Chef a go go has recently, as Matthew suggested, become “chef a gone gone”

Life has been fast paced here over “low season” in idyllic South Thailand, and I have been busy in the spirit of the ancient saying “in the midst of a storm, a fisherman stays at home mending his nets”

This brings me to the topic of old sayings and their relevance in this modern age. (And specifically in the kitchen, and as an expat – after all, this IS a chef’s forum, and I AM the go go man)

Each morning, and each evening I am fortunate enough to walk to and from a breathtakingly beautiful five star resort over what is referred to as “the monkey trail”. As you may imagine, it is populated by a tribe of cheeky yet nonchalant primates who swing through the trees, garnish stair posts, and harass walkers for food. Three of these cute macaques sat solidly on the railings a few weeks back, and it reminded me of the old saying – See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

It is a valid point – and also a double edged sword as a foreigner trying to implement or maintain standards in the hospitality industry. Positivity, leading by example, speaking and acting inspirationally – these is all admirable traits and reflects the essence of the old Japanese maxim. Looking into it more deeply, focusing on and seeing the good things, choosing to hear and respond to worthwhile and valid issues, and speaking of things to teach, motivate and enhance are ways in which to establish a culture of greatness.

The mirror image of this is the downfall of many. In essence, not wanting to be involved in any issues or activities, and being oblivious to the real issues – and to the poor, shoddy, lazy or inefficient work practices that you may find entrenched. So what am I actually talking about?

Coming into a new environment, it is important not to be gung ho, and ‘do what you have always done” Building rapport and understanding amongst your team is very important, as is knowing how things are done in the local culture. It is important not to fall into niche groups, cliques, and negative attitudes. Basically, keep out of politics, and try to avoid favouritism and dropping your own standards because “it is different here”.

Being a good leader, changing a work culture – showing, implementing and demonstrating best practice at all times is very important. But even more important is to balance this with changing a culture of secrecy and convenience. Many choose to turn a blind eye to evil. Many speak it, and go tribal, blaming others – or ‘the system’ or “this bloody place” for the ‘way things are’.

And hear no evil? Come on! It is all around s, and we MUST hear it. We MUST see it, and we MUST speak – against it. We are not helpless. A proactive approach to attacking negative influences, poor work culture, corruption, laziness and lack of guest focus is essential, so I am sharing a learning curve here. Try to be the good guy (or girl). Set things up right. Motivate, develop, and gain the respect and trust of your team.

But also consider the other stakeholders. The guests, the owners, the suppliers – and the INDUSTRY. We are actually not in JOBS. We are in an industry. By staying tucked away in a kitchen and acting alone, succumbing to ‘the way things are’ we are being reactive and losing skills and relevance. We are a negative influence on our trade, and we become leeches.

By thinking of ourselves as ambassadors of a trade – and a property, we lift the standards of our own kitchen and food product – we inspire and lead and develop our staff. We impact positively on our trade – and most of all we increase our own value and our own self respect and skill set. Breaking the culture of silence is hard.

Moving from lethargy and ‘don’t care’ to best practice is even harder. But we are better than monkeys. We have the power to reason, and to grow and change. Three wise chefs can lead a team of sixty silly lazy cooks to heights, opportunities and salaries previously unimagined.

So – don’t be evil, don’t speak it and don’t promote it.

But you MUST see it, hear it and speak up against it if you want to make an impact and get the best out of your overseas posting.

Comments and experiences from you will be eagerly read. We have all been there and done that. What’s YOUR story?

Regards

Chef Shane – The Culinary Globe Trotter

Ahhhh nostalgia.

Isn’t it nice to go home for Christmas, Ramadan, Easter, Diwali or Eid?

What about that three day weekend you have managed to pull off? Why not get away for a break away from work or home?

Everybody loves it.

Especially the traffic police, the airline shareholders, the insurance industry and the hotel chain financial controllers.

The rape of your wallet will be unprecedented.

Next in line for the price-top-up treatment is “peak season.”

