Are there any chefs here who follow a vegetarian diet? How do you deal with cooking meat? Is it okay for you to cook it even if you don’t eat it?
I started as a dishwasher and moved up to a cooking role at a hotel resort. I spent a couple of years in resorts. It was a job that paid the bills and let me live in some fun places. I wished I could work at a vegetarian restaurant, but they don’t seem to last long in my area.
Do you think there are fewer vegetarian chefs compared to how many are needed in vegetarian restaurants?
I believe it’s not about me. I cook what the client wants to the best of my ability. It’s not my job to teach them. I’m allergic to seafood but ran a seafood restaurant for years. It wasn’t about my eating habits but about filling a market need.
It’s similar to chefs who get upset over how diners want their steak cooked. I don’t mind if it’s rare or well done. My job is just to cook it the way they want.
We are here. I’ve been cooking my whole life and worked in professional kitchens for 6 years. At first, it grossed me out, but now I’m used to it. I appreciate all food and what I learn from working with meat. I use those skills in my vegetarian cooking to impress people. I made a spaghetti squash dish with lamb at work, then made it at home with plant-based meat.
I don’t mind cooking meat. It’s a bit gross but not the worst part of the job. There are some things I can’t do though; if I’m on the morning shift, I can’t handle meatballs or pepperoni because the smell makes me feel sick. So, I’d switch with someone who did peppers or carrots, and no one minded. I also found it interesting to learn how meat cooks. I’ve been vegetarian since I started cooking, so I didn’t know much about it until I became a chef.
I’m not a professional chef, but I worked in the kitchen at a sports bar for a couple of years while studying. Handling raw chicken wings was pretty gross, but I got used to it. Eventually, it becomes just part of the job. Honestly, the uncooked chicken was less gross than the huge vat of feta cheese in brine or the bucket of jalapenos that burned your hands.
I work in a high-volume production kitchen and sometimes in fine dining. I have to taste a lot because the clients would fire me if I served bad food!
To manage this, I just don’t swallow what I taste; I spit it out in front of others. They respect that.
I hate that I work for a company that uses so much meat every year and that I cook so much of it. But I need the job for the paycheck and health insurance.
I’m a home cook, but I don’t mind cooking meat for others at home. I’ve worked with human cadavers, so nothing really bothers me.
Chen said:
I’m a home cook, but I don’t mind cooking meat for others at home. I’ve worked with human cadavers, so nothing really bothers me.
Your BBQs must be a bit different… Definitely not that fridge!
I decided to quit and found a job at a vegetarian restaurant.