冰島求生記可能要改名叫《求生不得,求死不能記》,日日新鮮鑊鑊金,好難捉摸呀!|To survive in Iceland was way more challenging than I’d have thought. Life was so unexpected here.

Click here for English

在酒店早餐部工作基本上每天都是開開心心的,但就在七月的最後一星期,經理卻突然將我調往另一分店的早餐部工作,就是之前做了半天替工的那間分店,因為總店這裡原本放假的廚師很快就會回來上班。

這樣我就要離開熟悉的人和工作環境,回到陌生,從頭來過。

再一次回來分店工作,還是那位好像不太友善,擅於喃喃咒罵的人兄。來自菲律賓的他原來還是學生,20 出頭,但卻在這裡工作了兩年多,身形短少的他看來有點像年青版的曾志偉。他給了我一堆解像度不太高、A4紙編出來的黑白相,飛快的跟我說一遍從什麼地方拿什麼東西出來,然後就叫我照著相片來擺好自助餐的枱面和一應餐具。

那數張黑白照雖然算不上清晰,但畢竟已在總店做了四星期,兩店所提供的食物也大致相同;而我也不是第一次來這裡,或者對這裡的格局還不算太熟悉,但總算能趕及在一小時的限時內完成任務、擺好食物和枱面,迎接那200多位來吃早餐的酒店貴客。

跟上次不同的是,雖然還是忙過不停,但現在已不會再不知所措了。

忙了半朝,以為終於可以坐下放鬆休息和吃早餐,怎知聽著曾志偉向另一位同事訴苦,說不能再負責煮食工作了,因為他的眼有問題,不能繼續承受爐火的熱力。說著說著他便發了個訊息給經理,說再也不會負責煮食了。不久,經理回覆:

「那就由那個新來的,明天開始負責煮食吧。」

吓?!!

我聽到這個消息的驚嚇度比起要睡廁所那次還要震撼100倍!

煮食我真係識條鐵,無論居家旅行,我煮食的方法都是放煲滾水,然後把所有食材放進去煲熟來吃,連調味也不會,只是一味放辣椒醬。之前在烏拉圭做廚房打雜時,最多都只是炸炸薯條,而在總店那邊亦只是有時幫忙切些青瓜蕃茄,真正在職業廚房煮食的經驗是「零」!他們怎麼可以這麼隨便找一個是零的人來負責煮食的?有冇搞錯!

曾志偉和另一位同事看我受到如此突然期來的驚嚇的樣子,就叫我不如直接打給經理,看看有沒有其他人選。

「我、我、我明天要負責煮食?但我不會煮食的,什麼都不會的。會不會有其他人可代替我?」受了驚嚇的我,不期然同一段說話連說了兩遍。

「你冷靜點!明天會由一位資深同事來教你怎樣做,沒事的,不用擔心。」

「但、但。。。」

「不用但了,先試試看,試過後才再說吧。」

就這樣掛線了。

和曾志偉們覆述了一遍經理說的,然後他們給我帶來另一個更爆的消息:

明天教我煮食的那位資深同事,原來

不。會。說。英。語。

 

唔 L 係 掛!

- 待續…

前文:#5 小陽春

下集:#7 關關難過關關過


I was working happily in the breakfast session in the Hotel until at the end of July, the manager notified me that I would be transferred to work in another hotel of the company. Actually I had worked there to cover someone’s sick leave for half day before, so it wasn’t a completely new place to me. But still, I had to leave the people and job I was getting to know better after almost 4 weeks, that made me feel a bit uneasy.

When I reported my duty in the new hotel, I saw the same guy E, who showed me what to do last time. E has been working there for 2 years though he’s only around 20 and is still a student. He gave me few A4 size picture printouts in black and white, and told me to set the buffet table according to them.

The printouts weren’t totally clear, but after all, I had worked in another hotel and the food served in both places were almost identical. It wasn’t as chaotic as the first time I was here. Though it wasn’t perfect, I finished my task within the one hour time limit before the hotel guests flooding in for their breakfast.

After half day hard and busy work, I thought I could finally sit down to have a break. While I was enjoying my breakfast, E was complaining to another coworker how he couldn’t work as a cook anymore due to his eye’s sickness. He couldn’t endure the heat from the oven. He messaged the manager about it and after a while, he got a reply from her,

“Just let the new girl to cook from tomorrow”

Huuuuuuh?!!

This was more shocking to me than the time I had to sleep in the toilet.

Cooking is never my cup of tea. Whenever I have to cook, I just boil everything in a pot of water, no seasoning except adding some hot spicy sauce at the end. I never enjoy cooking myself. Although I had worked in a kitchen in Uruguay before, I was just a kitchen hand and the closest thing I did there that can be called cooking was frying french fries. I had zero experience in cooking in a professional kitchen. How could they just casually make someone like me to be the cook for 200 guests in a high standard hotel?

E and another coworker saw my shocking face. They suggested me to call the manager to talk about it.

“E told me that I have to cook from tomorrow but I never really cook. I don’t know how to cook at all. Could there be someone else take the job?”

I was talking so fast as I was still in shocked that the manager said

“Calm down, don’t be freaked out. The head maid will teach you how to cook tomorrow and she’ll be guiding you all the time. Everything will be alright.”

“But, but…”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay. You gotta give it a try first. We’ll see how thing goes after tomorrow”

Then she hanged up. I repeated what she said to E and others. Then I got another more shocking news

The head maid speaks only Lithuanian and Icelandic.

She. Does. Not. Speak. English.

You must be kidding me.

My jaw dropped to the floor.

— To be continued…

Previous: #5 Indian summer

Next: #7 I survived in the kitchen