This usually coincides with school holidays and the ‘popular’ time of year to visit various destinations based on climate, season or visitor numbers.

Supply raises to meet demand – and so does the cost.

Chefs have become used to lonely weekdays off, as weekends and Friday nights are usually busy. And we manage to make it work. But it is also an interesting and cost saving exercise to travel outside of holidays and peak periods as well, if practical.

I am not talking about a few pennies extra. I am talking about a vast reduction in cost, and often upgrades and extras thrown in as well.

Immediate benefits are vastly reduced airfares for a start. In fact up to 50% savings can be made.
Hotels, desperate to fill rooms, offer attractive internet rates, upgrades and promotional deals.

And perhaps, best of all, you become the individual that you are, instead of another bloody number to be processed, and you will find your business to be very welcome.

This normally includes attractions, boat trips, and tours, all of which usually have a high season rate, and a much lower ‘low season’ rate – even if it is in smaller print.

The downside of course, is perhaps the weather or the social scene.

If you intend to spend countless hours a day on an idyllic tropical beach, then the monsoon season is perhaps not the best time to travel in order to save money.

Likewise, if you’re a party animal or a chronic raver, midday Wednesday in the low season may also mean a boring break and a fair helping of regret.

Some options to consider include sightseeing, cultural visits, foodie & gourmet holidays, romantic ‘love nest’ breaks, photo safaris, shopping stopovers and getting into the arts – all of which can be done all year round.

Perhaps even consider a ’stage’

Basically adding a month or more work experience to your CV by working for free under a respected chef or establishment to further your skills, culinary knowledge and mastery of a certain type of cuisine or technique.

Health breaks can also be done during the nasty season. You can detox, exercise, lose weight, get massaged or travel for that all important surgery – even if the rain is hammering down and the airport empty.

Health tourism is extremely popular, given the cost and quality constraints in some countries. It sometimes makes sense to get yourself fixed up in a cost effective country.

Which reminds me – I have teeth like a busted band saw, and here in Thailand it’s incredibly inexpensive for top quality dental work.

I must pop in soon and emerge with a winning grin.

A friend of mine also combined an R&R trip to Thailand with a trip to the eye clinic for some laser surgery. I estimate that he recouped a fair amount of his holiday in savings compared to getting it done back home.

For those seeking more worldly charms, the off seasons are also a great time to avoid the congestion, rush and drama of busy holiday periods.

You may even find discounts on beer, food and attractions to try and drum up your custom.

I learned another great tax tip for those who live in Western countries and have flexible work arrangements with weekly tax deductions:

Normally if taxed weekly or monthly, the amount taxed is assumed to be ’standard’ for the purposes of defining an annual income. In other words, one weeks taxable income is assumed to be x 52 when it comes to calculating yearly income for tax purposes.

Monthly, the same applies, but x 12. A friend of mine would work for 9 months a year, then go to Morocco for 3 months. He had paid tax for 12 months in advance, but his income was only for 9 months.

Morocco was MUCH cheaper than Australia, so his tax refund ended up paying for his holiday. Plus he got three times more holiday than the rest of us. It obviously won’t work if you can’t get the time off, or if your tax system works differently, but he was definitely on a winner, and we were all very envious of his leisurely lifestyle.

The reverse applies in some cases as well. I was once very keen on a one month holiday starting ex Dubai, going through Egypt, Morocco, Spain France and Netherlands. I wanted to leave in July, the very hot season in UAE.

Unfortunately, Egypt, Spain, Morocco would also have been unbearable at that time of year, and the romance of travel was quickly offset by the thought of heat rash and sweat-drenched clothing 24 hours a day for 2-3 weeks straight.

Fortunately the internet comes to our rescue with lots of travel resources with which to check your destination.

Best regards,

Chef Shane

The Culinary Globe Trotter

chefshane@chef21.com

Image Credit: JoeM5952

Some tips to streamlining air travel.

