[Sca-cooks] RE: Male vs. female cooks

[Christine Seelye-King]

That's pretty much it, from my perspective.  I was not the first apprentice
at the hotel where I served, but I was the first one to make it through the
program (and the first female to graduate from the ACF in the Southern
program), but it was a tough road.  It was very physically demanding (and
that was 20 years ago), and sexist - especially since most of my co-workers
were older, mostly black, although many European, males, who did not think
much of a young white girl wanting to cook with the big boys.  I did
eventually gain their respect, and learn to thrive in the environment, but
it wasn't easy, and there were a few times when I would have walked if I
hadn't been committed to finishing the program.  Nurturing and care-giving
were about as far from my mind as they could be, serving in a professional
hotel kitchen.
Christianna

> But I would say that the reason why there are more male chefs than
> female ones is pretty similar to the reason why there are relatively
> few female firefighters. Yes, they can [frequently] do the job, and
> put up with the various sexist attitudes (BTW, it is no easier as a
> male cook working for a female chef, as far as this goes). But is it
> worth it? In addition, the job is, like firefighting, just physically
> gruelling, and sometimes (not always, by any means, mind you, just
> sometimes) ladies find themselves working in professional kitchens to
> prove they can do it, rather than because they enjoy it, and then
> cookery can become an expression more of bulldog tenacity than of
> love, and that can be a sad thing. (Just as sad as when a man does
> this.)
>
> Adamantius, donning the flame-proof undies
> --