by Scott Gittens

Created on: October 18, 2009

Being a line cook assimilates in numerous fashions to drug use. Addiction, rush, and crash each apply as descriptors to portions of the average line cook's day, as well as the obvious connections to drug usage.

First, the addiction develops from a number of factors that make being a line cook particularly attractive. Primarily, this addiction develops similar to the typical drug habit - a craving or waiting for the next rush.

Beyond the rush, being a line cook requires very little difficult physical labor. True, one may occasionally get stuck cleaning the grease traps (possibly the most vulgar chore known to man) or more likely cleaning the fryer oil. But, boxes of vegetables and pots of bubbling concoctions top the list of the heaviest items lifted regularly.

Another addicting characteristic lies in the danger. Every move holds possibility for disaster. The usual day includes no fewer than one thousand close encounters with a knife, hundreds of instances calling for a hot pad (which at some point become seemingly unnecessary), and countless near-falls on the water the bartender spilled when stocking the bar's ice bin. Breaks hold the greatest danger as most cooks light up a cancer-stick.

Also, who can deny the addictive properties of working with food all day? The grazing that occurs (not according to the local health department) keeps cooks energized and never complaining of a groaning stomach. Not to mention, the end of each day promises some sort of leftovers that often substitute for dinner that evening or breakfast the next morning.

The addiction, however, arises by and large from the rush. Much like that first beer, the first few orders come at a steady pace acting as a warm-up for the night to come. Just as drug progression beyond the first few hits is often hectic, memorable yet forgotten, and inexplicably enjoyable; so goes the line cook's rush.

Rather than rocking with Jimi, raving at the club, or meeting Lucy in the sky, cooks abuse adrenaline to plate palatable food in an attractive manner...QUICKLY! The typical plate reaches at least three cook's hands and involves food prepared by as many as ten different cooks. Furthermore, each cook's queue includes five or more plates waiting for her or his addition to the process.

The rush peaks somewhere along the way, and eventually all of the orders are finished. After the mandatory post-rush cigarette, the real work begins. The daily list of duties includes: cleaning and sanitizing- ovens, fryers, cutting boards, coolers, steamer, pots and pans, knives, stoves; sweeping; mopping; and emptying the garbage.

Often the coming down portion of the day lasts into the early hours of the morning. Once the kitchen sparkles, the cooks go home and await another day in the kitchen with anticipation...or sometimes dreads the next round (also often true of drug addicts).

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