There was a headline splashed across the internet news today and an imminent interview to be conducted on a morning news program which I didn’t watch about young Australians not being able to hack training as junior chefs as the hours are too long and the reality of being a chef doesn’t conform to the ideals portrayed in shows such as “Masterchef” and “My Kitchen Rules”.
The interview and complaints were by “celebrity” chef, Neil Perry and I can’t argue with his expertise but I do wonder if he is expecting too much of young Australians.
As I said I didn’t see the interview but the jist of the argument seemed to be the old chesnut about young Aussies being soft and lazy and and we need to bring in overseas people to take up the cudgels which are being left by the failure of our society to produce automons who just want to spend their whole lives working to the detriment of fun and frivolity.
Now, I have a nephew who has made a very good fist of being a chef and I don’t have a lot to do with him but he has done very well and I can imagine he has worked very hard to get to where he is and he has reaped a lot of benefits from his hard work. He certainly seems to lead a full life as he has just been married and is enjoying himself on his honeymoon visiting Legoland and Universal Studios among other attractions in the United States.
But it doesn’t mean that all of us are cut out to do such work.
With the proliferation of cooking shows on television I imagine there has been a rush to the colours for young people thinking they can make it as chefs and it is not surprising to me that suddenly there is a high drop out rate among these apprentices. It doesn’t mean we are suddenly in mortal danger of becoming a nation of bludgers I’m sure. It just means some people seduced by a certain idea sometimes find that their chosen profession isn’t for them afterall. So be it.
I have been around a bit and things aren’t perfect in the world or in this nation but it does seem that Aussies for the most part are a fairly hard working bunch as everything appears to be running with a certain efficiency in society and we are not in danger of falling to third world standards anytime soon due to a chronic outbreak of laziness among the youth of Australia.
I think we sometimes need to look past these headlines and look at the youth of today with a more positive attitude. Just because many aren’t cutting the mustard as chefs doesn’t mean they can’t make a positive contribution elswhere. And many are.
And lets hope that we continue to be a society where hard work is valued but where taking time out for ourselves to enjoy life is also a necessary ingredient in creating a succesful nation.
The interview and complaints were by “celebrity” chef, Neil Perry and I can’t argue with his expertise but I do wonder if he is expecting too much of young Australians.
As I said I didn’t see the interview but the jist of the argument seemed to be the old chesnut about young Aussies being soft and lazy and and we need to bring in overseas people to take up the cudgels which are being left by the failure of our society to produce automons who just want to spend their whole lives working to the detriment of fun and frivolity.
Now, I have a nephew who has made a very good fist of being a chef and I don’t have a lot to do with him but he has done very well and I can imagine he has worked very hard to get to where he is and he has reaped a lot of benefits from his hard work. He certainly seems to lead a full life as he has just been married and is enjoying himself on his honeymoon visiting Legoland and Universal Studios among other attractions in the United States.
But it doesn’t mean that all of us are cut out to do such work.
With the proliferation of cooking shows on television I imagine there has been a rush to the colours for young people thinking they can make it as chefs and it is not surprising to me that suddenly there is a high drop out rate among these apprentices. It doesn’t mean we are suddenly in mortal danger of becoming a nation of bludgers I’m sure. It just means some people seduced by a certain idea sometimes find that their chosen profession isn’t for them afterall. So be it.
I have been around a bit and things aren’t perfect in the world or in this nation but it does seem that Aussies for the most part are a fairly hard working bunch as everything appears to be running with a certain efficiency in society and we are not in danger of falling to third world standards anytime soon due to a chronic outbreak of laziness among the youth of Australia.
I think we sometimes need to look past these headlines and look at the youth of today with a more positive attitude. Just because many aren’t cutting the mustard as chefs doesn’t mean they can’t make a positive contribution elswhere. And many are.
And lets hope that we continue to be a society where hard work is valued but where taking time out for ourselves to enjoy life is also a necessary ingredient in creating a succesful nation.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 