So it has been a while hasn't it. I have been away and now I am back and something has got my goat. First let's look at a video
Is there anything you notice? Well they all have an accent and they are all men and there lies the problem.
This well known establishment has the most sexist policy I have ever heard of. It has long been a agreed fact within the world of catering that a mans position is behind the bar or on the front desk and the ladies are on the floor serving tables. This might seem sexist but it most defiantly has a practical side more heavy lifting is involved in bar work not to mention the shifting of barrels and women generally have a nicer temperament to wait on tables apart from that god knows why it is always a male maitre'd in all the movies. These distinctions are all blurred in the modern world of catering. Or so I thought......
This wonder of deco design and italian style is akin to one of Berlusconi's bangs bangs parties. The current Italian prime minister is well known for his attitude to the fairer sex. I didn't think that this extended to the whole nation but guess I should have known better.
it seems that inside this restaurant male chauvinism is alive and well. Two friends of mine have worked in this location, both attractive females and both fully capable at any job a restaurant might throw at you. One of my friends was told she was to ugly to work there, well not told to her face she overheard two of the managers talking loudly in italian a language that she happens to be close to fluent in. The other lady, after working seventy hour weeks at a well known hotel chain, got told that she was too short to work on reception, could only run food to table (to be seen but not heard) and at most could only possibly handle working a maximum of a twenty five hour week, this was of course because she was of the lesser, weaker, stupider sex.
How can it be that in this modern world a place such as this exists? How can this happen? Well it seems that the world of catering is the forgotten profession. No private health care and no options for pensions, fifteen hour shifts with one break, sexist managers and staff, low wages, breaking the law at many levels and what worse? The fact that this industry is glamorised by the media but is not investigated for approaches such as this, or the employment of chefs from abroad so wages can be lower, that's rather close to slave labour for my liking. I am not saying that all restaurants and establishments are run in this way it just seems that a lot have this hidden behind the scenes and I haven't even mentioned the bullying that chefs seem to get away with to the extent that it is accepted on tv and seen as entertainment.
So what can we do? Well first of just don't go to this restaurant, support independents that are on the small scale, in the Leeds area think reliance, rivers meet in ls26 or just anywhere that seems to be nice, the food is not that good at bibi's anyway, last time I ate there the steak tartar tasted like fish. THAT IS ALL.
And now for a new feature that I am going to call TODAY'S RECIPE catchy eh, and as a treat today you will get two.
Broad bean anti- pasti
Shell and cook the beans in boiling salted water for five minutes then rinse with cold water and peel.
Chop a good handful of basil, a large handful, and crush and chop 3 cloves of garlic. Mix the beans, basil and garlic in a bowl with olive oil, just enough to cover the beans, add three drops of Tabasco ( or more if you like it spicy) salt and pepper to taste and a tiny splash of either cider or White wine vinegar. Stir all in together and put in the fridge to chill. Works well as a cold accompaniment to chicken or warm summer salads, great with cheese and on a ploughmans.
Quick tomato salsa.
Quarter as many tomatoes as you wish ( cherry or small vine tomatoes are best) finely chop shallots or sweet red onions, mix in a bowl with a good glug of olive oil and a good glug of White wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, but the salt is important it will draw the liquid out of the tomatoes and provide more flavour. Leave this mix to sit in the fridge for a while. Just add tobacco to make it spicy.
