so I'm a culinary student, I'm doing pretty fucking great in my classes and I have top notch internship lined up this year. If all goes well I'll be in a solid position to go literally anywhere in the world next summer and I'm trying to get a jump on it. Right now I live in the Northeast United States and I could bounce from restaurant to hotel for the rest of my life if I wanted to, learning and experiencing plenty, but I'd like to use my vocation to travel and actually see the world. It's too bad I don't speak french and my spanish sucks, living and working in Europe or South America would be my first choice but I'm down for anything. I'm obviously not asking /ck/ to make my decisions for me here, I am constantly doing research and analyzing what I really want and what would be best for me and my career. But I feel like I'm sleeping on some world class cities and cuisine. So what am I missing? What are some highly livable cities I should be looking at? I need a place with a good drinking culture, I can't be stuck in some backwater full of senior citizens any longer.
also, I know the kneejerk reaction here is going to comment on culinary school being a waste of money, or putting false confidence in my skills, or tell me to go wash dishes or something stupid. Look, I get it. I'm actually pretty humble in the kitchen and I'm always doing the dirty work and pulling my weight. And anything you have to tell me about school I've heard/experienced already. Save your breath please. Lets just talk about world class food, ok?
>>7444120
for the sake of remaining anonymous I'm not going to say where I go.
but no
I've been thinking about Ibiza, I think if I buckled down I could get my spanish up there. I'd probably need to get a beach body too though cuz right now I look like a greek shipping mogul.
NOLA
>>7445232
maybe, can't pretend I haven't thought about it
>>7446418
Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Seoul, Rio, Buenos Aires, Santiago, NY, Quebec, Madrid, Rome/Italy, Istanbul, Dubai, etc.
It all depends what you're looking for, but by the way you sound, something like San Francisco is the place for you
Try Hamburg, it's an interesting city with great drinking culture, tons of pubs and clubs and damn good restaurants. Also it's a port city so you get tons of fish and seafood.
>>7446929
Second vote for Hong Kong. Not sure if you can cook here if you're not a local though, I have no idea how it works.
Prepare to be an alcoholic. Culinary industry is unforgiving.
>>7444114
Australia, gold coast or townsville.
>Speak english
>great drinking culture
>lots of different cuisine.
>>7447107
Australia sounds fun, definitely another place where I'd have to get a beach body. But I love Australians I always have a good time when I meet up with some if them.
>>7447057
Hong Kong feels like a place where all the cooks are all local. Southeast Asia in general is a place I haven't really heard of people going to cook unless you're an executive at the corporate hotel. I could be wrong though. Would be nice to visit regardless.
>culinary school
No kitchen will hire you ad hoc to do anything worthwile without at least 3 years experience
>>7447526
thanks for reading the op, in fact I've been hired at a phenomenal kitchen for this summer and they have me at a great station. I have classmates working right now with chefs I really shouldn't talk about on shitholes like this place. But thanks!
>>7444114
If we aren't talking food, but making the best options for yourself afterwards.. i'd consider moving to denmark, the red-brown passport makes it possible for you to travel into 173 countries without a visum - and makes it alot easier to explore the world afterwards if you want some more knowledge from other kitchens around the world (the danish passport - is number 3 on the world list of "Passports with most entrys"
>>7447107
Fucking Townsville XD who would even go to that furnace shit hole of a town
>>7444114
As long as you truly have humility, you will be fine.
Find the best Chef and kitchen you can work in, and begin to really learn.
Follow that fucker around and make him believe you are there to assist and make his life easier in any way you can.
Be available always.
Be valuable.
Work long hours.
Come in early, stay later.
Never ask for more money, that will come.
Golden employee:
Show up
Show up on time (early)
Follow directions
Say hello and goodbye, be positive always
Do those things perfectly for years, while raising your level of awareness in said kitchen....you will eventually be a Chef.
Cooking great food that is consistently plated beautifully is just part of being a Chef. Learn kitchen politics, how to deal with personalities in kitchens, lead, motivate, control labor and food costs, cleanliness, sanitation, etc...be the "big picture" guy.
Good luck.
This business is mostly thankless, but there are moments of great instant gratification when a guest tells you "that's the best meal I've ever had!"
Oh. And stay the fuck away from drugs and alcohol. Find other outlets for your, at times, unbearable stress and anxiety.
>>7444339
>Ibiza
>Selling botchelism burgers to pissed/ketted/coked up 20-somethings
Yeah go for it dude.
>>7444114
Spanish is pretty easy, and if you're gonna work in the kitchen you better at least know some gutter spanish, otherwise you won't be able to communicate with 80% of the staff.
I say go to Rio, learn Portuguese, then go to Brasilia and learn about weird fruits and amazon fish and shit.
>>7444114
Try to learn french and come here, it's awesome (btw i'm french), but try to avoid Paris...
>>7447578
I've never been but I was under the impression it was a playground for the rich as well as the eurorave spot. I've seen some pretty nice places there.
>>7447579
Rio is a fucking shit hole. Go to são Paulo, or go to Belo Horizonte instead.
Ok first of all, calm the fuck down, you're (barely) a cook. Nobody gives a shit, and people with more money than you (most everyone) will not so secretly look down on you for the rest of your life, cause you're "working class". You're not hot shit, there are 10,000 South Americans lining up to do your job for less, so shut the fuck up. This is coming from a culinary grad and 6 year (so far) veteran of this bullshit, so I say this with love, you fucking faggot.
So you wanna go out, see the world and learn some cool shit. Good for you, I didn't have the balls to leave my home country. Two places that nobody has mentioned, top food cities in their respective countries, and they speak English, and probably drink. Montreal, Canada, or Melbourne, Australia. If you're an American like me, California, New York, Las Vegas, and to a lesser extent Phoenix, New Orleans and Seattle have some pretty serious restaurants.
What are you trying to get out of this? It seems like partying is as important to you as your career. This won't do. I don't know how much exposure you have to this industry so far, but usually the nicer the restaurant, the harder you're gonna work. If you have energy to get fucked up and chase servers after your shift, you're probably not working(learning) hard enough. But yeah look at Melbourne and Montreal if you haven't already. Hope this helps. Good luck, you fucking idiot, and welcome to the club.
>>7448009
This is all truth, unless you have connections like Anthony Bourdain the life of a cook is a bunch of hard work.
Culinary Grad, worked 2 years in a 3 star hotel. I realized I'd rather do customer service so I became a server. Unless you really really love food being a cook is not an ideal job. You work harder than anyone and you get paid the least. It's ridiculous.
>>7448009
I try to stay really humble in the kitchen, I don't have any preconceived notions about anything. I'm just here to learn you know? At the same time though I've heard from a lot of people to look at your stretch goals and go all out, surprise yourself. Even my internship this summer, if you told me I was going to work there last year I would have laughed in your face.
And I shouldn't have made it seem like I just want to get out and party, that's not it at all. Been there done that. But on the other hand I've been stuck in middle of no where old people towns many times in my life and I just can't do it anymore. I need at least the opportunity to go have fun. If I'm too busy for all that shit, good. Plus I really like cooking for that crowd, old people have shitty palettes.
Montreal's a good fit. I've put some thought into it before, and I like the whole New France thing. Plus its like a six hour drive.
I haven't really looked into Melbourne but the idea of going to Australia is pretty tantalizing. I guess I don't really know much beyond the obvious+sailor buddy stories. Aussie chicks are hot.
New Orleans feels like another country at this point, I have to go take a trip and see whats up there. I've heard nothing but good things (at least from the food side of it)
>>7447646
that's the dream anon. we'll see how good I can get.
