Lather, Rinse, Repeat...

There is something inherently futile and yet strangely satisfying about the daily grind. Reliable sleep schedule, generally speaking you know which people you're going to see, or not see, consistent meal times, hell -  consistent meals. But at the same time, you know exactly who you're going to see, what you're going to do, there is very little intrigue, no adventure.(Obviously every day is a little bit different no matter what you do, I'm not talking about little details, just the basic in's and out's of the average day.)

Not to say that I necessarily agree that monotony will kill you, but variety is the spice of life, as they say. That is one of the nice things about being employed in a culinary field. Sure there are things that you do every day: the inevitable caesar salad or salmon dish, but the customer base changes daily, the people you work with tend to change relatively frequently (mostly due to the high employee turn around that occurs in a high-stress environment, especially in a city so devoted to food and alcohol like Portland, OR), even some of the food specials change on a daily basis allowing for new and exciting prep projects to be undertaken. Things change. Almost too rapidly at times. While having a set schedule in such a field is nice, it can change at any moment depending on the whims of the customers, and/or fellow employees. A several-thousand dollar catering order, "surprise" reservations, coworker illnesses, and no-call-no-shows can spell out an exciting and ever-fluctuating schedule. You take what you can get. Whether you're there because you love it, because it's what you know best, or simply to get that paycheck (the last of these categories always baffled me, there are plenty of less labor-intensive ways to earn a barely-above-minimum-wage paycheck than doing the ol' turn and burn in a hot and sweaty kitchen), flexibility is a must.