I will not argue with Chef

100 times.  by hand.  not on zee computer.

The way Joon recounted the situation, it sounded so much more dramatic and awful than it seemed when it was spilling from my mouth.

Friday night.
Understaffed.
There was a rush, and I didn't have enough tarts ready to send 3 to one table at the same time.

Chef comes to the back shouting
Chef: You will not send out the tarts one at a time.  I want 3 tarts right now!
Me: (panicked - because not all the tarts went into the oven at the same time) Alright, we're trying.

Gasp! 

Oh shit - wrong way to talk to him. 
If I wasn't just a student/novice - I'd have been axed. on the spot.

Chef:  THAT IS NOT HOW YOU TALK TO ME!
Me: Yes, Chef. 
Chef: You get me those 3 tarts.
Elodie steps in to my rescue and is getting a couple out of the oven - with another soon to follow - and we're rushing and hustling to get the 3 out together.

After the crazy rush ended, Chef comes to me and says: Your homework this weekend - you will write for me 100 times "I will not argue with Chef". By hand.  Not on zee computer. 
Me: yes chef.

***********
It's now about 11pm and the cooks from the front room are in the back and we're cleaning up and recounting our horror stories of the night.

Joon:  And then she looks Chef in the eye and answered back to him.
Greg, Sam, Grace: (looking at me shaking their heads) you did not!
Me: it was that bad?
Joon: The answer is always "yes chef"

***********
So why were we so short handed?  That girl who had made the off-handed comment to me about the tarts, the one who was throwing me under the bus and sabotaging me in these subtle little ways (which isn't really undermining me, it's undermining Ludo - as it's his name and reputation on the line), yeah, she had "car troubles" and couldn't find a way to get to the restaurant.  Hmmm... I don't think she'll be coming back next week.

Chef doesn't harbor ill will over something like insubordinate talk from an intern who obviously had a case of foot-in-mouth syndrome.  He was back to joking around. 
Chef: I Need a Tart right now - How Long?
Me: 9 minutes chef!
Chef: (smiling) that's ok - i don't need a tart now.  But you will write for me 100 times "I will not argue with chef"
Me: yes chef

Chef: those 4 leftover tarts (pointing to the raw assembled ones on the speed rack) - prepare them for the staff.

Not like we could save them for Tuesday... the staff loves them.  We love all the food... It's all so good!
Too bad we always sell out of the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings - I really want to try that dish.

As for my homework - damn straight I did it.  I'm not taking this job for granted.  Even though Elodie was assuring me that he wouldn't fire me over such a trifle.  We all have our roles in the kitchen - and my 3-4 hour task of preparing the dough is my fixed task - it won't be re-assigned to anyone else, as everyone else has his/her own role.  And while some dishes are being rotated in and out of the menu, the tart isn't leaving.