Saturday 7 August 2010

Captain Obvious

I was in a restaurant last night, waiting in the corridor to make a quick visit to the conveniences once they became free. As I stood there I saw various waiters and bar staff coming and going through the door marked Staff Only.

I then spied a gentleman in a chef's hat stroll out of the same door and down the corridor where I was waiting - possibly he was going out the back for a cigarette break.

I'd really enjoyed the meal I'd just eaten, and thought that now was as good a time as any to pass on my compliments.

I've just had a really nice meal - it was lovely, very good food, thank you! I said, or words along similar lines.

Yes, it was me that cooked that food, he said, with an air about him as though he was imparting some insight or nuance that I hadn't actually picked up on.

4 comments:

Zhoen said...

I suppose as long as he got the compliment...

Smarts and cooking are independent functions, apparently.

DJ Kirkby said...

Hah! How funny people are....wonder if he mentally slapped himself when he reflected on what he'd said to you?

trousers said...

Maybe he was just very much in "work-mode", to be needlessly generous to him, Zhoen. I don't think so, but maybe.

Deej, I somehow doubt it, he seemed a little too pleased with himself, but who knows. Still, when he said it, I think I just let out a sigh and looked in the other direction..

Montag said...

Don't know what to make of it. I was in an eatery t'other day, and one wait-person said "Are you still enjoying that?" prefatory to removing an empty dish, while a bit late another said, pointing to the china, "Are you still working on that?" - an expression sure to put me out of sorts, since - as I have said in the past - it makes me think of a dog worrying a bone around his dinner dish. It puts you in the frame of mind of snapping at their hand extended to remove the platter.

Perhaps it was the fact that everyone was squeezed together in the corridor leading to the conveniences that caused the problem. If I had been chef, I would have said "And I can see yer wastin' no time in disposing of it, mate!"
And so on...
If we were to treat commercial cooks socially in a manner befitting the food they cook for us, I think you would see a lot more "togue hats" running for their lives than you would see them chit-chatting outside the "biffy".