The Unemployed Experiment: Month 4

Yes friends, I’ve managed to make it nearly 4 months now without proper employment. My workers comp benefits were (illegally) terminated over a month ago. In that time I’ve made ends meet by entering and winning a contest on the internet, writing news articles for websites, cashing in bonus points from my maxed out and delinquent credit card and begging for money from my girlfriend and parents.

So it’s not exactly my proudest moment, but at least I haven’t had to turn tricks yet.

I did have a crack at a couple jobs that sounded very promising in that time. And to my credit I was offered both of them, but turned them both down on general principle.

The first was about a month ago. I saw an ad that Whole Foods was seeking candidates for their management program. Now, being that I have years of both management and culinary experience, I figured I was a shoe in for what seemed like a very cushy job.

I was wrong.

Apparently, 7 years of management, 2 in a kitchen, along with a degree in culinary arts and an extensive background in shipping and receiving does not qualify you to train for management at Whole Foods. It does qualify you to make $10 an hour, working random shifts that start anywhere from 5am and go as late as 1am. If I stood out among the motley crew of 18 year old stoners and ex convicts on work release, perhaps after a year or two I could be considered management. I told them thanks, but not thanks. They were seriously offended. So was I.

Next, I had an offer from a kitchen I had visited back in March when I first moved here. They were starting a consulting branch, and had been offered a contract fixing up the restaurant at a multi-million dollar resort in Vermont that had fallen on hard times. Would I be interested in joining there newly formed consulting team? I interviewed with the owner’s who seemed genuinely impressed by me. I went and worked in their kitchen with them a few days. Everything was going well. They told me to pack my bags, I’d be moving to Vermont with them in 2 days.

Hold up.

I have a few small questions. Namely:

How long do I have to live in Vermont?

What exactly will I be doing in Vermont for you?

Where will I be living?

How much will I be making?

He could only answer one of those with any certainty and it was the last one. The answer wasn’t good. It was insulting. I was being offered what I had made at my previous job, about $600 a week. No benefits, no OT. I cold expect to work 7 days a week, at least 70 hours a week initially. How long was initially I asked? Maybe indefinitely was a better word he conceded. How long was I to stay? Indefinitely seemed to be the word again. Where would I live? I’d have 2 weeks in a hotel room (most likely with a roommate) after that “we’ll work something out… no more than maybe $100 week”. Work something out? Like a dorm? “Probably something like a dorm, he admitted.

Let me get this straight… I’m supposed to drop everything and move to Vermont of all places, the day after tomorrow, leaving my girlfriend behind and still paying rent on my apartment, to make $600 a week ($500 after room and board), which is less than $10 an hour considering my schedule… and I’m supposed to do it for god knows how long.

No thanks.

Again, they didn’t quite understand why I wasn’t jumping at the opportunity.

Fucking New York.

It always comes down to money

I kind of hate that… it makes it so that nothing ever really feels like a fair contest. The outcome is never really in doubt if you know who has more money behind them. That was pretty much the case with my job hunt. At the end of the day, I just couldn’t turn down the bigger paycheck, so I went with the 6 day, 60 hour a week gig. It wasn’t a great feeling explaining to the Chef at the other place that he lost out because he was outbid… nothing makes you feel dirtier than admitting you have a price, especially admitting it to someone you admire. I wish I could have said it was about principles, or food, or even the fucking commute, but I can’t. No, I had to explain that I could be bought… for the low price of $600 a week… of course I gave him a chance to make a bid of his own… no dice. His hands are tied… I understand.

It’s funny… or maybe it isn’t… that for years workers have fought for the 40 hour week…

the right to make a living wage without sacrificing an unreasonable amount of their life.. and here we are generations later, eagerly selling out our ancestors. For what? I suppose you could call it greed… but is it really? Am I being greedy? Is it reasonable to expect someone to be able to live on 40 hours a week when they only make $10 an hour?… Sometimes less…? The greedy ones are the ones in the capital taking 20% of those meager earnings… Taxation is greed in it’s most unadulterated form. What else can you call it when someone who did nothing whatsoever do earn a share of your pay demands a cut? If it was a fat Italian doing it, they’d call it extortion, but when it’s your Uncle Sam, they call it taxes… I digress… this isn’t about the government really… it’s about us. So given the circumstances, what else can I do? I’m already selling my labor… all I have left to sell are my rights. For a little something extra, why not? 60 hours?… 6 days?… Why not! No need to offer me benefits, I won’t fight for them. Health care would be nice, but first I have to eat… who can think of sick pay when you can barely make rent? I can’t afford to be sick!… they see to that. And vacation!… a luxury reserved for those with white collars. Maybe I’ll be able to afford cable… take a trip on my couch when I knock off after the 12 hour day.

Maybe it’s my fault… after all I chose to work in this industry… one of the last dinosaurs. It’s better a lot of other places. I used to work in a nice air conditioned office… 40 hours, insurance, vacation… no one asked me to surrender any rights… just my soul.

Decisions, Decisions

As I mentioned, job offers are kinda pouring in for me… I’ve pretty much narrowed it down to two places, but I’m having a helluva time choosing. I wish I had more time to check out more places, but I’m going to have decide and start brining in some money ASAP.

On one hand, I’ve got a place that is part of a huge empire headed by a very well regarded chef… I’m not so much in love with the food at this particular outpost, but if I did some time there I can almost certainly move to another restaurant of his that may suit me better. The place is in a great location in Midtown, I wouldn’t have to work lunch (which I hate so, so much) and it has a Michelin Star. That said, there are definitely some hacks working there, and not everything is being done quite as properly as I expected from a place this well regarded. It might be nice to be the best cook in my kitchen again, but honestly, I was hoping to take a step back and learn something new. The pay if pretty standard for entry level in my line of work, and I’d get full time, 5 days, 40 hours.

On the other hand, I have a place headed by a only slightly less famous chef… still has a very good pedigree… some big time people have come out from this kitchen. He has two Michelin Stars, and an immaculate dining room. The kitchen is much more to my liking here, as is the food. There are still a couple hacks, but there are also a couple badasses. I don’t really know if I’m going to learn anything new here either, but I at least will have some very strong cooks surrounding me. The catch here is they want 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day ( I still wouldn’t have to work lunch, but I’d have to be there early enough that it’ll feel like I am) and they aren’t offering overtime or anything like that… just flat out shift pay… X dollars per shift. It does work out to be almost twice as much a week as the other spot is offering, but it’s almost twice as many hours.

So I’m torn… do I go to the stronger kitchen and make better food?… or do I go to the kitchen where I can shine bright, being that I’d be the only cook who doesn’t have his head completely up his ass? I’ve worked 6 days, 60 hours (or more) for the past two years… I know I can do it, but do I still really want to? On the other hand, can I really afford to not take the job that offers me the most money… I’ll be looking for a new apartment soon, and I know that isn’t going to be cheap… I mean I am living in the most expensive town in the whole fucking country. But is it worth sacrificing every other aspect of my life to be working in the better place? I mean it isn’t like I’ve got boatloads of friends out here or anything, but it would be nice to see my girlfriend once in a while… and there is plenty to see and do while I’m living here… if I work 6 nights a week, I’m never going to do anything… my lone day off will be spent doing laundry, grocery shopping, sleeping, hopefully slipping one into the wife… you get the idea. I came here for the sole purpose of advancing my career… and both of these restaurants can help me do that…but at what cost?