chances. Pay for it yourself, and I'll find someone to pay for it for you."

This sentence is very useful. All the people who have stolen food after Da Laotan came will consciously pay the fine at Li Xu’s. Those who have no money to borrow, tasted it when they borrowed money. No one is willing to pay for their mistakes. taste.

Of course, there were also a few lucky ones, thinking that Lao Tan had forgotten them, and avoided them when Lao Tan saw them.After going around a few times, I still paid the fine in total - I really don't know if Lao Tan called his home, what if he did?They can't afford to gamble.

After the regular meeting, Wang Gang gave Lao Tan a thumbs up and said, "Master Tan, I believe you!"

Old Tan smiled and said, "These kids are pretty good."

"I don't have you these two times, I know how to howl, and curse people in a hurry."

"I also swear, it's normal."

The two came to the door of the kitchen and saw Wang Shulan taking 50 yuan to pay the fine. Wang Gang stopped her curiously and asked, "Sister Wang, what are you doing?"

Wang Shulan stopped in her tracks, first smiled at Lao Tan, and then said, "Fatty ate it, I'm sorry to go, I'll hand it over."

"She is so fat and still eats, can she still find her husband's family?" Wang Gang joked.

Wang Shulan smiled and passed.

Lao Tan and Wang Gang stood for a while, and Li Xu came over with a handful of money in his hand.

"Master Tan, what's the deal with the money?" Li Xu asked.

"Store it with you. In the future, all the fines from the kitchen will be put here. Save it and use it as activity funds." Old Tan said.

"It's not good to let me go." Li Xu was a little embarrassed.

"What's wrong with managing money?" Old Tan joked.

"Didn't you never manage money?" Li Xu laughed at himself.

The problem of stealing food was solved by Lao Tan in this way, and it has become a food and beverage story that has been spread.

Lao Tan and Wang Gang came to Mr. Xu's office.

Mr. Xu was very happy to see people coming in together.In the past two days, he had been worried that Lao Tan and Wang Gang would not be able to get together. Based on his understanding of Wang Gang, if Lao Tan couldn't hold him down, he would not cooperate.

"Do you have anything to do with me?" Mr. Xu asked with a smile.

"Something happened." Old Tan said.

He and Wang Gang came to the desk and took out the drawn drawings and spread them out.

Mr. Xu didn't understand what was going on for a while, and asked curiously: "What does this drawing mean?"

Lao Tan moved the staff structure plan of the kitchen to Mr. Xu, and said: "I will tell you the same thing, and you will understand after I finish. This picture is the staff structure of our kitchen. Take a look. I will put the location, name , Everything in charge is marked, so you should be able to see clearly.”

Mr. Xu picked up the drawing and looked at it carefully.

It is indeed very clear, each stall is clearly marked, and the staffing is also included, so it is clear at a glance what you are doing and what you are responsible for.

Looking at this picture, the whole kitchen is presented intuitively.

Mr. Xu praised and said: "Okay, Old Tan, there are two tricks." Then he said to Wang Gang: "Look at him and learn from it."

"Isn't this just learning from it?" Wang Gang said.

Mr. Xu put the drawings on the table and looked at Lao Tan with questioning eyes.

Old Tan said: "Mr. Xu, you can see the characteristics of our family from this picture."

After speaking, he took a ballpoint pen and circled the positions of Shangza, Stew Stove, Fish Stove, Big Pot Stew, and Tofu Square.

"The products of these five stalls are all the characteristics and highlights of our family. Most of the customers come here. I looked at the business data of the past few days, and the sales of these five stalls accounted for one-third [-]. Wang Gang straightened out these five stalls very well, and has standards. The rest is solidification, don’t let it rebound, and then upgrade and improve, do better, and keep improving.”

Mr. Xu nodded and said: "Yes, this is our family's characteristic. It is clear at a glance when it is painted. If it can be made in color, it will be clear. You can continue to talk about it."

Lao Tan circled the hot dish area and said: "This is our hot dish. There are six chefs, four chefs, ten cutting boards, and eight lotus tables. There are 28 people in total, half of the kitchen staff, and three of the sales. One-tenth. Now the problem is concentrated here, the dishes cannot be served, and the phenomenon of urgent orders is serious, and five to eight dishes are returned every day."

"Wang Gang and I have analyzed that there are three reasons why we can't go to the dishes. The first is that the structure of the dishes is unreasonable, and the dishes are too many and miscellaneous, which leads to a wide variety of ingredients and slow delivery of dishes; Not only is the serving time slow, but it also affects the quality of the products; the third is that there is no fire source for cold dishes and noodles, and the heat processing is done on the stove for hot dishes.

Mr. Xu looked at the drawings, his brows gradually furrowed.

Lao Tan and Wang Gang looked at each other, and continued: "Mr. Xu, Wang Gang and I have studied this way, and I will report to you."

Mr. Xu looked at Lao Tan, waiting for him to continue.

"Our family's specialty is farm dishes, local dishes, old dishes from provincial cities, and popular dishes are not suitable. Grasp this characteristic, classify and analyze the existing dishes, keep the suitable ones, and cut off the unsuitable ones. Seek refinement, not excess , the number of servings is not the number of samples, so that the characteristics of hot dishes can be created." Lao Tan said.

"How many dishes are you going to keep?" Mr. Xu asked.

"I discussed it with Wang Gang, and we will keep sixty."

"Sixty?"

Mr. Xu was startled, and suddenly became angry, and said in a deep voice: "The restaurant with [-] square meters has [-] dishes, just kidding."

He felt that Lao Tan was a bit outrageous, just kidding, sixty dishes, how about children playing house?Are you trying to yellow my hotel?So irresponsible.

Old Tan smiled and said, "President Xu, there are quite a few sixty dishes, and there are also stewed and steamed vegetables."

"That's too little." Mr. Xu said without doubt: "Our family has a lot of dishes. I agree with your idea that the thinner the recipes, the higher the profit, but sixty dishes is definitely not enough."

Old Tan nodded to Wang Gang.

Wang Gang asked Mr. Xu: "How much do you say is appropriate?"

(End of this chapter)