Bison Burgers, Rap music, And Me

Things are still going along nicely at Aslan.  I have to admit that, while the work isn't difficultm(I understand it well, and can make most of our foods now, without looking at the recipe) , it can be hard.

Physically-lifting full, five gallon buckets, bus tubs full with heavy product, and other heavy things is sometimes hard for me, and makes me realize that I was more out of shape than I had known! I used to be a baggage handler at a hotel on the strip in Las Vegas, so I thought I was strong.  That was apparently longer ago than I remembered :)

Mentally, it is challenging working with certain types of people with their interesting personalities, and I think I'm handling that fairly well.  

I've gotten more proficient with the work I'm doing, faster for the most part.  I say this because one of the tasks I have to do often, rolling perfect six ounce balls of bison (80 or so at a time), seems to be the task that mostly falls to me, and I don't savor it. No one does, actually, so I usually just do it.   I'll continue to do my best, but to put it bluntly, I find this particular bison job, mind numbingly boring.  Wanting to create, longing to actually cook, and there I stand rolling up these horrible little bison balls, then pressing them into patties.  This is my textbook description of misery.  I wil prevail, though.

I really, truly like Val, Leslie, Ashley and Nick.  All of these people have been helpful and very supportive of my learning process.  Val actually asked me if I planned to stay, once school started back up.  I answered that yes, I would like to work maybe a few days a week, if that would work for her.  She said that it would and she seemed happy.  This was a couple of weeks ago, and now I think that I have changed my mind.  I know that working here, at the pace I'm keeping (infrequent days off, long work days, often with no break of any kind, no food and hardly a chance to even use the restroom) WHILE trying to go to school full time, might be a recipe for disaster.  School has to be the priority for me.  

I respect the job that Val is doing, but I see that Aslan is still in its infancy, with the accompanying growing pains.  

Aslan has good food, a creative menu, and wonderful people.  I know they'll continue to do well.  

I'm not sure what wages the full time chefs are making, but I believe most kitchen employees are started around minimum wage. This is also what I'm earning during this internship. I'm really hoping for something a little more suited to my particular interests, that certainly pays better than this, when I am done with culinary school.  I am looking very forward to one day having a job that I love.

Here's hoping my entry this week isn't too negative or dark.  I'm trying to keep a positive attitude, amidst the turmoil. I am actually happy to have this blog as a place to vent and share my thoughts on everything, without the fear of offending anyone I work with.  

Chef, with tired eyes and an early morning ahead of me, I bid you goodnight!  Thank you, as always, for your unwavering encouragement :)

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