Gordon Ramsay is not exactly known for being nice.Or patient.Or nurturing.On his competition show "Hell's Kitchen," he belittles cooks who can't keep up. If people come to him with their problems, he berates them. If someone is struggling to get something right in the kitchen, he curses them out.His whole TV persona is based on being the world's worst boss.Ramsay went on Reddit and allowed users to ask him any question they wanted.So when a fellow cook asked him a sincere, deeply personal question about what to do when you've hit a roadblock in your career, you could probably guess what was coming.Indeed, I thought the guy was making a terrible mistake pouring his heart out to a chef as notoriously tough as Ramsay:"My hopes and dreams are nowhere to be found as I scale and portion salmon after salmon, shelling pods after pods of broad beans....Sometimes I look out the tiny window and I can see people walking around the streets, enjoying the sunlight, while I'm here, questioning my dedication to this art as I rotate stock in the cool room, getting frost bitten, but the fear of the chef stops me from stepping outside to warm up....The closest thing to feeling any kind of joy I get is those rare moments when I walk through the dining room near the end of service to get some coffee for everyone, and there will be a few diners left, idly sampling those little petite fours that we've painstakingly ensured are all perfectly round, identical, and just plain delicious. Then, one of them will stop the conversation they're having with their company, look up from their food and say, 'Thank you, chef. This is delicious,' and making the previous 14-hours of sweat and tears kind of worthwhile.My question is, how did you deal with it? How the fuck did you deal with all the bullshit, Gordon?”But the way Ramsay responded? Totally amazing. And completely unexpected.Turns out, real-life Gordon Ramsay? He actually can be a really kind, big-hearted dude.He's sympathetic to the guy. Not just because he's a good person. But because he's been there.Working in restaurants is a tough, tough business. As of 2012, the average salary for cooks was less than $23,000/year. And those who are just starting out often have to work unglamorous, tedious jobs that no one else wants to do. Ramsay didn't have fancy culinary school training. He rose up through the ranks putting in long hours for low pay in kitchens all over the world. That's why he gets it.Which brings up another point.Diet Dieting GIF by Bobbi DeCarlo - Find & Share on GIPHYWhen we go out to eat, we, as a culture, tend to behave ... how should I put this?Let's go with "not like perfect angels."Of course, no one likes getting the wrong order. Or waiting a really long time for a meal. Or eating something that doesn't taste the way you expect it to.But it's important to remember that the people behind the food, like Ramsay's anonymous letter-writer, might be working 14-hour days. Or might be a recent immigrant who speaks limited English, trying to support a family thousands of miles away. And possibly making very little money. And sure, they screw up sometimes. But we all screw up at our jobs sometimes.Because they, like the rest of us, are human beings.Which is why saying..."Thank you, chef. This is delicious."Could mean everything to someone.This article originally appeared on 04.22.15

In case you were wondering, don't mess with comedian Steve Hofstetter. The stand-up comic posted a video of himself recently shutting down a heckler who didn't like Hofstetter taking a break from his routine to praise Jessica Mendoza, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Stanford graduate, who last year became the first female to call a professional baseball game."Next!" the heckler shouts. At first, Hofstetter is caught off guard but then he tries to give the guy a chance to explain what he found "offensive" about celebrating this historic moment in sports. "You and I can talk later," the anonymous guy says, directly challenging an earlier warning from Hofstetter to not approach comedians after shows.Once the guy refuses to explain why he's offended, Hofstetter asks him to leave, saying not only is he being a jerk but he's not at least willing to stand up for his own beliefs. Then things get weird. It turns out the heckler is at the show with his family, including his daughters. "You have daughters and I was standing up for women's rights and you were offended by that," Hofstetter says. "I hope the rest of you are going to be okay later."Unlike some heckler videos that drag on and on, this one is maybe most amazing in the way he gets shut down before he can even really get started. The whole video is funny, inspiring and just a classic example of a comedian taking down a heckler. Like near the end, when Hofstetter addresses a common trope of someone questioning why a male comedian needs to stand up for women's equality."As it turns out, I actually have a genetic history of women in my family," he says. "If you want to be a real man then respect the women in your life."This article originally appeared on 04.26.19

The legendary drummer once recalled his first sessions with Jimi Hendrix. The post “A feeling of freedom”: Mitch Mitchell on his first impression of Jimi Hendrix first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

by Wendell Husebo, Breitbart: The CIA prevented the DOJ from questioning Kevin Morris as a witness in its probe of Hunter Biden, IRS whistleblower emails obtained by the House Ways and Means Committee show. Morris, a Hollywood lawyer who lent Hunter $2 million with “no ulterior motive” to satisfy IRS debt, was apparently involved with the CIA in August 2021. […]

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