adaptation's the name of the game

That's what I've figured out so far. My classmates and I have been frustrated by our lack of understanding these past two days as we adjust to a new class, new chef, and new kitchen. You have to remember, we are the people that use the term mise en place ("everything in its place", traditionally referring to the set up of a station in the kitchen with all ingredients, equipment, recipes, order, and methods all organized and displayed) for any situation in life that would be made easier, faster, and more efficient by the presence of preparation. We like organization and we like preparation. Our Chef seems to purposefully give us a lack of both which is infuriating at first. He is supposed to lead us, guide us, help us out, hold our hand! But no. That's not what he's doing and I think we're better for it. We have to learn about how the kitchen works on our own, we have to pay attention, be aware, think on our feet, prioritize, organize, and prepare on our own. He's not holding our hands but he is taking away the clocks and turning them forward 30 minutes so we think we are severely behind schedule. This really freaked us out tonight because we had previously broken down our entire prep time into a 7 page game plan... 1 page for each minute we were late opening for service last night. Yeah you could get mad about it, stomp your foot and complain, but that isn't going to get the green beans trimmed or the beef seared. Take a deep breath and think. You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggonit people like you.