After a much needed winter break, the time came for classes to come back in session and for children all around to agglomerate in the middle of nowhere once again: at UBC.
The break was an excellent opportunity to reflect upon: what am I really working towards?
In reading Diamond Grill by Fred Wah, I realized through his lens at the Chinese diner that there may be more to the culinary world than what I had already been examining. At this point I turn to questions that Fred Wah describes within the book, he mentions that he would never stay in the business forever. Could this be inspiration towards a greater other? Is Fred Wah’s point of view on the perception of the culinary world really as terrible as he described it even as an environment that may have evolved over time?
In the 2015 Michelin guides, known to be one of the most prestigious Food-travel guides, that had been released this year, of the one I was looking at (the UK guide) there was only one 3-starred restaurant that was led by a woman; being that of the brave soul of Clare Smyth: (http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/oct/03/clare-smyth-woman-kitchen-men-behave) It hadn’t occurred to me until recently just how great the difference in ratio of women to men was in the kitchen. To put it into perspective, there are almost 30,000 restaurants in the United Kingdom that are Michelin. What makes it a fairly depressing story, is that Smyth is leading the kitchen which is under the brand name of the infamous Gordon Ramsay: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwjUfM54ehE). Meaning that although Smyth is heading the kitchen, the restaurant is still defined by the image of a male chef. Which… is unfortunate to say the least, talk about chances of breaking the glass ceiling.
There is hope though, that through interviews and narratives: (http://www.elitetraveler.com/features/the-rise-of-the-female-michelin-star-chef) provided by women who are breaking through the glass ceiling, like Smyth, are helping to shed light upon a flawed part of the system, encouraging other women to not be intimidated by a profession that is stereotyped as being feminine.