I work in a kitchen. I've never actually met a chef before.

I’ve worked in the kitchen for 12 years, I’m a prep cook. As a prep cook you do all the prep work, you chop the vegetables, you mix the sauces, you grate the cheese, you mince the meat, you do a lot of the grunt work. By the time the head chef steps in the food is already prepared, and all they have to do is throw it in the fryer, and add a sprinkle of seasoning. I’ve worked in restaurants, diners, food trucks, and even a couple of fancy places I should never have applied for. My point is that despite my years of experience I’ve never once seen a chef actually cook a meal from scratch. <br><br>It was a little strange, but I took to be the norm, and never really questioned it. That was until I started working at a restaurant called Schmeckts. It was a high end establishment that catered to the wealthy. Schmeckts took pride in their food, their decor, their chefs. Every new hire was given a thick handbook to read through before they could start. The handbook included the employee code of conduct, the dress code, the rules of the restaurant, and the restaurants history. It was the first time in my life an employer had provided me with a handbook. Schmeckts was a lot of firsts for me. As a prep cook who started her career in food trucks, and diners, and the occasional restaurant, the world of high end establishments was a lot to get used to. <br><br>The history of Schmeckts was probably the most interesting part. Word for word the Schmeckts history went something like this: <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>“ Schmeckts has been in operation ever since 1670. A tradition of fine dining, Schmeckts has timed and tested recipes that have been the joy of generations. Our restaurant has a long history, that dates back to the time of kings and queens. We have timed and tested recipes that have been used for centuries. Our chefs are world-renowned, and have come from the finest culinary schools. We take pride in our food, our chefs, and the atmosphere we create our guests. When you step into Schmeckts you’re not just here to eat, you’re here to experience dining at its finest. Our chefs have skills that are unmatchable, our dedication to food unmatched. The food at Schmeckts is a culinary work of art- and our chefs are the artists. Years of culinary experience, the finest ingredients, and an atmosphere of pampering at it’s finest. <br><br>We have a proud tradition of excellent customer service, and care for our employees. We pride ourselves in quality, skills, and the excellent tradition of fine dining that is Schmeckts.” <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>It was a bit over the top, but I’d seen worse. Every restaurant tries to pride themselves on something, and Schmeckts took pride in just about everything. <br><br>I had been working at Schmeckts for about a year when I finally worked up the courage to ask my manager, Alex, a question. Alex was an older man with a British accent. His eyes were grey- and he had almost no hair. He didn’t seem to like me very much, but he put up with me. He asked me what I wanted during dinner prep, and I told him that I had a question. <br><br>“You may ask-” He said, his voice thick with his British accent. <br><br>“I’ve worked in a kitchen for 12 years- and I’ve never once seen a chef actually cook a meal. Can you tell me why that is?” <br><br>I expected him to laugh. But to my surprise he didn’t. Instead he looked at me with a serious expression, and said: <br><br>“That’s because there’s no such thing as skills Alex. There’s no such thing as cooking. Cooking is a sham, and the truth is that there’s no such thing as a chef. Every restaurant you’ve worked at has lied to you- and I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” <br><br>I was horrified. I didn’t know what to say. I stood there frozen, my jaw slack, and my eyes wide as Alex went on. <br><br>“ I know it comes as a shock- but the truth is that the food you eat every day isn’t really food. The truth is that every restaurant in every city, in the world, uses the same technique to feed you. There’s no such thing as a recipe, there’s no such thing as a chef, there’s no such thing as cooking. There’s only the feeder. The feeder gives us the food we eat. The feeder grows it, the feeder harvests it, the feeder produces it. We use the feeders food, and sell it to you. <br><br>But where did the feeder come from? No one knows. The restaurant owner gives us the food every morning. We don’t question where the owner gets it from. We just take it, and we cook it as told. We season it with salt, and sometimes we marinate it for a while. But none of that matters, because when you bite into that food it’s not really food. It’s the feeder- and that’s all we know. <br><br>Restaurants operate in an unspoken harmony with one another. The feeder is never discussed- and the food is never questioned. You may wonder where the beef comes from- but the truth is no one knows. The beef is just the feeders beef. The chicken is the feeders chicken- and the vegetables are the feeders vegetables. The feeder is God when it comes to the food we eat, and we’re all at his mercy. No one knows who the feeder is- and at this point no one cares. You may never have put two and two together- but the truth is you eat the feeders food every day, and never even knew it. <br><br>Restaurants often have timed and tested recipes- but the truth is you don’t need a recipe to cook the feeders food. It’s easy to cook- and the taste is incredible. No one needs culinary skills- and no one needs a recipe. A simple seasoning of salt and you have yourself a meal you’ll never forget. <br><br>Humans don’t have culinary skills- and humans don’t have recipes. Humans don’t know how to cook, and humans don’t produce our food. We have no control over what we eat, and our choices of food are an illusion. You think your choices matter- but the truth is they don’t. You think your dietary preferences matter- but the truth is they don’t. You eat what the feeder gives you- and you’ll never know anything else.” <br><br>I was horrified. I didn’t know what to say- and freezing I stood there, lost in a daze. Alex’s face contorted in anger, as I lost myself in thought. <br><br>“You shouldn’t have said anything.” He growled menacingly.<br><br>“ Schmeckts has a tradition of excellence.” He went on, his voice filled with venom. “We’re a restaurant of quality, we’re an establishment of skill, we’re a place of pride. We’re the greatest restaurant in all of history, and we’ll never let that be tarnished. If you tell anyone, your life will be ruined. Schmeckts protects its employees- but we have no tolerance for those who betray us. You will never speak of this again- and if you do your life will never be the same. You may never have seen a chef actually cook before- but now you see the truth. There’s no such thing as cooking, there’s no such thing as a recipe, and there’s no such thing as a chef. You will never question Schmeckts again, or you’ll face the consequences. Do you understand?” <br><br>I nodded, in a daze. I’d never in my life imagined the world to be like this. The truth was too much for me to handle, and I knew I’d never be able to go back to the way I was before. I stood there frozen, my heart pounding in my chest, as Alex took Schmeckts signature seasoning out from the fridge. <br><br>“ A simple seasoning of salt- and a sprinkle of Schmeckts seasoning.” He said. “That’s all you need to cook a meal. Years of culinary experience- and a recipe from the finest culinary school. None of it matters, because our food is the feeders food, and our chefs are a lie.” <br><br>Alex went on to put the food in the fryer, and sprinkle it with salt, and seasoning. I stood there lost in thought, my mind racing with questions. Schmeckts had been open since 1670- and at the time I had no idea how long the restaurant business had been lying to us. Every year I worked in a kitchen, every restaurant I worked for, every meal I prepared. It had all been a lie. The truth was too much for me to bare- and I knew I’d never be able to look at food the same way again. <br><br>I stood there frozen, my mind racing, my heart pounding, my stomach growling. Alex looked at me, his grey eyes cold and calculating. <br><br>“You shouldn’t have said anything.” He said, his British accent thick with anger. “You shouldn’t have looked behind the curtain. If you tell anyone- your life will never be the same. Do you understand?” <br><br>I nodded, my voice trembling, my eyes shaking. I understood- I understood that the world would never be the same. I understood that I would never be able to look at food the same way again. I understood that every day I was eating the feeders food- and I never even knew it. I understood that no one knew who the feeder was- and at this