🥵 The Day I Didn’t Eat for 12 Hours
⚠️This Shouldn’t Be Normal — But It Is
It’s 11:30 PM. I just finished wiping down the pass. My stomach feels like it’s trying to eat itself. I haven’t eaten since 9:00 AM — and no, not because I’m doing some trendy fast. I’ve just been working. Straight. Through.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve had one of those days too.
🧠The Shift That Swallowed Me Whole
It started like any other double. Light breakfast, then boom — straight into prep. One guy called out. The delivery was late. Sous chef wanted new specials plated before 11. Lunch hit hard. Dinner hit harder. Somewhere between searing sea bass and yelling for another risotto fire, I lost track of the time. And myself.
Not even water. Not even a crust of bread. Just coffee and adrenaline.
🔥 Why It Happens (And Keeps Happening)
Let’s be real — it’s not always some macho badge of honor. Sometimes it’s poor planning. Sometimes the culture doesn’t allow space to stop. Sometimes, we’re just too deep in the flow to care until it’s too late.
But here’s the kicker: this is routine for most cooks.
And it shouldn’t be.
đź©ş The Crash
By 9:45 PM, I was sweating but cold. I felt dizzy plating a caprese. I snapped at a teammate for a mistake I made. I was running on nothing — no fuel, no focus. That’s not heroic. That’s dangerous.
đź‘Š Real Talk: Feeding Everyone But Ourselves
We nourish other people for a living. Yet we treat our own bodies like they’re last on the ticket list.
Here’s the thing:
If you can’t give yourself 10 minutes to eat, hydrate, and breathe, something’s broken — in the system or in you. Probably both.
🧠What I Do Differently Now
- I pack my mise and my meal
- I keep energy bars in dry storage — no shame
- I make time, even if it’s 5 minutes between tickets
- I watch out for my team too — no one should go hungry on my line again
đź’¬ Final Thoughts from the Pass
If you’ve ever made it through service on fumes and pride, you’re not alone — but you also don’t have to make it a habit. Respect yourself the way you respect your food.
Because no one’s plating their best dish while starving.
