The Diary of Kitchen Gossip and Adventures

After two days of dishwashing, slightly tired and sweaty, but eagerly looking forward to tomorrow, when I’ll go back to the scooter mechanic in the morning, where I left the vehicle in the afternoon. Then I’ll continue my journey to Avignon, where I’ll participate in the theater festival again. I’ll return to Arles on Friday afternoon. The plan is to dance either in the city or in the next village, Fontvieille.

July 10, 2024
By the way, the scooter’s battery is dead, so Friday night awaits a minimum two-hour walk. I’m contemplating what the best solution would be, but I can’t recharge it on the way, or only at significant costs, for example, renting a simple camping accommodation with a socket, which costs eighty euros.
It occurs to me that the day before yesterday, I went into the city just for fun. While on the road, I listen to a digital book (because artificial intelligence reads it out), and when I sit down somewhere, I read another one.
In the kitchen, I can say that it’s now a pleasant atmosphere to work in. Obviously, nobody’s judgment is simple, few things in the world have only two sides… It’s becoming very apparent that a lot of people don’t like a lot of other people. I also have opinions that would be better kept to myself.
So, there are the three chefs and the waitress, and then there are the others. This could roughly define the kitchen’s internal politics. As usual, I try to understand both sides, and as usual, I see ambiguous characters on both sides. (I suppose my judgment behind my back is also not straightforward.)
Let’s look at the staff from last year. The dishwasher boy has some autistic traits, sometimes behaving like a preschooler; in terms of his work, I think we’d be hard-pressed to find someone worse. I’m not saying he’s the best, but he’s good enough to be irreplaceable. It really angers me when colleagues tease and make fun of him because (presumed) as an autistic person, he often behaves childishly.
The pastry boy has a strong personality, that’s for sure. He likes it when he’s left alone at work, yet he constantly seeks the company of others. He’s dangerous because he’s very gossipy. I always watch out for those who are kind under all circumstances, because that doesn’t exist; at some point, they surely lie to someone, and I’m not sure I need such characters. (For example, if I don’t feel like being kind to someone, I’d rather stay quiet, I won’t even pretend to have a charming conversation.)
The senior pastry assistant is a stable character, works reliably and well. Well, he mostly wisely keeps quiet.
I don’t meet the new chef’s assistant boy much, he seems diligent at work, eager to learn, but I don’t see him outside of working hours.
As for the three chefs and the waitress, although they’re not likable, we’ve managed to create, let’s say, a livable atmosphere by now; we’ve adapted to each other, we can work together without resentment; outside of working hours, I won’t go for a beer with them, that’s for sure.
The chef does whatever it takes to compensate for his own lack of confidence. As a person, he might be intelligent, but I can’t decide whether to consider him a fool, a clown, or a peacock.
His deputy is sometimes a brute. He tends to not pay attention to his surroundings. He handles situations and things with force. I see that he can speak normally with people. I see that he’s not a stupid kid, so I shouldn’t judge him, but such a character is not likable to me; to me, such a person is too self-centered.
The young chef boy is clumsy, inexperienced. This is why he’s not always smart in every situation, why he imitates and follows his surroundings. Maybe one day he’ll be skillful and nice, but currently, we have few common topics.
The waitress would be perfect as a barmaid in a rural pub. She’s a bit of a tramp, and not even a genius. She also desires nothing else but constant attention; she talks all the time, loudly, and as I said, she’s not a genius. On the other hand, she has slightly less bad intentions. If she wants, she can behave completely composed, paying attention to her surroundings.
This kitchen, on a slow day, feeds ten guests, and on a busy Saturday night, thirty-five guests – plus the two daily specials – eight lunches, and the breakfast buffet.
In summary, many people are not likable, and even more can be said about each of them having a style that’s far from mine; however, to everyone’s credit, we’ve at least achieved enough to be able to work together in a livable, normal atmosphere. If it stays this way until the end of the year, then I’d say this place isn’t bad.