Not Quite Mutiny...

This post is more of a note for kitchen people, current and erstwhile, and the folks who love them or live with them and get a sense of what the life is like.

There's a line in Dante's Inferno that claims that the closest ring of hell is reserved for adulterers, con-men, and mutineers. It would make sense that in Dante's time period the worst scum would be the ones that smile and befriend you only to use that to their advantage and do you harm, if only because of the liberation of women hadn't occurred and abuse, both domestic and/or sexual, was less in the society's forefront.

In a roundabout way, I'm trying to get to what is seen as effectively as bad as Dante-ian mutiny in the eyes of kitchen staff, from the chef's on down to the dish stars: Walking the line.

That's shorthand for "walking off the damn line and going home during a shift". Quitting in the heat of the rush, or in a lull when a trip to the can wouldn't be out of place, and then not returning.

Currently this has happened to my night gig a few times, and even once very recently to my day gig. I've never been in a situation where people have simply walked when they've been frustrated and angry. I heard about it in New York, but there the chef's can be stab-inspiring bastards. I'll bet the guy I heard about was from Texas. It seems like everyone at my current night gig who walked was from Texas or had been affected by the Lone Star State.

When someone walks the line they're not screwing their boss, like they want, they're screwing their comrades, who for the most part fully agree with the walker, fully see eye-to-eye with them, but still come to work and stick it out, if only for outside financial obligations.

At my night job a few months ago we had two guys leave at the same time, two guys who worked the busiest stations, one of which I considered a friend. The other guy was able to talk his way back to his job. He was messy but young, which meant that would improve, and he handled the busiest post in the restaurant, but his rehiring angered me greatly. Walking the line is the greatest damn kitchen sin there is, and there shouldn't be any recovery.

Just the other night we had another guy walk the line, and then, as my overtime was kicking in and I was sent home, one of my best pals (and one of the greatest line guys not born in Mexico I've ever seen) was fired. The kid who was fired was young, excellent, had an attitude, and had a certain dislike for one of our bosses, and eventually hung himself. The guy who walked the line, though, was a gentleman whom the company had tabbed for promotion. I could tell he was seething with disgust for many of the practices of our company, but I never would have guessed that he had it in him to bounce the line.

He's also a friend of mine on Facebook, and after reading his triumphant "I just quit my job!" posts, and all his friend's "awesome!" comments I felt compelled to call him out. I considered him a friend, if not as close to the first guy who walked out. I agreed with him in many of his opinions of how we do things at work, and said so, but reiterated that he screwed us, not the boss, and if he wanted the big-time, he ought to man-up and move to New York or Chicago or Vegas and join a "real" kitchen, where the chef is nice the first day, then spends the rest of the time berating you, throwing shit at you, and making you feel rather low, until you realize you're actually much better than when you started.

He erased my comment but didn't "un-friend" me, which I think is encouraging, since I don't hate the guy, just the dirtbag move of walking.

The next day, at my morning job, one of our three guys left in the middle of the shift. The set-up over there is different, so it's not quite the same violation of comrade-trust that exists, but it does have an effect on us workers.

This is kind of a long explanation on why I won't be posting too much in the near future...I'll be working six days at the night job, and five pretty full days at the day job.

Living the adventure, baby...I need a new field of occupation...somebody's hiring, right?