The waitress with the Ph.D

I'm grateful for the internet for so many reasons, but this morning one reason in particular stands out: connections between people. Even for oddballs such as myself, the internet lets us know that strange as we might be, we're not alone. As with all things, this has two sides. Knowing that one is not alone is a comforting notion to have, however for some it so happens that being one-of-a-kind is what brings home the cash and/or ego boost. That just brings us down to the cynical aspect of values, right? What's worth paying for and what is priceless?
I'm slowly getting round to what I want to write about today: risk-taking. I do get the question every so often why I need a Ph.D if I'm going to work as a wine waiter. My standard reply is that you don't have to have a Ph.D to work as a waitress, but it does help. To me, and to my happy surprise at least one other woman, it's not that that one excludes the other (try asking a chef why they need to be able to read. They might not need it to cook but it does, just like air in tyres, make the wheels go round smoothly). I love my day-job as a scientist. As a BSc MSc in Biomedicine, I know that unless I plunge in head first doing some kind of furthering of my lab skills I'm not actually qualified to do anything but talk about molecular theory. Luckily, talking skills and some molecular theory is just what I need (apart from a good nose) to be a reasonably good sommelier - a change from a lab coat to a suit and I'm just in time for the evening service. Of course I don't need eight years of university studies to be a waitress. Many do just fine without it. These past three years have been part of a calculated risk: get my degrees, and further my wine training. So far, it's paid off. Bloom may have been the largest gamble, but as we all know, I'm stuck. And who can blame me? I'm in deep with an exceptionally talent-packed team, and we have new adventures every day.

There's another kind of risk involved with Bloom. I am speaking, of course, of the menu-less concept. Work-wise it means expecting the unexpected, treading lightly, making the right bold move. Exhilarating. For you as a customer, it means placing your evening in our hands. It demands a certain free-spiritedness, a certain level of trust, perhaps a little daredevil-element. Does this sound scary, or maybe daunting? You really need not worry. Our chefs, apart from being trained in Michelin-star kitchens and receiving awards for their own work, are perfectly literate. Igi has worked with all the best people in the industry. Oh, and one of the waiters has a Ph.D. Maybe we're worth a gamble?

(picture from google.com)