Knowing your way around an airport these days can save time, inconvenience and sometimes embarrassment.

In the wake of recent events, terrorist threats and technological advances from both the goodies and the baddies, security at airports is a priority, and getting tighter.

For the honest traveler with nothing to hide, this is a good thing, but knowing what to do and what not to do can save time and money.

Liquids

These are no longer allowed onboard with you.

If you must take expensive stuff like sunscreen, moisturiser, perfumes etc make sure it is less than 100ml in volume, or pack it into your ‘checked in’ luggage – which is the suitcase(s) or bag that you give to the airline staff when you pick up your boarding pass.

If you forget, and take liquids to the boarding gate, they WILL be confiscated and thrown away, OR you will not be allowed to board the flight.

Metal stuff

Airport metal detectors are a hassle, and you may go through anywhere from 1-4 sets of high tech x-rays and metal detectors.

Occasional tiny gauge piercings and very thin earrings normally pass without drama, but try and wear a top, trousers or skirt, and shoes without accessories, buckles, belts or metal trim if you want to avoid that loud beeping sound and ’special attention.’

I usually wear slip on shoes or sandals, shorts or cloth pants, a cloth shirt, and put jewelery, mobile phone and watch in my carry on bag. That goes in the x-ray, and I walk through without any hassles.

No need to say that anything sharp, dangerous or potentially a weapon will not be allowed on board.

Attitude and inappropriate humour

These days, being lippy, aggressive, and tasteless or ‘too aware’ of your human rights can cause you to be denied boarding – or even thrown into a cell.

Airport staffs have a lot of credible threats and bad guys to deal with, and their tolerance for bad behaviour, abuse, contradiction and terrorist / airport disaster jokes is near zero.

· Be polite and try to smile and be tolerant – even if you are being delayed, detained or put under close inspection. Losing your temper or becoming aggressive is a red flag, and may end up costing you your flight and your liberty.A UK citizen with an old passport missed his flight recently and was thrown into an Asian jail for two weeks because his passport didn’t check out. It was only a communication error between the immigration in his home country and the airport he was leaving from. He started shouting and becoming aggressive and instead of enjoying the drinks trolley and in-flight movie he ended up sitting in a squalid, humid, cramped jail cell. NOT good!Jokes like “be careful with it, there’s a bomb in my suitcase” WILL get you automatically jailed without recourse, and the flight cancelled or delayed for all of the others.

Jokes about religion, culture, hate speech etc – forget it. Be aware that you are in a heightened security environment, and just chill out and be normal.If things get weird, maintain your cool, and co-operate with the officials and show them you have nothing to hide.

· Learn your baggage allowance. Budget airlines are very strict and WILL charge extra or deny your baggage. Full service carriers are more forgiving. Taking WAY too much will cost a LOT of money. Perhaps even more than your airfare.

If your baggage is at, or under the limit then your check-in will be fast and hassle free

· Having a valid passport Your passport is your best friend.

Make sure you have at least 1 year validity before the expiry date.

To make life easier, if you do have an old passport, consider applying for a new machine readable one – which will save time and close scrutiny at passport control.

DO NOT write in your passport (apart from the ‘bearers address’ and ‘notify in case of emergency’ sections)

DO NOT remove pages or visas

DO NOT attempt to alter your passport in any way.
Any of the above can result in confiscation, large fines, or criminal charges.Really!

· Drugs

Be very very careful with both sorts.

Airport x-ray and scanning technology is very high tech.

Don’t even consider illegal or recreational drugs. You probably WILL get caught, and nothing could be more stupid than even thinking about taking your favourite “high” with you.

In many countries, the Death Penalty applies for drugs, and in many, many more you can face harsh long term jail sentences in living hell for as little as one pill, one joint, and in some countries, for even testing positive in a blood or urine test.It just isn’t worth it.Prescription drugs are a very grey area. In Australia, panadeine is paracetamol with codeine, and available in chemists and supermarkets. In Greece and Dubai you would be jailed for up to 7 years for possessing a tablet.Check the status of your prescription medicines not only in the countries you are travelling to, put also in the countries that you will pass through or transit in.

