crossposting this from /ck/ because I like /trv/s opinions sometimes
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.
>>1088152
You don't have to speak perfect French or Spanish to move to Europe for culinary experience. Start learning now, you have a year, that's enough to know enough Spanish to hold most conversations as it's a very easy language to learn.
The best suggestion I can give is to go to a country of which cuisine you will specialize in. If you're into French food move to France, if you're into Thai food move to Thailand. Getting visas will be the difficult part.
>>1088367
I get that. Go where my taste buds want the most. And that's great. But you have to realize I'm dick deep in this right now. Yeah, I'm technically trained classically french, and six months in rural france would do me great. But so would six months in Greece, or Sardinia, or Brazil, or Montreal. I've got a pretty good hold on world cuisine, but its all from an outsiders perspective. I'm here asking you guys because I feel like I'm missing something. If I go to Auckland will I learn how to cook lamb better than anywhere else? Will six months in Rio change my life? This isn't just a cuisine question, we live in a global community. There's french restaurants in Indonesia, they have $$$$ brazilian in Prague. But where am I going to improve as not just a cook but a human being the most?
I have plenty of ideas, and I'll probably get going on my language skills even if I end up in NYC for some stupid fucking reason next year. But I would feel like I fucked up if I didn't at least see what everyone else has to offer.
So I guess, if you need a better question /trv/, where was your best meal /trv/?
>>1088152
I'd vouch for Japan or Korea if you want to diversify. Spend a year or two in somewhere like Akita or Pusan... Getting good at real Japanese or Korean cuisine might add an interesting flair to whatever you've gotten good at in the North East. The trick is they really like to have people speaking the language when they hire, so you're really going to need to be a skilled chef if you want to land a good hotel job in East Asia.
>>1088401
that sounds great, but I can't put much faith in me learning Korean or Japanese. Communication is the most important thing in the kitchen, I wouldn't want to handicap myself like that.
>>1088152
Former head chef here
You culinary kids crack me up. You'll be on the line like the rest of the newbies, you can use that diploma to soak up your tears after you learn how things are in a real kitchen. Do you enjoy having insults and blunt objects hurled at you? Then by all means try to make it in France. They will eat you alive with a side of creme fraiche.
As for your "internship", it's great that you could find a restaurant willing to accept free labour. Trust me, when someone offers to work for me for free I'm usually not reluctant. After the GM is done laughing hysterically, he'll sign off on those internship papers that should definitely qualify you for a job on friers at Applebee's.
Since you have likely never been to jail and could probably pass a piss test, I see no reason why you should throw your life away working in kitchens. It's shitty, thankless work for terrible pay. And benefits? Let me put it this way If you're lucky, they haven't salted the cooking wine and you can get through another day. That enough benefits for ya?
>TL:DR
get out while you still can
>>1088421
its funny because on /ck/, at the end of my post I put a disclaimer about how not to bother with the whole culinary school is for shit why bother debt sentence go wash dishes cooking is for felons nonsense, but elected not to put it in this thread because I figured this board wouldn't need it, but here I am telling you the exact same fucking shit.
i've only seen one unpaid internship even offered to anyone, and that was for blue hill at stone barns. I appreciate the warning, as I have from the countless others who have hurled it my way but honestly this isn't the place for it. I've heard it all and I've made my decision regardless.
Honest answer? I've never been one for traditional education and I'm getting into culinary as a capstone for my personal learning experience. I have no intention of spending the rest of my life in a kitchen but I mean to put everything I have into my time there, and dodge every flying pan that comes my way. If you have anything meaningful to add, please go ahead but if you just want to bitch about your own career please go ahead and post it elsewhere. People will appreciate it, and I mean that sincerely.
>>1088426
Go ahead and piss your life away if you're so sure you got it all figured out. When the sound of a chit printer triggers your PTSD, don't say nobody warned ya.
>>1088427
sounds like a personal problem, pussy.
>>1088429
You'll see...
>>1088401
Drop trip, weeaboo. The answer to every question on /trv/ is not "go to Japan"
>>1088401
No, seriously, when you're throwing out retarded ideas, stop and think for a second that if someone is stupid enough to think a culinary degree is worth the paper it's printed on, they might be stupid enough to think a gaijin's resume would actually make it to the McDonald's manager's desk in Tokyo. Do you want this kid to suffer or are you really refusing to give up on the weeb dream?
>>1088410
And I thought the first response is stupid! The fact that a culinary student actually would go out and try to tell someone what is and isn't important in the kitchen really boggles my mind. You honestly think the only problem in this ironically named "travel logix" plan is the language barrier?
>>1088719
Fuck off. You only hear what you want to hear. You don't want an opinion you want validation.
>>1088730
Communication IS the most important thing.
I don't know what I did to offend you fuckers, I'm not being unreasonable I really can go anywhere in the world so why wouldn't I take advantage? I don't need anyone's approval I just want to know where /trv/ has eaten well...
>>1088399
>technically trained classically French
Ahahahahaha ahah
Hahaha
Hahahah
Kid, you're fresh out of culinary, literally when I'm hiring a team I don't even look at the education section, neither do any of my fellow chefs. 17 year olds who have summer/weekended in Italian family restaurants would get hired over you. Experience is everything in this industry, education is nothing.
If some fuck fresh out of culinary came in and told me he was "trained classically French" and showed up with his knives the course gave him, his first job would be to clean the piss out of my pants after I stopped laughing.
Have fun being scheduled to 32 hour weeks with closing shifts Saturday you insufferable little shit.
>>1088826
well I already have a job at a very nice place so I guess just fuck off? I only mentioned it because I enjoy cooking French food not to pretend I'm better than anyone. Sorry I'm trying to take advantage of all the opportunities I have.
You sound bitter.
>>1088828
Oh yeah? How many hours per week are you currently working there and how much do they pay you?
>>1088829
It's for the summer, I'm guaranteed 40 at 11 and I've been told if I want to work banquets and weddings I can pretty much work as much overtime as I want.
>>1088832
Ahahahahaha haha
Let me guess kid, you've got a buyout clause and union contact for your "guaranteed" job. Kid, in this industry nothing is guaranteed. You earn it.
Hell yes I'm bitter, you show me any 15 year industry vet who isn't! If you weren't such a pretentious little shit I would have got you a gig in an upscale seafood bistro in Vancouver under a Red Seal guy with one call. Why? Because I like ambitious young guys who keep their ears open, their heads down and their mouths closed. Hell, I've let rookies use my personal knives till they could get their own.
Little brats who think they are "classically trained" get weeded out quickly. Enjoy being the assistant weekday line manager at Applebee's.
In a few years, that is.
>>1088842
at no point in this thread or my education in general have I been pretentious, I've said plenty of times I just work my ass off and stay humble and learn what I can. It sounds like you've had some bad experiences with culinary grads and I've seen quite a few kids especially coming out of other schools with a big ego and nothing to back it up. But honestly most of the people here have a good sense of humility and I've heard the same from people outside. But you and others see a couple phrases that trigger you and ignore the rest of what I've said. I'm just here to learn, not pretend I'm the next big thing.
Look I'm not asking for a job or to talk about the merits of school, I was just hoping /trv/ would want to talk about good food and where to get it. Like I've said before, I've been researching all I can about where my next move is, I thought I should get some perspective on great food cities from people who have actually been there.
