The first time I ever saw the term “Sous Chef,” which I’ve since learned is pronounced “soo,” it was spelled “Suisse.” I assumed that was simply a pretentious spelling for a “Swiss Chef,” although there was nothing Swiss about the NYC restaurant that employed my friend. They didn’t serve fondue. And they weren’t chocolatiers. I eventually learned the correct spelling and pronunciation, and that the Sous was second in command to the Chef.
In our kitchen, I am second in command to San Geraldo — only because there’s no one else. Dudo and Moose refuse to help. I consider myself a Seuss Chef — in honor of the American author, Dr. Seuss, famous for the story of “Green Eggs and Ham,” which inspired more than 25 years later the “Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook.”
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| SHRIMP AND FRUIT SALAD A LA SAN GERALDO. |
Of course, I don’t really intend to be second-in-command, or any level thereof, in San Geraldo’s kitchen. The only reason I’m in there is to clean up after The Chef.
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| MIXED VEGETABLES A LA SAN GERALDO. |
The Chef, San Geraldo, was cooking up another wonderful meal Sunday night. Once he had the chicken in the oven and the vegetables simmering on the stove, he left the kitchen for a few minutes. I headed in to do some clean-up.
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| CHICKEN STIR-FRY, VEGETABLES, AND MASHED SQUASH A LA SAN GERALDO. |
There were some discards on the large wooden cutting board, which I tossed in the trash before washing the board. Within a few minutes, the kitchen was spotless.
San Geraldo returned. “Wow. The kitchen looks great. Thanks.”
After looking around a bit, he asked, “Where’d you put the ginger and celery root I had chopped up on the cutting board?”
I confidently replied, “In the trash!”
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| SEUSS CHEF A LA MEDITERRANEO. (MY SPECIALTY… NEVER OVERDONE) |
Oh dear.
San Geraldo's food looks delicious. But that top photo…if someone put green eggs and ham in front of me, I would head for the hills!
Judith:
I agree. The first beer I ever had was on Saint Patrick's Day. It was green. I still can't get that image out of my head.
I love the "Seuss Chef" – mind if I borrow it to explain my function to my friend when she cooks? Throwing away the chopped items sounds similar to things I have done quite a few times – and I get the same exasperated response from the cook each time. I try to explain that it's HER fault for letting me in the kitchen while she is in the middle of preparing something. I guess she just doesn't understand a "Seuss Chef".
Jo:
I usually ask before I do anything. Fortunately, San Geraldo just laughed when I told him what I had done. Maybe we should have Seuss Chef certificates…
Phew! For a second I thought you may be 'in-training'! lol
Best stay at the beach and stay out of trouble!
Jim:
Not a worry. San Geraldo is as bad at clean-up as I am at prep.
I don't have to worry about Bill throwing anything away… he doesn't even go near the kitchen, except maybe in the evening to get out his gallon of ice cream for his evening snack. San G.'s food looks wonderful… I'd clean up that kitchen any day!
Sharon:
I think I have a pretty good deal.
That salad looks magnificent and as hot as it still is here I may just have to make one myself!
Btw, you, dear Seuss Chef, are never allowed in my kitchen…my house, yes…my kitchen? Nuh Uh, no way, NO trespassing.
Jacquelineand…
You are a very smart woman. However, I am incredible at clean-up and I've even been known to pack up and put left-overs away (although that borders on "cooking").
Haaaaaaaaaaaa! That's great! What a story :))
Jerry's meals look SO SO SO SO SO delicious! (You seeing this, Jerry? 😉
I'll tell you what… I would so much more enjoy evening cooking if someone ELSE were doing the cleanup. Doing both is exhausting. During college, for a semester, I lived with my (first serious) boyfriend, and he, at first, thought it sounded fair to have me cook and him clean up. But, then, he started questioning how many pots and how many bowls I used, "Why do we have to have a serving bowl?????" , "Did you really have to use a second pot to cook the vegetables??", "Do we really have to have three food items that cook in separate pots???" (you get the picture)
That's not who I ended up marrying 🙂
(Haaaa… the one I married doesn't do ANY of the cleanup *LOL*)
Judeet:
Several years ago, when I was working and San Geraldo was not (briefly) and my job was hell, he was supposed to both cook and clean. We'd go until I couldn't take it anymore (usually a week). I would then head into the kitchen and wash a week's worth of dishes. I would then take out the week's worth of trash. Our new system works so much better.
San Geraldo uses a lot of extra pots, pans, and serving pieces. But, as long as he cooks, I'm not complaining!
I was recently served green chicken in Inda. I refused to eat it and someone else at our table gobbled it up.They were sick for three days.
Stephen:
Good move. I wouldn't have eaten the green chicken either.
Oh, to have San Geraldo's meals! I would like them in a box…I would like them with a fox…
Michelle:
I take it you would also eat them here or there… you would eat them anywhere. (I would, too.)
Oh, bad Seuss Chef, bad Seuss Chef!
Oh, no, Bob. I'm a very good "Seuss" chef. But I'd sure be a lousy Sous one.
Or maybe it was Alan Sues…
Walt the Fourth:
Hello little friends, hello.
Alan Sues made the best "butter peanut" sandwich ever!
Sous chef Sues
Dean:
Thanks for the reminder. Just thinking of it made me smile. I loved Uncle Al!
My first response to those green eggs was to salivate. They do look so darned attractive. Whether the response would be the same if they were to be served up under my nose remains open to speculation.
Raybeard;
You seem to be the only one with that initial reaction to the green eggs. Maybe they remind you of vegetables.
I only have this deal on holidays when my kids will clean up everything…….Blessings on them! I wish someone would cook for me, sometimes, but usually I really enjoy it a lot. And San Geraldo's food looks delicious and very healthy and I bet he enjoys cooking, too….No green eggs, no green ham, for me, thank you!
Kristi:
It's very lucky San Geraldo loves to cook. Otherwise we'd eat out every meal or live on frozen pizzas and Mac & Cheese…
You need to find more holidays.
A brilliant solution! Any suggestions?
it all looks better than the mundane stuff we eat over here.
Spo:
Everything tastes better with a little San Geraldo.
Beautiful meals but I'll take a pass on the green eggs and ham, Suess fan though I am! (Hey, that rhymed.)
Knatolee:
So, you're a poet and you didn't know it but your feet show it… because they're long fellows?