Current Events > Do cooks typically have anger issues?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I only ask because Ive had several acquaintances who have worked in the profession for years. All of them seem to have short fuses (among other issues, such as substance abuse, impulse control, etc.)

Maybe Im stereotyping or this is selection bias, but Im surprised how often Ive seen it. Just wondering if theres a pattern, if the job attracts that type of person or that job creates that person.

People that order food tend to be assholes

Lion_of_Gemini posted...

I only ask because Ive had several acquaintances who have worked in the profession for years. All of them seem to have short fuses (among other issues, such as substance abuse, impulse control, etc.)

Maybe Im stereotyping or this is selection bias, but Im surprised how often Ive seen it. Just wondering if theres a pattern, if the job attracts that type of person or that job creates that person.

I know two professional chefs, both of whom are alcoholics and their job provides ready access to alcohol.

I have several friends who are chefs, caterers, and some who run their own restaurant Honestly really haven't seen the anger thing but definitely alcoholism and substance abuse and they just run themselves into the ground working insane hours. They are constantly wired insomniacs who can't wind down.

And all of them eat fucking horribly when they aren't working. Like just making simple deli meat sandwiches, microwaved boxed shit, cereal, stuff like that. They never want to cook when not working.

nah I think it's the job, especially if it's at a restaurant with ticket times (like, management will yell at you if you have an order take more than 15 minutes or something)

I've worked in food a ton, and have met cooks with short fuses and cooks that seem to not be bothered by anything.
in a kitchen, you have random buzzers from timers, the chime noise a new order makes, phones ringing, people sending stuff back. it's basically a recipe for disaster. lol.
also, if you're trying to do something or just take a quick break, it's hard to because somebody always orders just when you're about to do something.

I've had some very horrible and unique experiences with chefs, as I worked at a "5 star" aged care centre in the richest part of Sydney.

They hired top tier chefs to cook for the residents, even cooking right in front of them in the dining hall so the aromas would stimulate the appetite of the oldies. While me and the nursing assistants played waiter (and rushed off the residents to the toilet if nature called etc)

Anyway, long story short, one 90 yr old woman asked for an extra serving of ice cream once, the chef told me it wasn't feasible as they had strict food stock rules. I made a rude smirk, which was my bad, but it was in between being bitten and punched by dementia residents and wiping asses. I had a tough, tough job and he knew it.

Anyway the chef cornered me in an elevator an hour later and said 'im a serious man with a serious job' and I felt he was about to hit me

Giacomo_Hawkins posted...

I know two professional chefs, both of whom are alcoholics and their job provides ready access to alcohol.

This is my experience as well unfortunately

Typically? I wouldnt go that far.

Alcoholism and cocaine are both very common in kitchens though, which is a factor.

Glob posted...

Typically? I wouldnt go that far.

Alcoholism and cocaine are both very common in kitchens though, which is a factor.

Definitely noticed that too. Im told a major factor in impulse/anger issues is frontal lobe damage. I imagine those could be a major factor.

haloiscoolisbak posted...

I've had some very horrible and unique experiences with chefs, as I worked at a "5 star" aged care centre in the richest part of Sydney.

They hired top tier chefs to cook for the residents, even cooking right in front of them in the dining hall so the aromas would stimulate the appetite of the oldies. While me and the nursing assistants played waiter (and rushed off the residents to the toilet if nature called etc)

Anyway, long story short, one 90 yr old woman asked for an extra serving of ice cream once, the chef told me it wasn't feasible as they had strict food stock rules. I made a rude smirk, which was my bad, but it was in between being bitten and punched by dementia residents and wiping asses. I had a tough, tough job and he knew it.

Anyway the chef cornered me in an elevator an hour later and said 'im a serious man with a serious job' and I felt he was about to hit me

I hope bad things happen to whoever that chef was ngl

Lion_of_Gemini posted...

I only ask because Ive had several acquaintances who have worked in the profession for years. All of them seem to have short fuses (among other issues, such as substance abuse, impulse control, etc.)

