Food Poetry : The Secret Life of Chefs
What is food? it is life giving, nourishing both physically, mentally and sometimes spiritually.
Working with food and creating food fosters a keen connection to not only the ingredients, but the kitchen and tools used to create it - the kitchen becomes a safe haven where both chaos and creativity are awakened - the sites, the smells, the sounds become a second skin, and you develop a sixth sense about this culinary world.
Your co-workers become a living breathing single entity, each and everyone striving for the same outcome. All dancing in a timed rhythm around the kitchen , hurrying to get your prep done, to get your major courses panned in hotel pans within the steamer or in stock pans and sauce pans upon the stove, whose many squared and blackened burners are set aflame, all movements are accomplished in a delicate balance of wits and skill.
Working with food and creating food fosters a keen connection to not only the ingredients, but the kitchen and tools used to create it - the kitchen becomes a safe haven where both chaos and creativity are awakened - the sites, the smells, the sounds become a second skin, and you develop a sixth sense about this culinary world.
Your co-workers become a living breathing single entity, each and everyone striving for the same outcome. All dancing in a timed rhythm around the kitchen , hurrying to get your prep done, to get your major courses panned in hotel pans within the steamer or in stock pans and sauce pans upon the stove, whose many squared and blackened burners are set aflame, all movements are accomplished in a delicate balance of wits and skill.
Image Credit: ljcybergal
Here is a poem that I wrote that encompasses a brief glimpse into the chef's kitchen. I hope you enjoy.
CHEF
beyond
the
flavors,
beyond
the
prep
work
and
the
working
rhythms
of
the
kitchen...
clanking
dishes,
chopping
block,
chef
banter.
the
gleaming
stainless,
the
hot
steam
venting
from
stock
pots.
sizzling
from
the
grill...
spices
intermingle
with
pilot light
perfume...
walk-in
freezer
gives
brief
respite...
grab
your
ingredients
and
go...
open
door
blindly,
across
the
kitchen
doing
a
dance
of
100
men...
always
shifting
reinventing
a
new
way
to
carry,
to
reach ,
to
scurry,
into
the
open
arms
of
your
menus...
Poem © Amber 2008. All rights reserved.
the
flavors,
beyond
the
prep
work
and
the
working
rhythms
of
the
kitchen...
clanking
dishes,
chopping
block,
chef
banter.
the
gleaming
stainless,
the
hot
steam
venting
from
stock
pots.
sizzling
from
the
grill...
spices
intermingle
with
pilot light
perfume...
walk-in
freezer
gives
brief
respite...
grab
your
ingredients
and
go...
open
door
blindly,
across
the
kitchen
doing
a
dance
of
100
men...
always
shifting
reinventing
a
new
way
to
carry,
to
reach ,
to
scurry,
into
the
open
arms
of
your
menus...
Poem © Amber 2008. All rights reserved.
Image Credit: Natalie Kwee
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10 COMMENTED:
I love the poem! I can picture them all choreographed like in an old Busby Berkeley film dancing around with their knives to butterfly a chicken.
4:20 AM, July 28, 2008
haha, very creative.
10:19 AM, July 28, 2008
Awesome and very good poem indeed!
6:10 AM, July 30, 2008
I like this post! Keep writing mate!
Awesome Poem! I never realized how much art is involved in being a chef!
12:50 PM, July 30, 2008
Hi Renaissance Culinaire,
1:41 PM, August 11, 2008
Nice your poems. It tells us you are interesting to cook food. I like your poems. I appreciate to make your own poems. All of your poems are good. Keep it up!
I am a big food + poetry fan, and somehow this reminds me of a book I found many years ago which has loads of poetry that LOOKS like this -- in the sense of strands of words.
9:09 PM, August 18, 2008
Thanks for your comments everyone. I appreciate your willingness to read my poem and comment!
9:45 PM, August 18, 2008
@biblioChef Hi, thanks for commenting. Well I am not sure if you are making an observation or accusing me of plagiarism? Hmm.
Well I can tell you that my poetry is mine and mine alone.
As for the "strands of words", a poem will reflect different sounds the way the words & sentences are arranged (in stanzas).
I wrote the poem in more traditional form, but I wanted it to flow very quickly and frantically - just as the work in a commercial kitchen is.
The pauses and punctuation in this poem were better as if flowing downward.
Nice poem. I like it.
5:21 PM, September 29, 2008
You can't go wrong with mixing food and poetry!
9:05 PM, November 10, 2008
This chef must be very talented to mix poetry and food. I watch the "Iron Chef" program a lot of the Food Network, and the way these chef's can be so creative and make all sorts of meals, spices, marinades etc just blows my mind.
7:23 AM, January 29, 2009
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