In the early eighties I was a hospital chaplain in Dallas, Texas. One of the patients I saw was a man from Odessa, Texas who had AIDS. He was the first person with AIDS I ever knew. His mother was the only person who came to visit him, though he had a very full...
Read more →Many years ago when I was a youth minister, I began our regular Wednesday night gathering by asking the kids to write down the names of the ten people most important to them. Then I said, “’I don’t have time’ is just a euphemism for ‘I don’t care.’ Then I said, “Your sports team...
Read more →About an hour before dinner service last night, one of the servers walked through the kitchen and whispered, “The health inspector’s here.” We had no cause to panic because we keep a clean kitchen, things were where they were supposed to be and at the appropriate temperatures. We knew we had nothing to worry...
Read more →Half of my day is spentgetting ready for dinner.The prep list hangsfrom the ticket holderand I pull my Sharpiefrom my sleeve pocketto mark my progress:green beans, succotash,gnocchi, Swiss chard,cod, swordfish, halibut,butter sauces. There is a certain wayto do things.The aim is consistencyrather than conformity.Each portion of salmonshould weigh eight ounces.The chives should be dicedto...
Read more →When I get to work, one of the first things I do is change into my white double-breasted chef’s jacket and don an apron to begin my prep work for the day. (I provide my own chef’s pants and shoes – and there are both made specifically for the professional kitchen.) Chef does not...
Read more →the lie that isthe conformityof the supermarketis unearthedin my garden;the tomatoes herehave names:lemon boy,early girl,cherokee purple,green zebra,roma, sun sweet – and shapes,and colors,and tastes –oh, the deliciousnessthat burstswith my biteas I standin the dirtby the vines;I can’t even waituntil I’m backin the kitchen. their talentsand usesare as variedas their tastes:sauced, sliced,sandwiched,saladed;summer’s giftfrom spring’splanting –and...
Read more →When I got to work yesterday, Chef said he wanted me to work garde manger, which is the salad and dessert station, since I knew the fish station well. Over the next week or two, I will learn the remaining stations – grill, appetizer, and pizza – so I can move and cook wherever...
Read more →I’m on my way out the door to work and wanted to take a moment to say I haven’t written because I’m adjusting to regular work shifts and trying to carve out writing time between work and the rest of life. I’ll figure it out soon. For today, I leave you with lyrics to...
Read more →Wednesday night was a good night for me at the restaurant. Three weeks into the job and the learning curve is beginning to flatten a bit: I’ve learned the fish station well and have begun to pick up on the appetizer and garde manger stations. (Garde manger is the station that assembles the salads...
Read more →Christine posted this wonderful picture a couple of days ago with an invitation to respond. Here’s where the picture took me. empty chair what isthe differencebetweenopen spaceand emptiness?vacancyand opportunity?barrennessand belief? in one ofmy favorite stories,Ian had a chairin the shapeof a handan open handa tender handGod’s handto hold him I drive byfurniture storesyard salessometimeshoping...
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