I Will Play Do Gooder and Offer a Bit of Advice

I generally do not like a do gooder. Do gooders tend to do their small part in further eroding freedoms that should be taken for granted in this great nation. Yesterday I spoke briefly about some do gooders who have found some fault with a brilliant advertising campaign for a video game. These things are all too common. I myself find some issue with some of these cooking shows that have sprouted in recent years,  especially the "chef" competitions. You see these programs have the advantage of being quite interesting and entertaining. I actually enjoy watching some of them. Here lies the problem though. These type of shows portray the restaurant industry as being glamorous with a chance for fame and fortune. For a select few individuals this is the case. In reality the vast majority of "chefs" in commercial kitchens make just above subsistence level income. These shows encourage young people to go to so called "chef" schools that can cost a small fortune to attend. After graduation the student is then qualified for an entry level position in any restaurant in the country. The pay will be miserable and the hours can be brutal. Not only that, but a whole lot of so called "chefs" in charge of commercial kitchens are touchy little pricks who can make some one's life miserable at work. I have seen this first hand in my career as a barman in the industry. I felt sorry for these bright eyed newbie "chefs" who are in debt up to their keester, making next to nothing, being brutalized by some old cooking fag. A friend of mine used to own a major catering outfit and I would occasionally help him out a bit. We discussed this very issue. He told me these kids come to him asking for 20 to 25 dollars hourly and he would just laugh and offer them no more than ten bucks. He was not impressed by some "cooking degree" and would tell me that these young chefs "look like a cook to me." In other words, an expendable, easily replaced cog in the machine. Plus he also noticed that these "highly trained" kids were usually slow; something that is not tolerated in the real world of food service. Now if someone feels the need to spend a bunch of bucks for high end "chef" training that is fine. I, as a quasi do gooder, would not try to deny them the right to pursue their dream. I would not try to shut down "cooking schools" and such for profit establishments. That kind of thing is what a true "do gooder" would attempt. I am only warning those that would be interested in pursuing a career as a chef to investigate further and get the real score before investing or borrowing thousands of dollars to train for a just above minimum wage job. They will be disappointed and still be out or owe a lot of green.