As a cook, as in all other professions, when you do something long enough, you achieve a kind of zen, a level of contentment that surpasses even the performance of even your best bedmate. And it is not an exclusive feeling that only professional cooks enjoy. On a daily basis anyone who can handle a knife and have good tastebuds and olfactory senses achieves moments of enlightenment at one moment or another.
It is evidenced by the way you move, the magnification of the senses, the mere presence of life, time and space.
How to attain this kind of tranquility? The following you may consider to be unsolcited advice. Others you have read about before. But mostly this is what works for most of the chefs I have worked with.
When in doubt, throw it out
Always have a sharp knife. Razor sharp. Safer that way, ironically.
Guard your mise en place like a rabid dog
Keep everything within reach, as in no more than a step away
Multi-task, but focus on what you are doing
Be choosy on your cookbook selection
Have a copy of Larousse Gastronomique and Repertoire de la Cuisine in your arsenal
Wear comfortable shoes
Listen to Vivaldi or Mozart when doing prep work. Led Zeppelin also works.
Fresh ground your pepper and salt when you need it
Clean sleeves, messy apron
Clean as you go
Keep a clock in view
Keep stock of stackable food containters
Keep a thermometer for fridge temp reading. Do not rely on the Fridge thermostat
A stash of weed works wonders on the creativity
A small notebook comes in handy for your recipes and adjustments
No man is an island. Be a mentor, or have a mentor
Know how to use Excel
Learn something new everyday
Explore your local supermarket every week
Get a tabletop pasta machine and play with it
The dish is the destination, the cooking an adventurous journey
That chicken leg that dropped on the floor means the chicken just died for nothing
Taste is to eating as porn is to sex
Chew 16 times for eahc mouthful, 32 if you are obsessive compulsive
Waste not, want not
Ask not what your ingredients can do for you, but what you can do with those ingredients
Have I missed anything. Let's assume the downdog position and meditate. Woosah!
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