Jan 10 2009
My Last post was about being a “South Paw”, Today… how that affects me in the kitchen?
Most people don’t think that using a different hand, changes anything. Well I’m here to tell you IT DOES!
I really didn’t understand it myself, until I had the opportunity to work in a “left-handed” kitchen! Yes I worked in a kitchen totally set up for a south paw!!!! My boss and the owner was lefty as well so He set it up the way He wanted and didn’t care if a person how was right-handed came in and had a hard time!
It was His kitchen, so they would have to deal for a change!!!
I loved it, I couldn’t believe how much easier my life was! Everything I had always struggled with in the past was a breeze here. It sounds odd but even the placement of the refrigerators, or how the doors open, make a HUGE difference and most can be adjusted for those of us using the wrong hand. The can opener was in the right place for me, I no longer hit my knuckles on the wall while using it. The stove was positioned so that I could get to everything and still have my cutting board on the left side of my station!! I was in Heaven!
From that point on it was our joke that you had to not only have tattoo’s to work in our kitchen, you had to be left-handed as well! We pulled it off for a while, I think we were in business for just over a year before we got our first right-handed cook. And boy was it fun to watch him struggle… He kept bitching…Why can’t we move this?, why is that there?, I hate this set up, this kitchen is all ass-backwards!! I hate you guys!!!!! We would just laugh and say “get over it, we did for years!”
Now to go a bit deeper into the whole thing. I have a few knives that have left-handed handles, but their hard to find. however when you hone your blade, the hand you hold it in determines which side is going to be more sharp! If a right-handed chef picks up my knife and tries to use it they will think it’s dull, I love this, It keeps them from ever grabbing my tools! Even after I show them that when I use it, it is as sharp as theirs they have a hard time believing that it makes such a difference.
Now days you can find just about anything made for us lefties, but as I said they are not always easy to come across! Most stores just don’t stock them!
I found this great site that offers a wide range of things for all of us south paws! ( You will also find other links to more sites on there )!
Well I hope I’ve opened your eyes a bit wider, and maybe taught you something.
I really just wanted to rant about being back in a right-handed kitchen!!
James
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