Maybe Im stereotyping or this is selection bias, but Im surprised how often Ive seen it. Just wondering if theres a pattern, if the job attracts that type of person or that job creates that person.

Working in a kitchen is stressful. Even with AC it's hot with leads to being quicker to anger. Managers tend to treat you poorly. If it's busy you hustle non stop even if it's slow there is usually a lot of shit that needs doing.

It's the only line of work I've had that's both physically demanding and stressful as fuck at the same time. All other jobs have been one or the other.

from what Ive heard its just the culture of the restaurant industry as a whole thats a problem

chefs probably put a lot of pressure on cooks.
so I can only imagine how that would affects one personality in a fast paced/high stress environment

Also if you ever seen shows like hells kitchen, you would see that the biggest assholes are usually the owners or chefs. They often neglect their own restaurant or dont wanna admit their food is subpar. They often put all that blame on the cooks even waiters never wanting to take full responsibility and thus their business is failing

No, but it can get stressful depending on the environment and work culture. If you're a 5 star restaurant that charges premium price, you're going to have more pressure on your back as a whole trying to deliver top service and food.

I can imagine it's due to the high stress nature of the profession.

You either thrive in that kind of environment, or don't.

And don't get me started on what short-order cooks have to put up with.

I worked in a warehouse for years in the casino industry and a lot of them do. They're also really bad at paperwork. As long as they get their product theybdknt care about anything else. The minute the supplier puts them on hold and they ain't getting their supplies all of a sudden they're the nicest people.

my best friend is a cook and he used to be really chill and now he has a short fuse. Its changed a lot. Not with the customers but its because of the servers.

Food service in general is stressful, as Ive had several people quit shortly after taking a job in the dishpit after they foolishly thought it was easy work only to find out the hard way that it isnt. Job security for me though, just saying.

archizzy posted...

I have several friends who are chefs, caterers, and some who run their own restaurant Honestly really haven't seen the anger thing but definitely alcoholism and substance abuse and they just run themselves into the ground working insane hours. They are constantly wired insomniacs who can't wind down.

And all of them eat fucking horribly when they aren't working. Like just making simple deli meat sandwiches, microwaved boxed shit, cereal, stuff like that. They never want to cook when not working.

Insomniacs, yeah, I noticed that part too.

It would be like asking if boxers have cognitive issues. Comes with the territory. Cooks are always on edge, and a thankless job.

JS2 posted...

I hope bad things happen to whoever that chef was ngl

He was in a weird position where he was used to working in restaurant settings where he had objectively the hardest and most important job, so did not know how to handle the completey different environment where his, admittedly very talented cooking came secondary to the health and happiness of the elderly residents

He almost had a military attitude toward the whole thing, so strict on the rules. It made sense for the food hygeine related ones, but not the stock level ones. Half the time a lot of the food would go to waste as an elderly persons appetite can be hard to predict. Anyway not excusing it but in hindsight I at least understand why he was so hurt(at the time I thought he was straight up psycho)

Anyway, when people excuse people like Gorden Ramsay's behaviour with something like "chefs are some of the most stressful jobs actually so it's justified" I can't help but roll my eyes

Not really. But I understand the impatience. Imagine telling someone the same thing over and over and them still inquiring.

The food service industry is beyond stressful, so it's honestly a surprise that the cooks aren't even worse off in regard to psychological issues, drug addiction, etc. than they already are.

The entire structure of a restaurant seems to be designed to make everyone maximally unhappy with everyone else, for reasons nobody can control.

I dont mean to victim blame here, but why would anyone willingly go into this field? I know this is a silly question and its somewhat rhetorical, but Ive heard nothing but terrible things about the industry.

Lion_of_Gemini posted...

I dont mean to victim blame here, but why would anyone willingly go into this field? I know this is a silly question and its somewhat rhetorical, but Ive heard nothing but terrible things about the industry.

Some people love cooking!

Lion_of_Gemini posted...

I dont mean to victim blame here, but why would anyone willingly go into this field? I know this is a silly question and its somewhat rhetorical, but Ive heard nothing but terrible things about the industry.

Unless it's a high tier restaurant it's a easy job to get typically with little or no expierence.