It's been over five months since I started work as a cook. Shit can be hectic, and I rarely have time in the kitchen to stand still - nevermind sit down. It reminds me of what I wrote when I started judo, about the need to be both calm and fast at the same time. Back then, I thought of how that same "mode" is important in boxing and classical guitar. Now I see it as crucial to any skill.
Two Bobs, one E and one D, responded to my original post, pointing out the role of technique and practice. In the case of cooking, however, I never had a chance to practice. Instead, I needed to be fast right away or I'd be fired. No hard feelings - the people need to eat. So even though I've certainly become faster and more efficient with experience, I think there's a certain temperament or mental "mode" that is just as important as practice.
Panic never seems to help people, especially when they're trying to unlock their car door because a serial killer is quickly approaching. Or when they fall into a bog, as Bear Grylls demonstrates. But not many of us can practice evading serial killers or escaping bogs. Instead, we can practice a mindset that stays both relaxed and responsive. Like a samurai.
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1 comment:
You speak of serenity, the ability to accept what you cannot change, but see what can or must be done, and do it. It is always refreshing to see competence in the midst of intense activity.
In cooking, you were in "sink or swim" mode. If you panic, you drown; if you swim, you live. Since cooking is not life or death, the comparison is a little weak, but you plow ahead, make mistakes, and get better. Giving in to panic will only stop you from doing the job. Directing the adrenaline towards the job is the proper application of the panic response. Panic is undirected, uncoordinated activity that exacerbates a hectic situation.
Sometimes panic is inescapable, a gut reaction, a phobia, and sometimes a habit. Those who habitually panic are labeled hysterical. But you can learn to be calm. Projecting calm when things are in turmoil is powerfully inspiring. For example, you never want a badly injured person to see a panicked, "oh shit, this is really bad" look when you are helping them. Untrained people often say or do insensitive, counterproductive things when helping the injured. The matter-of-fact competence of ER personnel is the result of training and experience. Few can walk into and ER kind of situation without panic rising. Controlling it comes with experience and training.
It still comes down to practice and technique.
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