Only take prescription drugs if they are an absolute necessity, and even then, make sure you are 100% informed about their legal status at the other end.

· Tickets

Very few need to be confirmed these days, and many airlines offer online check-in, or ‘e-ticketing’

If booking online, check the status is “confirmed” and print a copy of this receipt and itinerary.

If booking with an agent, confirm the ticket with the airline.

If booking and paying online, bring the credit card with you that were used to pay for the ticket. Most airlines want to see it on check in.

· Capitalism

If you are a strong supporter of capitalism, then by all means pay $6 for a sandwich, $5 for a coffee, and $20 for a book at the airport.The airport authority and their expensive shops will thank you.If this sounds shocking and has your mouth agape, consider eating and drinking before you leave for the airport, and buy any souvenirs, necessities, books and travel aids at regular shops, markets or malls at regular prices.

Airport prices are notoriously high for most items.Consider buying Duty Free, but bear in mind that it may also be available outside the airport at less cost, with more variety to choose from.

Ask around, check some online forums, and go into any purchases at the airport fully informed.

Liquor, perfume and cigarettes are often pretty good deals at airport duty free.Liquor, even bagged duty-free can be a problem if going to certain countries, or if changing flights, stopping over or transiting through another airport, due to the 100ml liquid limit on carry on baggage.

Some airports recognise their own Duty Free providers bagged products, but not those from other countries.

Check first before buying, to avoid donating that rare single malt to a grateful airport official during your transit.

Happy flying, and please send your comments or your own travel tips to shane@chef21.com

Best regards,

Chef Shane
The Culinary Globe Trotter

Image Credit: JoeM5952

Great news.

You have finally managed to escape from that hellish midnight-express style prison – or maybe you just have a few days off up that wizard-like sleeve of yours, and wish to do more with them than mope around the house.

Maybe it’s time to fly somewhere.
I can hear the groans now. Oh, the economy is so bad, what about the recession?
The reality is that there has rarely been a better time to fly, nor a better time to pick up a value holiday.

Everybody seems to be in panic mode about this recession, and the facts are that travellers are wooed being with reduced prices, open arms and lots of competitive promotions designed to “tempt you back”.

These days, hopping on a plane is almost as informal as hopping into a car, and with the cost of petrol, coupled with licensing, insurance, traffic fines, & busy roads, often less so.

This is a quick look at the difference between budget carriers and full service carriers.

Full service carriers could probably be described as the “old” airlines.

You know the ones. They dress nicely and smile at you a lot (hopefully), and have conveniently located departure gates within a few minutes walk of check-in.

You get a glossy card with rounded corners as a boarding pass from a dedicated, branded check-in counter, and maybe even a cheap travel wallet to keep it in.

You are allowed 20kg of luggage, but their generosity is such that the nice man or lady will often acquiesce if your have 29kg and let it on for ‘free’

They come down the aisle with boiled lollies to chew – and they don’t tell you off if you take 5 or 6.
The inflight magazine is allowed to be taken home, and you get a little plastic baggie with headphones to watch scratchy quality, but very recent movies to take your mind off plummeting out of the clouds at a rapid pace.

Also designed to encourage camaraderie, bravado and a Rip Van Winkle slumber is the drinks trolley.

This wonderful invention shows up everywhere from “on call” to “once, or twice if you’re lucky” depending on the airline that you choose, and many travel plans are made on the basis of the contents and frequency of the free drinks and snacks.

Then, the coup de grace – the inflight meal.
This is served with grim determination, no matter how short the flight, and is accompanied by inexpensive wine, two refills of coffee or tea, and finished with the threat of a snifter of cognac.

The inflight meal is a masterpiece of modern times, and consists of culturally and bacterially inoffensive items cooked and decontaminated into submission by an ant-like colony of flight caterers, then packed into tiny modular boxes that you move around on your cramped tray as you eat, like so many pieces of lego.

