kitchen nightmares

i have a new love in my life. sadly he doesn't love me back. but i don't care, because he is busy stomping out ignorance and and apathy. he is gordon ramsay and his tv show is kitchen nightmares.

i spent last night wondering why i like this show. it's kinda depressing. it's certainly shows some of the underbelly of the restaurant biz. i know i have eaten at some horror stories that pass themselves off as eateries. in some of them i have found it not even worth the time to complain or even give my opinion. best to pay the check and never return.

but this doesn't speak to the reason i've come up with for loving this show. in some ways it reflects addiction and reccovery. people that are in the middle of addiction don't necessarily see how completely nauseating it seems from the outside. people have a tendency to accept bullshit in their lives rather than fight for what they know is right. the employees of these restaurants settle for working in shams of businesses rather than be honest and tell their employers what they believe to be true.

in most of the episodes, the employees are well aware of the shortcomings, but do and say nothing to insist on change. and then when ramsay comes in and parleys truth about the state of affairs in the kitchens and the dining rooms, most of the employees are already on board for the changes to come. this strikes me as fascinating. i think most americans live their lives like this. not willing to rock the boat and insist on things being done in the right way, or properly. we expect someone else to come along and clean up the mess.

i hope i don't always operate in this mode, but i fear i do often. i want a chef ramsey on my team. speaking his truth and leading the way to good practice and honest pay for honest work. there is a scene in the clip below where a cook hugs ramsay and doesn't want to let go. this is symbolic to me. ramsay is doing for him what he couldn't do himself. leaders deliver like this at times.

sometimes we need help from the outside. but my experience also tells me that change occurs not from the outside in, but from the inside out. unless these employees change their behaviors, all the changes that ramsay implements will fall to the wayside. even so, having the help in the beginning is a godsend. an absolute godsend.

below is a clip from the show that ran on fox last night. as i said i do love this show. it a guilty pleasure to watch someone squirm and lie so as not to take responsibility for their part in these restaurants from hell. i squirm as i witness interviews with people in denial and in apathy. and i really dig the part where things get updated and cleaned and repackaged with hope. what a geek i am. i live for that hope.