I’m a Thrill Seeker

August 16, 2013
by Rodney Olsen
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chefs

Sometimes I like to flirt with death. I do this by throwing a verbal grenade into conversations with certain women. I don’t do it often but when I do, it certainly creates some interesting results.

Now and then I find myself in a conversation with a group of women. Occasionally during those conversations the topic of food and cooking comes up. It’s about that time that I usually lob in a comment like, “Cooking is a woman’s job. Men don’t belong in the kitchen.”

Nuclear Threat

You probably wouldn’t be all that surprised to find that comments like that create a reaction not dissimilar to starting the launch sequence on a nuclear weapon. It takes some very quick action to bring the situation back from DEFCON ONE.

That’s when I smile and mention that I previously worked in a very large kitchen. I spent four years as an apprentice chef then left the industry after qualifying. I still do most of the cooking at home. I’m not brilliant at cooking but I know my way around a kitchen.

A Lifetime Ago

I was thinking today that it’s been more than 30 years since I finished my apprenticeship. More than 30 years. That’s a long time. It seems like a lifetime ago. It’s sometimes hard to believe that it was even me who worked in the hospitality industry all those years ago.

Cooking paid the bills and gave me the ticket I needed to leave school at the end of Year 10 but it was never really my passion. I remember other apprentices talking about moving overseas to learn more about cooking. I thought they were crazy but they were just passionate about their profession.

Most of my working life has been spent working in radio. Now there’s a career I can get passionate about.

What Have You Left Behind?

I’m wondering if you’ve changed careers. What made you move from one job to another? Do you still have a dream about a different career? What’s holding you back from following that dream?

Are there other things that you left behind many years ago? A friend, partner, country or faith? Does it feel like forever ago? What are you glad to have left behind and what is there that you think would be good to re-visit?



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Microwave Madness

June 8, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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How hard should it be to find a fuse?

Our microwave oven stopped working on Saturday. Since then I’ve discovered that a small fuse inside has blown. It’s just a little fuse. Only 20 millimetres long. Maybe that’s why they’re so hard to find.

I don’t know yet whether a blown fuse is the only problem or if that’s just a symptom of a bigger issue, meaning that we’ll have to try to find the money for a new microwave oven. I would like to grab a couple of fuses, try one, see if it blows, if it does, try again, if it blows again … give up … it’s dead.

I’ve been in touch with a number of businesses trying to track down the right fuse but no one seems to have it. They’re all keen to help by handballing me on to the next supplier but each one in turn directs me on to another. If I do find them they’ll only cost a couple of dollars each but it’ll help me work out if we’re up for a new appliance.

In the meantime, I’m remembering what cooking was all about before we had the convenience of a microwave oven in every kitchen.

Have you had trouble finding something you thought would be simple to find?

Are you a fan of microwaves or do you prefer the good old fashioned methods of cooking?



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Masterchef Breaks Australian Television Records

July 26, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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If you’re in Australia it wouldn’t be too hard for me to guess what you were doing last night. It’s very likely that you were watching Channel Ten’s final for Masterchef … like a massive chunk of Australia’s population.

We didn’t see all of the show but we got home from church in time to see the final challenge and the naming of this year’s winner. The final became the most-watched non-sporting event ever shown on Australian television. A peak of 4.348 million viewers across the five capital cities tuned in to watch Adam beat Callum to win $100,000 and a cookbook publishing deal.

Callum seemed very likable and a more than able cook but I’m glad that Adam took out the title. I was also very impressed by Callum’s reaction to Adam’s win. While the runner-up on most reality shows will give the winner a hug and smile a lot, you can often tell that they’re trying to stay in control while battling deep dissapointment (and who could blame them) but Callum appeared genuinely thrilled for Adam. I’m sure he would have preferred winning but his reaction showed a real maturity and great character.

Did you watch much of the series this year? Who did you want to win?

So Masterchef is over for another year and huge amounts of time will now be freed up for Australians as we no longer have to sit glued to the box each night for the next installment.

Mind you … Junior Masterchef is set to start soon. 🙂



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