I was a late-bloomer to the food service industry,
probably because we had no fast food when I was growing up (my oldest son worked
at a McDonalds when he was sixteen). I
found my way when I was in dental school and (finally) twenty-one. I worked as a bartender in three different
venues, each with its own set of life lessons: a summer resort, a Country Club
and a Japanese Restaurant owned by a Milwaukee German. Life’s first lesson was:
·
Communication: In any service industry the key to success is
learning to be a good listener. It is
what gets you tips and promotions. Most
good communicators initiate a conversation, but they do so with a
question. In airports I often use, “Are
you going home or away from home?” That
opens up all sorts of topics: what they do, where are their children, vacation
plans, etc. Sometimes it even opens
topics I’m more interested in, like “What do I do?”
·
Dependability: Across generations, one thing has not changed
about Food Service. Employers and
fellow-employees appreciate it when they can depend on you showing up on time
and ready to work. That is a life-lesson
that is harder to see in the normal workplace and may explain why when I left
the Navy as well as when I left the corporate world, there was a hefty check
for unused Vacation and Sick Days.
·
Apparel is
not a bad word: My younger son used to kid me about my Navy uniform and how I
carried that habit along when I joined the Corporate world, but perhaps that is
because his uniform is shorts and a collared shirt because he teaches Physical
Education to grades 4 through 8 in a warm climate. But, although what is considered acceptable “business
attire” has changed dramatically since I joined the Corporate World, what has
not changed is the “branding” of what is acceptable by wearing what the bosses
are wearing. In my case that explains
why in my closet I once had five Hawaiian shirts, many Ryne Spooner, because
the boss had just purchased a Dental Plan in Hawaii, or why I still have five pair
of suspenders, excluding anything formal, because my bosses were visible in
demonstrating they were a Union Shop.
Now, working when I do, mostly virtual, I wear Dockers or shorts
depending on the weather and a collared sport shirt with a light sweater. I also take myself out for lunch on Bosses’
Day.
Life’s Lessons learned from Food is a little harder to
categorize, but I would choose:

·
Experimentation:
Building on that thought, I am watching my grandchildren discover new foods and
my 15 year-old granddaughter discover food preparation. Our moist recent sojourn into the different
was a trip for Mongolian Barbeque, which we regularly did as a family when I
was stationed in the Philippines and the boys were sixteen and twelve. My 12 year-old grandson, a notoriously picky
eater, seemed to enjoy the meal, probably because his dad helped him select the
contents of his bowl. That same dad was
a child who ate everything placed in front of him, consuming so many yellow
vegetables and fruits as an infant that he developed jaundice. So, we were surprised when he looked at
eggplant Mary prepared and said, “No, thank you.” We encouraged him to try just a mouthful,
stopping short of the Jewish mother’s admonition, “just hold it in your
mouth. It will feel good.” But he
remained resolute saying, “I’ll throw up.” We persisted and he did indeed take
a mouthful…and proceeded to throw up.
·
Organization: The most valuable lesson I have learned
cooking food is the value of organization.
Tim no longer reminds me that I said we would eat at seven and it is now
almost eight. The secret is that not only do I do my chopping before I start to
cook, I also do my measuring prior to starting.
I learned this from watching the chefs at cooking demonstrations Mary
and I went to for about 1 ½ years. They
were also my inspiration to buy good cutlery and to regularly sharpen the
not-so-good paring knives I use. A
fringe benefit of cooking organization is that I find out what ingredients I
need to adjust or substitute for before I start to cook. As a Manager and Director in both the Navy
and Corporate worlds I gradually learned the value of organization. It just took me longer than it would have,
had I been more immersed in food preparation at an earlier age.
So, I encourage any of you who are not already active
in Food consumption and preparation to adapt the skills I have learned from my
experience through the years. Perhaps, if
our society had Universal Conscription into the food industry for a year, we
would be more polite and caring, and maybe even better organized.
In my next Post I intend to look at a custom our
Presidents have: speaking at Commencements, and what we might learn from
that. I hope you will join me.