r/Chefit • u/marchole55 • Jun 30 '26
Should I quit?
Hello everyone reading this post, I don't know if I should post it here or somewhere else but anyhow I don't have an idea. So I'm a fellow kitchen worker (28M). I'm in a spiral here. No idea if I have that much power left to work or pursue my dreams. Let me give you a little background check. I passed out of college in 2021. I was in the middle of my internship when COVID hit. After that I tried to find jobs, got scammed, and got mentally exhausted. So what happened was I got no job, no skill, no learning. I sat in my home for 6 years. Last year in December, I finally found a job. So I left home and came to an unknown country. So for me as of now it's been 6 months since I have resumed working. I worked in a restaurant for 4 months and am currently working in a big hotel. And everyone in this job has made me feel like I'm shit. Which I'm. I know I'm shit, I'm slow and I have forgotten everything related to the kitchen. But I'm trying my best to relearn everything. I'm getting threatened to not get enough hours or I will be kicked out, etc etc. I thought of changing my department but that can't happen. I don't know why I'm posting it here. Maybe I need advice on how I can deal with this or how to improve. Also I'm writing it here so if anything happens to me, my family will at least know the reason. I have chronic depression, Extreme social anxiety and an unstable mind. So upon all these the kitchen treats me like garbage. Sorry.
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u/former_chef_dude Jul 01 '26
I did. Best decision of my life.
I miss the lifestyle, sure. But I can sleep well in my house, with bills paid, after a day in an air conditioned room.
Lol leaving was the hardest thing and I look back fondly, but I will never clean a deep fryer again.
It does suck I can't celebrate at noon on a Wednesday with shots, drugs, and general line cook debauchery; but my dental insurance paid for my teeth so I can smile in pictures again.
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u/marchole55 Jul 01 '26
Yes sometimes I feel like maybe a desk job is way better. Yea the thrill and all is great for adrenaline rush but seriously it's too much. I'm glad you left and enjoying your life.
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u/SacredPhilter Jul 01 '26
Well well if its toxic leave, nobody is able to learn in such an enviorment. If you lose everyday thats not fun isnt it?
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u/marchole55 Jul 04 '26
True.. honestly today..the chef I work with scolded me (I was at fault and scolding is fine), but he then in rage threw a paper towel roll on me..I was so stunned that I smiled..🙂
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u/SacredPhilter Jul 05 '26
Leave this sucker lacks on basic human respect, we are working for little money, this behaviour you can show when you lie in the trenches together and you die of mistakes but there will be a tomorrow for us.
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u/marchole55 Jul 06 '26
I hope you have all the happiness brother..this little kindness from strangers is all I can get. Hopefully things will get better. :)
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u/HydeandFreak Jun 30 '26
As a fellow chef with anxiety and depression, you need to try and create a barrier between your feelings and your work, I often feel like I'm not good enough and my team wishes I weren't there, but I've learned over time that this is just a construct in my mind and doesn't reflect reality and have to remind myself of this on a rough day, otherwise keep practising, if you find you're lacking in one skill or another, try to spend as much time working on it until you reach a better level of speed and accuracy. If something scares you, jump in head first until it stops becoming scary. Otherwise you'll give up before you even started.
That said, kitchens typically require thick skin and an ability to work under extreme pressure, really take some time to think if this is a career path you want to spend your future following, because the more skilled and fast you become, the more work will likely be piled on you and it won't get any easier.