Count the olives – there used to be two in the salad, but the bean counters have worked out that removing one saves $10,000 a year. If, like me, you hate cheap, low quality pitted black olives, that is actually a bonus. I have never had a colossal marinated kalamata as part of an inflght meal yet.

Exit from your large plane, which takes forever, and wait in a long queue for your bags.

Thanks for flying with us, and paying what seems like the GDP of a small third world country.

The lucky flight attendants and on board staff do one flight, and then stay in a four or five star hotel with complimentary restaurant or room service, plus an allowance to spend on being in a city away from home.

Thanks, passenger.

To show their appreciation, take some frequent flyer points and in 4 years of several flights a year, you might earn an upgrade to business class.

The budget airlines are the ‘new’ airlines.

They got the idea from the full service carriers removing that one olive – and then applied it across the whole business model.

They cut out most of the frills and focus on getting you from point A to point B.

If you are the sort of person who takes the boiled lollies home to the kids, and dreams about your selection from the drinks trolley for a week before you fly, then budget carriers are not for you!

If you like collecting frequent flyer points, you are going to hate these airlines.
If you view an airline as a tool to get you to your destination in the shortest possible time, then have a closer look.

Often, major airports are avoided in favour of smaller, less expensive airports.

Sometimes the cost of flying between small airports is ridiculously low. So low, that it competes favourably with BUS travel!

At major airports the furthest gates are used, which includes a long walk to the end of the airport, and often you catch a bus across the tarmac to get to the plane rather than walk down a gangway to reduce airport charges.

Check in desks can change location from day to day, and boarding passes are printed like shop receipts on thermal paper.

Your baggage limit is strictly between 0kg and 15kg, and 100 grams over means stumping up more cash or unpacking and leaving it behind.

The check in and boarding is usually fast and on time – as staff work several flights back to back and have tight deadlines to meet.

Generally, your ticket includes the flight, a read of the inflight magazine which cannot be removed from the plane, and your baggage allowance.

Budget airlines are being very creative about charging for ‘extras’ – so you will pay extra if you want drinks, food, baggage or the ability to choose a particular seat such as window or aisle.

One much maligned but affordable UK carrier even floated the idea of having pay-toilets on board to reduce costs even further.

Some folks hate this lack of frills as it supposedly destroys the romance of travel.

Personally I find budget airlines to be better for short haul flights as the cost is so low, and the planes smaller, so check in and baggage claim both tend to be a lot faster, meaning you are enjoying your destination in record time rather than queuing in airports.

Exit from the plane is quicker as they just park and unload rather than taxi around the tarmac for 20 minutes to get to the epicentre.

And most importantly, the budget airlines cannot afford to be late. This, to me, is the biggest bonus.

No four or five star hotels for these aircrew. They work with military precision to get you on and off the plane so they can turn it around, fill it up again and get their staff back home to avoid paying overtime or ‘away from home’ allowance.

Bad for the staff, but GREAT for the passengers who hate the frequent delayed flights of some larger airlines.

It is quite something to watch the budget carriers organise their passengers onto the plane before scheduled take-off time.

I have never seen this consistent efficiency and timeliness from a full service carrier in my 24 years of travelling.

In short, find a great deal online orr through an agent with the full service carriers on long haul flights of 4-6 hours or more. They normally, but not always, have more comfortable seats and the extras may be of comfort when cooped up for a longer period. Additionally, on long haul flights you may find that the extra baggage allowance and included meal of full service airlines may balance out the overall cost.

For short haul flights from 30 minutes to 4 hours, definitely consider a budget carrier – as they have made it possible to fly with the minimum of cost, hassle and delay to an ever increasing choice of destinations.

Arguably, you are only on the planet once. See as much of it as you can.

Best regards,

Chef Shane

The Culinary Globe Trotter

chefshane@chef21.com

Image Credit: vegetherrien