My story in Hotel Management | Part 3 | "Making a wise decision" - Konversations Community

My story in Hotel Management | Part 3 | "Making a wise decision"

Chirag Shukla
March 12, 2018
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I began working for what is regarded as the best hotel in the world, in a small town in Rajasthan. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for me, and a direct route to O.C.L.D. The plan was set, and I had put it in motion.

The city itself was a lot slower than Mumbai, and it took some time to adjust to haggling for the auto fares in the city. The first week alone was miserable, with the auto guys looking at my SoBo Ajao-Sab-Mera-Ullu-Banao face and quoting 100 bucks for a 3-minute distance. I obliged. The following weeks were better as I learned routes and approximate costs. My mother had settled me in a fantastic PG, with a second-hand washing machine, cooler, and fridge. Life seemed fantastic.

But it was all about to change.

A day in my week began at 4:30 AM, and by 5:00 AM I reported to the hotel kitchen. I was responsible for the morning set-up of the kitchen and the mis-en-place (French term which basically translates to placement and organization of ingredients prior to service. This is also why food in restaurants takes 15 minutes and not an hour to prepare.)

During work, my rapport with the Chefs began to improve as we got to know each other better and I began to learn more and more. Over the weeks, I developed cute nicknames such as “Chodu Ram Mumbai Waley”, “Chutiyo key raja”, “OCLD Final round” and my personal favorite “Townie F****r”. I remember preparing close to 8 orders in 20 minutes, as order slips kept piling up on the pass. Days used to be so busy that Chefs from other sections would come to assist us with orders. As I learned more, my responsibilities grew, and so did my confidence.

For those not from a hotel background, it is understood that F&B and Kitchen work on less than cordial terms. The occasional, “Oye service key b*** wale” and “oye C****U IRD order uthayega ya firr scooter pey guest key ghar ley jau” were a comic relief.

An incident still fills me up with pride wherein a Service employee accused me by saying “Abey G****U fries soggy kyu diya hai”, to which I responded, “abbey haan woh g***d mein daala thaa na toh soggy hogaya”. The sheer frustration and the exhilaration that comes with the job makes Chefs some of the hilarious people to work with. As rude as they may have been, there was not one Chef in the kitchen who didn’t go out of their way to teach me. They had all started to become like my family.

But all was not going well on my end. I was hardly getting ample sleep, the working hours were too long, and my body was resisting such a grueling regime. It was then that I realized that I am not cut out for a profession as physically demanding as this. Executives persuaded me to stay, but it just didn’t happen for me. So, I quit.

What I want to get across to the reader is this:

If you’re considering doing Hotel Management or a future in kitchens, know this:

I have worked for 9 hours, and I have also worked for 18 hours. There have been times where I have considered placing a mattress under the kitchen sink and sleeping in the hotel. I have worked for a week on 4 hours of sleep, almost slept off while frying kebabs at work. There is no social life, there are no weekends, no holidays. The work is physically very demanding, and the environment involves very high pressure. If you’re in it for the money, there is hardly any (not in the first 3-4 years anyway).

It is NEVER too late to get out of what you feel you’re not cut out for. The faster you get out, the faster you can explore options more suitable. It’s not like if you quit your job, people will question you. Let me put it this way:

Myth: “Oh he is the one who left his job na. What’ll he do in life now? He’ll be a failure”

Reality: “Oh you quit your job because of XYZ reason? must be tough.”

Remember, people may not support you and may advise you against it. But if you go to work every day dreading every single minute you’ll have to spend there, get out immediately.

If you’re a parent reading this, please do not live through your kids. I know officially anyone above 18 is an adult, but the truth is that your child needs your guidance his/her entire life. I know you’re ambitious, I know you want your kid to buy you an Audi in the next 5 years, but he/she won’t be able to afford a Hot Wheels Audi also if they get fired from a job they didn’t even like. Please don’t call them names and imply they do not have the caliber to be extraordinary at what they do because even though half the kids these days are dumb and extremely ordinary, the other half continually dreams of that Audi for you. Your child is more ambitious than you think. It’s high time we realize that.

Link to Part 1: https://konversations.com/stories/index/my-story-in-hotel-management-part-1-to-do-or-not-to-do

Link to Part 2: https://konversations.com/stories/index/my-story-in-hotel-management-part-2-please-dont-do-1

Chirag Shukla
Looking to do something creative with my life instead of suffocating in a 9-5 gas chamber.

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My story in Hotel Management | Part 3 | "Making a wise decision"

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My story in Hotel Management | Part 1 "To do or not to do"

My story in Hotel Management | Part 2 | "Please don't do"

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