We need to talk about the phenomenon of the ‘open kitchen’ in restaurants
Adeline loves food, lots of it and often, both at home and out. Now, that usually goes well, but sometimes it doesn’t. In the series Eddie’s food annoyances, she shares her observations. This time: about the phenomenon of the open kitchen. Is the open kitchen a plus or a no-go?
It’s hate and it’s love. It’s wonderful and it’s horrifying. It’s the best idea, but at the same time also the worst. I’m talking about the open kitchen in a restaurant. At first I always think: ah, fun, now I can watch the head chef at work myself (provided there’s anything impressive going on in the kitchen, that is). But by the end, I’m mainly sniffing at my clothes and hair. The stench coming from that kitchen, what a stench. It’s as if someone wraps a blanket of fryer grease around you and you can only peel it off yourself under the shower once you get home.
All the red flags right in front of my face
Take that one time when I was gazing at the chef in admiration in a Mediterranean restaurant, because he was tossing the dishes out of his kitchen in flaming pans. I thought it was fantastic. Surely this was the best table in the restaurant? I also immediately overflow with confidence, because apparently they have nothing to hide. Of course I saw the clouds of smoke rising next to me, naturally I heard the fryer grease bubbling loudly, and sure enough, the soft sizzling of butter in the pan followed, but apparently you can wave all the red flags right in my face and I’ll still be wriggling with happiness.
Until my jacket started steaming a little during the meal. What on earth was that disgusting smell? Suddenly I understood why those other regulars were making a wide detour around the kitchen. They knew what I didn’t: you didn’t just go home with a well-filled stomach, but also anything but smelling fresh.
The open kitchen phenomenon
Fryer grease in your clothes, hair or stuck to your skin is simply nauseatingly disgusting. The funny thing is that something probably very tasty was being made in it. Which is a shame, because all your appetite for a delicious bite disappears as soon as you take such a whiff home with you. While one of your senses (sight) gets completely giddy with joy at the open kitchen phenomenon, the other (smell) literally turns up its nose. So what are you supposed to do?
Supersonic extraction
It’s very simple. FOR GOD’S SAKE, BUY A GOOD EXTRACTOR FAN. I swear I smelled as if I’d spent the entire morning rolling around in fryer grease as soon as I got home. When in reality, I’d been sitting and writing happily at the local lunch café. Every open kitchen should be required to have supersonic extraction, if only because the rest of the world doesn’t need to smell what you’ve eaten.
Amen.
Also read:
- Eddie’s food annoyances: people who complain about airplane food
- Eddie’s food annoyances: those restaurants where you get far too much food
- Why some people shouldn’t be allowed to use a self-checkout
