The dark days of summer

So we have entered full swing. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since before New Years, and generally work about 14-15 hours a day. I’m not in the kitchen anymore during lunch or dinner service, so I don’t have that pressure, but I also don’t have that adrenaline rush to keep me going. 

Some days are very tedious. Yesterday I spent hours and hours working on almonds. I guarantee you take for granted sliced and toasted almonds. I had to blanche, peel, and cut hundreds. Hundreds. Ugh. I got my first blister from holding a knife for so long.

I mostly do prep work now. Lots of picking the leaves from parsley, basil, cilantro, thyme, mint, and oregano and some other things like making bread crumbs. But the things I know how to make from start to finish are the eggplant dip for appetizer, milanesas, ñoquis, gazpacho, and zucchini salad. I don’t know anything from the fire station where Diego and Gonza work. I only know the milas and gnocchi since Gabi was without a partner for so long, and I think he was hoping I might be able to fill it if he could teach me enough.

However, we got another addition to the team yesterday too: Lorenzo from Rome. He’s a friend of Sol and 22. Jesus, everyone is young here. But he speaks nearly perfect english because he spent some of his childhood in Singapore and went to an international school. His parents own a used bookstore in Rome now, which is pretty cool. He is to be Gabi’s compañero at the “piano” station. Gabi doesn’t know why it’s called the piano, but it’s the wood burning stove tops. Gabi is very happy to finally have real help. (I was only sort of helpful since I’m not a cook and I don’t think Sol felt comfortable putting me in a place of much more responsibility.) He has been the only station without a partner, and it’s a station that requires a lot of prep.

Today I left after only 12.5 hours of work though! Hot damn. I always work the early shift since I’m not a cook and not needed for dinner, generally about 8 AM to 10 PM. I think this will lessen now that we have another compañero though. But it’s better than working the dinner shift. They get a couple hours off after the lunch shift and then have to come back, which would definitely annoy me.

A couple days ago Mai also had dinner shift off so we went to a little hole in the wall place that she knows from last year and had shared a bottle of wine. I also look forward to when Gabi has time off because he is hands down the best person to talk with. He corrects my spanish and never gets frustrated with my constant ‘no entiendo.’ 

I would love to go to sleep early, but on the other hand, it’s still important that I spend time with people, solidifying friendships, so I usually stay awake until the dinner shift is off, which is unfortunately after midnight. 

Which why I’m back at the hotel restaurant now with my friends.