{"id":4103,"date":"2014-12-11T17:24:59","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T22:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/?p=4103"},"modified":"2021-09-30T11:42:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T16:42:52","slug":"coping-with-criticism-in-the-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/boulder-student-life\/coping-with-criticism-in-the-kitchen\/","title":{"rendered":"Coping with Criticism in the Kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"

By:\u00a0Ryan Hodros, Culinary Arts Student<\/em><\/p>\n

Student Criticism is a hard thing to cope with. You pour your heart and soul into something you really care about, and you stand watching it like a sandcastle as people walk by, praying that none of them is going to kick your work to pieces. Whether or not they like to admit it, criticism is one of the greatest fears nibbling at most artists\u2019 nightmares.<\/p>\n

\u201cBold words coming from a critic,\u201d you might say, but I don\u2019t say this as someone who judges other people\u2019s work, but as an aspiring artist. Every time I open up Microsoft Word, I stare blank-facedly at that sea of white for longer-than-normal, my stomach in knots because I know, as soon as a start pressing keys, I\u2019m vulnerable. That blank sheet is my shield, and as I type, I perforate it more and more until I\u2019m completely defenseless.<\/p>\n

Kitchen work is no different. I can\u2019t tell you how many laboriously-planned, intricately scheduled dishes were almost hastily re-worked or completely torn down just before the start of a practical exam because I lost faith in what I originally had in mind. A new plan made up on the fly doesn\u2019t have to stand up to scrutiny because THE TEST IS IN FIVE MINUTES!<\/p>\n\"critic3\"<\/a>\n

The cop-out answer to this conundrum is \u201cexperience will cure you.\u201d I really wish I could say that, brush my hands off, and end the article. But it\u2019s simply not true. I\u2019ve been writing in one form or another (professionally and unprofessionally) for over twenty-five years. I distinctly remember tottering over to my mom as a five-year-old and handing her my first ever short story. I returned to my room as she read and sat amongst my Legos and action figures, eyes agog in horror at what I\u2019d done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have I done? How could I let someone read that? What if she doesn\u2019t like it? What if I just wasted all my time?<\/i>\u201d Of course, I was five, so I didn\u2019t actually say any of that. What I really did chew on a 2X4 Lego piece because my stomach hurt so much, but I didn\u2019t want to cry. I\u2019d like to think that feeling could be roughly translated into the above.<\/p>\n

When my mom told me how proud she was of me, heaping me with praise for my little story, I didn\u2019t really feel pride or triumph so much as relief. There was exhilaration, sure. But it\u2019s the exhilaration you get from narrowly avoiding danger. I\u2019ve never jumped out of a plane, but I\u2019d imagine it\u2019s similar to the feeling you get when your chute finally opens, and \u201cTHIS WAS THE WORST IDEA EVER\u201d changes to \u201cOkay, this wasn\u2019t a huge mistake\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Chefs have it worse than writers. When I write an article, a story, or a book, I do it once and it\u2019s done. I can forget it exists and go play video games. But chefs have to remember how a dish is made because they have to do it over and over and over. And every time you do it, there\u2019s always that \u201cDid I screw this up?<\/i>\u201d vulture circling overhead, waiting to pick the meat off the bones of your self-esteem.<\/p>\n\"critic1\"<\/a>\n

And that feeling doesn\u2019t go away, so don\u2019t think time is the solution. Instead, the solution is to purposefully and consciously build up your own confidence. Again, \u201cBold words after the Lego story.\u201d But that\u2019s the only way out, especially when you\u2019re starting. It becomes almost a religious experience where you create your own mantras in order to keep the demons of doubt at bay.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sampled it, it was good. I sampled it, it was good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStick to the plan, the plan is solid. Stick to the plan, the plan is solid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are good at this, this was a good idea. You are good at this, this was a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of these are good things to keep running through your head as you go about creating something, whether it\u2019s in a kitchen, behind the bar, at the computer, or facing a crowd. But I find that the most useful mantra\u2014one that I use almost every day, is this:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are not perfect, your work cannot be perfect. You are not perfect, your work cannot be perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a world of 100%\u2019s, grading scales, written evaluations, and standardized testing, it\u2019s easy to start quantifying your own worth as a person. Getting a 75% on a test can easily lead to thoughts of \u201cI\u2019m only worth \u00be of a person!\u201d But that\u2019s not the case.<\/p>\n

Sure, grades are important, but they don\u2019t define you as an artist or a human being. Criticism should be (but isn\u2019t always) about helping you improve your craft, but try to take it in that way as much as you can. Force yourself to look at your 75% and say, \u201cHere\u2019s what I could have done better.\u201d That simple thought can be the difference between prep chef and sous chef; sous chef and executive.<\/p>\n\"critic2\"<\/a>\n

So what\u2019s my point here? My point is that it\u2019s easy growing up to think that art is easy. You enjoy doing it, so doing it professionally should be all sunshine and rainbows. But you quickly realize it\u2019s not. Sometimes it\u2019s like jumping out of a plane and praying that your chute opens. Sometimes that\u2019s how it feels every single day.<\/p>\n

But in the end, what\u2019s the alternative? If you\u2019re thinking about coming to Auguste Escoffier, it\u2019s because you want to become a culinary artist. Could you really give that up just because it\u2019s scary? Resign yourself to something you don\u2019t like doing simply because it\u2019s safe?<\/p>\n

An artist must be fearless. That\u2019s easier said than done, but remember, you don\u2019t have to be fearless every second of the day\u2014just during that breathless moment when someone is experiencing your work and you\u2019re waiting for them to kick down your sandcastle. Stick to your mantra, and you will get through it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a chef, I am not afraid. I am a chef, I am not afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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