Loyalty in the Kitchen
Posted by | Posted in Kitchen Loyalty, Surviving Shanghai | Posted on 11-11-2008
There is a Chinese saying that goes something along the lines of, ‘If there is a problem, you keep one eye open and the other eye shut’. That is definitely the mantra adopted by most of the locals. You’ll find most of them playing ostrich – digging their head into the sand whenever a problem arises, hoping that things will be okay once they come up for fresh air.
Screaming, throwing pots and pans, and threats might work in an European or Western kitchen, but not in Shanghai. The last thing any chef wants is a bunch of headless chooks running aimlessly around the kitchen. More likely than not, an aggressive action will produce no reaction whatsoever. Ask any expat chef, and they will tell you that it takes a hell of a lot more tact and skill to run a kitchen with a local crew.
Salary and working conditions are going to constantly be a reoccurring issue. Unlike the western cheffing industry, chefs in Shanghai are on a very strict 8-hour shift each day.
Something that has to be understood is that most of the locals that take on cheffing as a career see it as nothing more than just another paying job. Not very many are driven by passion or the desire to want to taste western cuisine. Finding a local chef that is motivated by food and does not have a taste bud soaked in monosodium glutamate (msg) is a rare occasion and you should hang on to him/her tight if you do find one!
Occasional surprises such as finding several smaller fish stuffed in a whole fish to “subtly” increase its weight from a local supplier is not uncommon. This may require some appropriate swear words to get your point across - if you can swear in Shanghainese, you might get even further. Being approached by suppliers who will offer you “special deals” to place orders with them is also a norm.
Our ‘Food Suppliers’ category lists some of the most reliable, well-sourced and used suppliers in Shanghai.