Wow, my last post was on February 4th. In sixteen days of my life has been either busy or lazy. I cook for my life. Chefs and cooks work like dog. The job is very tough. We commonly don't have extra free time after work. I've been many jobs. My first job was a flyer boy. In 90's Korea, many real estate office always needed someone to advertise their business, so I actually walked into the office and asked about the job. It was a easy job and very little money, but feeling from earning some money by myself was so good. Yeah, that was it! I wasn't interested in study, but making money. I only could make 3000 won, which is about two or three dollars for current currency. At these times, the money was neither too small nor too big. It was good enough to do my hobby. I've been a waiter, a construct worker, a dish washier, a gym trainer, a English teacher, a translator, a video store staff, a student worker, a sales man and some other stuff as well. Since i was 16 years old, I've been real living life, maybe. I wasted little bit of past my life, so I can't waste anymore. From this Mach, my life will be began with study more about the cooking career. I perhaps like more, or vince verse. Huge bating is on the table of my life. Studying at CIA isn't that cheap. I might have to get two jobs to pay the tuition and my living cost. As matter of fact, I need more money to travel and work in Europe in order to learn more about European Cuisine. With all these reasons, I am thrilled to study, and, meanwhile, worry about my future.
I sometimes think what if I didn't like to study about cooking and work in kitchen. I spent all these year to come to be now I am. I often complain about working environment in kitchen; hours are too long, dangerous,rude attitude, insulting, sarcasm, boosting itself, arguing, too tired, too stressful and so on.
When I started working at Astral Bar and Restaurant at Star City Sydney, my noses were bleeding in a just few weeks because of too tired. At least 60 hours in five days drove me crazy. Before that restaurant, I had a such a strong passion of becoming a chef. Indeed, when I used work at Kingslays Prime Steak House on Bridge Street Sydney, I loved to be there. People liked my cooking and my personality even though my English was that strong enough to communicate with them. I often had a idea of today's special and daily soup. I even bought some books to create new menu. The head chef, Tri Hang; a Chinese-New Zealander-Australian, liked me lot and he is the first chef who wrote me a reference. The dishes served at the restaurant was fine-casual food. They always had finest beef in Australia, the steak was their speciality and superb. They didn't serve dry-aged beef, yet served a kilo T-bone steak and many parts of steak. Working at that restaurant for a year wasn't wasted. The year was grateful. I got a title of chef at that time, chef de partie.
While I was working at Astral, I often had hard times. I had never worked so hard in my life before then. In Seoul and Sydney, I usually worked in between 40 to 48 hours in five to six days. However, working at Astral wasn't same as my past cooking career. I don't blame anything about working at Astral. Astral is one hat, as similar as one Micheline star, restaurant in Sydney. It was one of the finest restaurants and had finest chefs in Sydney. I had never thought that I could work at fine dinning restaurant. The most fine restaurant that I had been was Kingslays Prime Steak. Astral was only one restaurant serves fine modern Australian and French cuisine among the restaurants, five restaurants and seven kitchens, at Star City Casino and Hotel Sydney. I worked there about 11 months. While I was there, I learn so much and found new passion of fine cuisine. The kitchen was toughest place I had never been; nevertheless, the memories of working and learning at there was priceless. At the end, both head chef Sean and sous chef Tonny liked me working at the kitchen although I was really a piece of shit.
Because a shitty chef was all I've been, studying more about this career was good enough reason to be excited. I could have more knowledge and skills by the time I graduated the school. I now also work at one Michelin star French restaurant. From my chef, I learn so much about french and his cuisine. He is same old as I am and has only four or five years more experiences than I have, but he is a great chef and a guy.
From March, I will work and study at the very same time. I might get another job at school to earn some more money. I have to figure out how to manage the time that I can study hard. I would be very busy; no time for playing on the ground. Most of time that I would have to do is to be attended at either kitchen or class room. I can even say "I am cooking all the time with my brain and my body." Beside the time to sleep, I am probably going to live with the fantasy of culinary world.
Whenever I feel sick and tired of working at kitchen, I often have day dreams of my restaurant. I always conclude the thought with saying to myself, "In order to be a best, I have to work with bests no matter what." I have to kill myself little bit more in the kitchen. I have to be more serious about my career. I've became a alcoholic and caffeine addict, but these two are all for my career as well. Now that requesting of becoming something good at, every minute is pleasant. Even the time with my friends and all the legal drugs, I have to be enjoy the moment. I might have to decide between study and something other fun stuff. Both are very important for my life, so it would be very tough to pick one, yet I have to choose to study more often than other until I become the one. After I reach that peak, I will enjoy my life more.
Wow, very short free time has gone already. I now time to sleep for tomorrow, the big Saturday. I wish I could write more often, and I could buy a Single Lens Camera very soon. My last wish before the March is that everything goes well. That is exactly what I need. Since I don't believe the god, I don't want to pray to him, but myself. I still have a desire for digging more into cooking field. I said it, so I have to get everything right. Many thing are on the to-do and must-to-be-done list. Even though I feel little bit under pressure, my last words are "What I gotta do, I gotta do."
