a mixture of one liquid with another with which it cannot normally combine smoothly (like oil and water); an atypical combination of two things
After a year of blogging on EmulsifiedFamily.com, I have come to love the name “Emulsified Family” and feel it’s the perfect way to describe our family (and probably many of yours.)
Why?
I’m so glad you asked!
Let’s start off by looking at it from a culinary perspective. Emulsifying is a delicate process. It needs to be carefully prepared. It requires ideal conditions (temperature, balance, interaction, etc). It won’t hold together forever unless it’s cared for, but can be repaired if it breaks.
Have you ever tried to make mayonnaise? If you just throw all the ingredients into the blender it’s not going to work. (Maybe it would work with a Vitamix. But in my Oster blender . . . no way!!) But if you take your time and carefully follow the correct procedure, you’ll get something that is far better than what you started with. All the ingredients on their own are fine. But together, they can be AMAZING.
Do you see what a perfect term this is to describe the family of a chef?
I read a lot of articles online about chefs, restaurants, being married to a chef, etc. If they’re any good, I share them or pin them. Today I came across one that just keeps popping back in my mind.
I know that in some restaurants, chefs and line cooks get a portion of the tips each day. My husband has never worked in a restaurant that has done that. He has always been paid an hourly rate or salary.
What frustrates me, is the inequality of pay between a server and a line cook. (Neither of which apply to my husband so this post is not about me saying I think my husband deserves more money. Just clearing that up.)
It takes a very different skill set to be a server as it does to be a line cook. I will not get into a debate about which is harder as I think different people are good at different things. However, when a server walks out of the restaurant after working 6 hours making more money than my well paid Executive Chef husband who is on hour number 15 that day and still not ready to leave, does that seem right? (more…)
A family of 5 living on one income, the income of a chef . . . I would guess you’re either thinking, “How in the world do you do that? You must be crazy!” Or ,“We’re doing that too and I know you’re crazy!” (Or I guess you could be thinking, “Wow! Her chef/husband must be a Food Network star.” He’s not.)
I say that jokingly, but really, I do feel like we are a bit crazy.
In the series, A Chef, a Wife and a Child, one of the questions I asked was, “What has been the hardest part for you and your chef/husband with the addition of a little one to your family?”
The #1 thing for us, without a doubt, was adjusting to living on one income. This is by far too big of an issue to get buried in another post. So here we are! (more…)
While my chef/husband and I have struggled with miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, we have never dealt with infertility. Knowing how much I struggle with loneliness because of the hours my chef/husband works, I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this must be for many chefs and their wives. I often wonder if I’m hurting someone when I write posts about my children and the struggles of raising children with a chef. I know that my struggles could be someone else’s dream.
I could write a post on a subject I really know nothing about, or I could ask someone for help . . . someone who has lived it. I’ve asked my sweet cousin Leanne if she would let me ask her a few questions about her and her husband’s struggle with infertility. While her husband is not a chef, she knows me well enough and has been to enough family functions over the years that my husband has missed because of work, that she has a pretty good idea of what our lives are like as chef wives. I am so grateful for her willingness to share with us today!
Before I start getting phone calls and frantic e-mails from family and friends, let me just say that I am fine. No need to check on me. (Although I’m always happy to receive phone calls, emails, text messages and even a surprise vanilla latte, Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets in the mail or even a Vitamix from people, just to say they are thinking about me.) I’m fine. Really.
However, this question was word for word what came out of my chef/husband’s mouth one day a few years ago and I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately as I’ve been struggling with a few things here at home. (more…)
Why?
