Saturday, December 8, 2012

Mis en Place

Is a term that you've heard maybe a fancy french chef fling around while doing his take on a butter naan with murgh methi but if you work in a kitchen . Your daily existence solely is determined by this on Key factor. Mis en Place. The holy grail the big mama. It is all , it knows all, it sees all, it judges you and it is you. No one goes into service without mis en and comes out alive period not even the greats. Mis en place is anything from julienned peppers to balsamic sweetened onions its your back up. Its your only salvation in a busy dinner rush. How well you survive it determined 80 % by your mis en place and 20% by your skill and is reversed if you decide to work without any. Take it from a guy who ran the craziest shift ever, theres no more important job that setting the mis- en and it takes skill and management to do it all and still have time for a fag and a chat. Different people consider different things as their Mis- en some like everything organized , everything in place, some like just the basics a fresh pot of stock or just the basic mis- en - place to get through orders. However I took the liberty to come up with a few exceptions;

Mis -en- Nazi : 

This guy would tell Hitler to take a hike if he forgot to trim his moustache hair in a straight fashion. Wants everything to the T and wont take anything but the best. He'll proudly strut his stuff but rarely can hold up his end of the bargain when someone asks for a hand over. He will not accept incomplete work but is termed human when he skips out on a few tasks. He has friends in powerful places so he reigns supreme around mere mortals.

Mis- en- Teresa: 

This guy's a saint to work with not a pushover, a saint. Fun loving and an absolute delight. Too good to be true, a culinary slaves dream to work with this guy on shift. Gives you everything you need on the job and is relaxed when you cannot give him all of his mis- en. No 18/20 prawns in the butchery tub, no problem he's already drawn up a requisition to get some from the butchery. A saint. 

Mis- en- nator:

This guy is turbo. The terminator no one can understand what suicide mission this guy is on. Does everything he can to highlight every ones pitfalls including his own. Will fuss and get finicky over the small details , no salt in the setting, less bones in the stock, less leeks in the minestrone. AY ve!

Mis - en- later: 

This guy thinks he's got time for GTL. He's got another thing coming, when the orders flood he's looking for floating doors and branches to grab a hold of. All jab and no job. This guy looks the part but lacks the chops, wastes time on the phone, chats up the hostess and is on a perpetual fag break. He practically invented caffeine to get time off.

Mis- en- Ken evil : 

A stuntman by day and an adrenalin junkie by diner rush. This guy believes a chef proves his mettle in the face of adversity and so lives life, or his shift king size and decides to take on dinner rush with nothing ready head on. In the hope that he'll make it to shore. Legend has it, he was last seen trying to wrestle a dough mixing machine.


Mis- en- Sheldon: 

Geek! Nerd! world of war craft ain't gonna save your butt during the rush. He's too busy analyzing and planning his work to actually getting it done leaves everybody in a fix with his ground breaking ideas, too bad he couldn't make enough time to implement them. Well maybe he can invent a time machine.

Mis- en - gangsta: 

Robs from the rich pockets it himself. He'll smile in your face and pluck your garlic from under your nose. He'll thrift your steel bowls and plates and even sneak out oil out of your kitchen. Played this role way too often. Very difficult to identify as he leaves no clues. Rumored to have stolen the Blade of destiny.

Why you may ask am I blogging about mis en so late at night because I'm bust planning a party and an unexpected appointment has left me dumbstruck. No amount of regret is gonna get my Mis en time back. Here's a sneak peek

7 comments:

  1. I just about knew what it means from all the Top Chef and Masterchef I watch ;). Really nice to hear a personal take on it! Hope your party goes well!!

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    1. I had fun writing this article, Party goes live on sunday

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  2. *dies laffing* Sheldon and Nazi were my fav :D

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  3. Haha I like them too :) gangsta's my fav and a lot more fun

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  4. This guy thinks he has time for GTL...hahahahahahbaaaaaaaaaa :):)
    Never saw it this was...hilarious:):):)

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