Musings on the "F.N.G."

So, I have a friend that just got back from culinary school recently. Bless his soul, he chose my alma mater over that other school in NY that shall not be named, simply because I have found 90% of its graduates to be the worst cooks EVER. If you know what school I am referring to, kudos, and feel free to call me out on it!

Upon his return he has landed a job here in Georgetown at a new hot spot, as if there weren't enough on this side of town, called Hook. Hook is a seafood restaurant, go figure, that features...well, the same damn thing we do. Fresh seafood flown in from all over, blah blah. Whatever.

He is stoked about the job, and I would be too. I have yet to go in to eat, obviously I am waiting to hear more about the place from the inside before I go to a place that is just like mine, only with a more modern setting (our decor seems to be stuck in the 80's...did I really say that?). He is only working there for the summer, but even though he has only completed one year of culinary school, I would put him down as someone that can easily hang with the other cooks.

His greatest quality, that I know he already has (he damn well better given the time I spent banging it into his head), is he can season food. Vital when it comes to cooking, neglected by far too many cooks in this city. The use of a little kosher salt and some black pepper can go a long way. That is until he sent me a text today that his chef never uses black pepper, and this kid hates white pepper. Should be interesting as he learns to use a pepper that is 2 times stronger then the other, and generally is used in the powder form.

I am sure he will do just fine, but I can already see where my next restaurant outing will take place. I also can't wait to hear about the hazing he will go through for the next 2 years while completing school and then being a fresh graduate. It's like being a rookie in a pro league, or even that new guy at your office that you just have to mess with, you know, the F.N.G.