Murder in the Kitchen

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29 Aug 2014, 2:39 pm

Hmmm...

How does the rate that chefs get killed by subordinate cooks compare to that of..say...supervisers of auto mechanics getting offed by their journeymen? Or CPA's by subordinate book keepers? How often do heads of surgery get deliberately stabbed with scapels wielded by subordinate surgeons?

Im sure that the stats would be hard to gather.

Though military officers in combat do get "fragged". Thats not unheard of. There might be stats about that.

Dox47
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29 Aug 2014, 3:30 pm

naturalplastic wrote:

How does the rate that chefs get killed by subordinate cooks compare to that of..say...supervisers of auto mechanics getting offed by their journeymen? Or CPA's by subordinate book keepers? How often do heads of surgery get deliberately stabbed with scapels wielded by subordinate surgeons?

I don't know, but I also don't think any of those professions has quite the same combination of pressure, personal drama, intense heat, a shady workforce, and immediate access to weaponry that cooking does, factors that make violence seem almost inevitable.

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29 Aug 2014, 3:36 pm

Yeah but how often is aggravated 1st-degree murder in general committed in front of a crowd of witnesses(employees/customers)?

Highest stress time when someone might suddenly snap is obviously when there's a chit load of people in the restaurant.

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29 Aug 2014, 5:10 pm

Dox47 wrote:

You're reading way too much into my OP, I was just thinking about a chef I used to work for and how obnoxious he was, which got me thinking about how often cooks snap and stab their chefs, which turned out to be less often than I would have thought, though I'm having trouble finding any good data on it. Sounded like an interesting half serious topic for PPR, nothing more.

Maybe I did but you did tease by not elaborating immediately :lol:

It seem a reasonable inference to make.

I still repeat my point about anecdotally based theory not playing out that in reality.

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29 Aug 2014, 5:17 pm

Dox47 wrote:

naturalplastic wrote:

It that was that case, and I can't comment, you might actually find that the frequency of tiffs might actually serve as a somewhat healthy outlet for aggression.

Personally my aggression still puzzles me, but I'm not devoid of it. i think I have a healthy outlet for it.

I do think it is heavily based personality, though. Put wrong person in that situation, and you could have a ticking time bomb, but often the pathology shows that these people don't play straight in very many situations.

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29 Aug 2014, 5:24 pm

Also I wouldn't underestimate the power of group psychology/dynamic.

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29 Aug 2014, 5:35 pm

Maybe by the time they finish gutting, slicing, dicing, kneeding, pounding, and wielding their meat tenderizing mallets,and egg beaters, on the food itsself their aggressions are all spent.

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29 Aug 2014, 5:50 pm

naturalplastic wrote:

Maybe by the time they finish gutting, slicing, dicing, kneeding, pounding, and wielding their meat tenderizing mallets,and egg beaters, on the food itsself their aggressions are all spent.

mincing, grinding and pounding does tend to take it out of you yes :wink:

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29 Aug 2014, 10:00 pm

Dox47 wrote:

For those who've never worked in a commercial kitchen and think it's crazy that I'm saying I'd expect more murders, you have to imagine what it's like crammed into a tiny room with no space when the temperature is well over 100 F, being screamed at for minor mistakes by chefs who will not get out of your face, and being expected to turn out perfection, every time, no exceptions, at a truly insane pace, for poor money and a damaged body. Hell, just watch Gordon Ramsey for 15 minutes and try to not think about killing him even a little bit, you just can't do it.

I have my own theory that it's easier to take criticism, even screaming, in your face, spittle-flecked criticism, when you have the means to silence said critic literally in your hand, but I'd like to hear if anyone else has thoughts before elaborating.

I remember someone trying to hit Gordon Ramsay on one of his shows, but his superhuman reflexes won out.
What I don't understand is why anyone would want to work for jerks who shout at their underlings. And if people need to work at a ridiculous pace, it usually means the place is understaffed.

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