Stay Out of the Kitchen...Until the Cook Invites You
When I was growing up, my family alternated who hosted the holiday meal between my parents home on Long Island and my Aunt Marie's in Connecticut. The meal consisted of a traditional 7 course Italian feast and to say it was a lot of work is an understatement. In total there were 16 people in attendance and my mom and aunt would start cooking weeks ahead of time.
Upon arriving at Aunt Marie's house you were assaulted by heavenly smells that reflected generations of cooking and recipes that had been passed down through the amazing women in my family. The immediate instinct was to run (not walk) to the kitchen to hope for a sampling of something...anything. This urge was always brought to a screeching halt if Aunt Marie was standing in the kitchen.
Aunt Marie would hold up her hand to stop us from moving and tell us "Do not talk to me yet...stay out of the kitchen until I am ready" Once she had her head wrapped around the intricate orchestration of getting all the food out at the proper time at the proper temperature...we would be invited into the kitchen to take part in the preparation and sneak a bite or two. I have such fond memories of her kitchen...but only after I was invited in by my aunt...the cook.
This lesson of patience, respect and clear communication has stayed with me all these years. As with many other lessons I learned from my mother, aunts and grandmothers, I have applied this simple truth in the work place with tremendous success. When offering to help an employee or coworker with a project at work I remember to wait until the cook invites me in. It has saved not only many relationships but has produced some beautiful "meals" at work.
Upon arriving at Aunt Marie's house you were assaulted by heavenly smells that reflected generations of cooking and recipes that had been passed down through the amazing women in my family. The immediate instinct was to run (not walk) to the kitchen to hope for a sampling of something...anything. This urge was always brought to a screeching halt if Aunt Marie was standing in the kitchen.
Aunt Marie would hold up her hand to stop us from moving and tell us "Do not talk to me yet...stay out of the kitchen until I am ready" Once she had her head wrapped around the intricate orchestration of getting all the food out at the proper time at the proper temperature...we would be invited into the kitchen to take part in the preparation and sneak a bite or two. I have such fond memories of her kitchen...but only after I was invited in by my aunt...the cook.
This lesson of patience, respect and clear communication has stayed with me all these years. As with many other lessons I learned from my mother, aunts and grandmothers, I have applied this simple truth in the work place with tremendous success. When offering to help an employee or coworker with a project at work I remember to wait until the cook invites me in. It has saved not only many relationships but has produced some beautiful "meals" at work.
Read more inspirational stories like this one in my upcoming book:
Labels: inspiration, success-stories
posted by Michelle Yozzo Drake at 10:15 AM
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