# Chefs who smoke



## GB (May 2, 2006)

This is a thread that was originally part of a different thread, but really needed to be split off as its own...




			
				Aurora said:
			
		

> I don't believe that a chain smoker is qualified to judge flavors or quality of foods.


Many of the world great chefs are smokers.


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## CharlieD (May 2, 2006)

What in the world does smoking have to do with food. Comments like this just make me wonder. If person likes smoking so let him, smoke. I don't, but it doesn't mean I don't know anything about food. 

I think they had that show on Food network few years ago. Or maybe it is similar. I like Tony, he is just way cool and food he has eaten I wouldn't dare to touch (and I've had some strange foods, believe me). Unfortunately, I do not have travel channel now to see it.


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## Hopz (Jan 2, 2007)

CharlieD said:
			
		

> What in the world does smoking have to do with food. Comments like this just make me wonder. If person likes smoking so let him, smoke. I don't, but it doesn't mean I don't know anything about food.



I will gladly tell you... and by the way this comes from a guy who founded and operated a successful casual gourmet restaurant...

The chefs who smoke have a distorted flavor sense. Over time they tend to use too much salt, and mis-season in ther ways. In other ways a smoking chef is a PITA for a restaurant owner. He/she stinks up the kitchen, takes too many breaks, lets the staff down as a leader, and raises my costs.

Other than that- I don't care if someone smokes or not- just not the guy who is cooking my meal.


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## GB (Jan 2, 2007)

I think those are over generalizations Hopz. Lots of great chefs are smokers and they consistently put our excellent food that is not over seasoned or anything. 

I used to smoke, a pack a day, and it did not affect my taste at all. When I quit I was so excited that food was going to start tasting better. Boy was I disappointed when food tasted exactly the same.

Lets also not forget that what is too heavily seasoned for one person is under seasoned for someone else.


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## buckytom (Jan 2, 2007)

having had many reasons to hide certain aromas on my person (from mom and dad  , girlfiends  , the police  , etc.  ), the ones that smoked had a greatly reduced sense of smell. 
it was much easier to sneak one by them than those that didn't smoke.

i can't answer about seasoning food, tho, but in my experience it would seem to follow.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 2, 2007)

My dad smoked heavily.  He always apologized when he over salted something that he had prepared for me, and blamed it on the cigarrettes, which he stated, made it so that he didn't taste the salt as well.  With other flavorings, he did well by my tastes.

I have the advantage of being a non-smoker, and a guy who is used to evaluating everything.  As I think about my past, and my present, I find that my sensetivity to salt has changed through the years.  It takes much more salt to fire my taste buds than it once did.  Occasionally, I find that my family says I have over-salted foods.  And yet, I dont' and never have smoked.  My eldest daughter rarely uses salt in her cooking, and is to me, hyper-sensitive to salty things.

From these observations, I hypothesize that sensitivity to salt is governed by the amount of salt consumed, just as a person can desensitize themselves to the affects of capsaicum.  That is, people who use salt tend to need more over a period of time to taste the same level of saltiness.  The same may be true for other flavors as well.

I find that foods that were at one time overpowering, and disliked for that reason became favorites as I grew older.  Flavors such as carraway seed in rye bread, and horseradish, both of which I truly dispised as a child, are favorite flavors now, and probably becasue my sensitivty to those flavors is diminished.

In summary, though smoking does appear to mess with the nose, flavors that are basic to the toungue, such as minerals and salts, don't seem to be affected as much by smoke as they do by desenstization of the tongue through repeated exposure to the flavor.  At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## GB (Jan 2, 2007)

Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> From these observations, I hypothesize that sensitivity to salt is governed by the amount of salt consumed, just as a person can desensitize themselves to the affects of capsaicum.  That is, people who use salt tend to need more over a period of time to taste the same level of saltiness.


That is my observation as well.

I will agree with the others that _some_ and maybe even _most_ smokers will not be able to taste things as well as non smokers. I just think that a good chef knows how to compensate for that. Notice I said "good chef", because there certainly are chefs out there who do not.


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## boufa06 (Jan 2, 2007)

To contribute my two bits' worth, although I do not have an opinion that derives from direct personal experience with smoking, we used to employ once a chef who was a heavy smoker.  It is definitely true that his dishes were often oversalted.


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## TATTRAT (Jan 2, 2007)

A good Chef can still be a good leader, I don't get the comment of " being a bad team leader". If he/she is a professional, they won't be out back puffing on a butt every chance they get, they will wait till the appropriate time.

Like GB, I used to smoke, but do not anymore. I have worked with and for MANY chefs smoke, and in the industry, it seemed like I was in the minority, as a non smoker. I have worked with older chefs who didn't smoke and tended to be very heavy handed with seasonings, in part that their palate was shot, not due to smoking, nut just age and eating habits.

Though I choose not to smoke, there will ALWAYS be smokers, regardless of the health issues. And so long as there is a restaurant industry, there WILL be smokers(among other vices), and if they can get my food out, it tastes great, and the wash up after smoking, it won't bother me. And i would rather smell the smoker in the kitchen then the all ways hung over guy that stinks like day old beer, and body oder.


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## BlueCat (Jan 2, 2007)

I smoked for years, and now I have not smoked for years, and I never ever experienced the wonders that people said I would of being able to taste food better after quitting.  Food never tasted one bit different after I gave up the habit, so there is no reason to say that a chef who smoked should not be "qualified" to judge the quality or flavors of food.  I'm sure some have experienced a difference, but as one who has not, I say that no one can "judge" one smoker against another.

BC


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## auntdot (Jan 2, 2007)

Have never smoked.  Have known some folks who do that say they can taste foods better once they quit.  Have never had anyone tell me the opposite, but then again that aspect would probably never come up.

Sure believe those folks who here who say they have seen no difference.  Maybe some do and some don't.  Heck, I don't know.

Don't mind smokers at all.

And yes my tastes have changed over the years.  Am told our taste buds die, or become less sensitive, as we age.

And don't know if I found that true but am sure less sensitive to some flavors, like capsaicin.  But find I still don't like much salt and actually like a lot less garlic than I used to.  Am getting almost intolerant to it in any but the smallest quantities.

Go figure.

Anyway don't mind smokers at all, but would always encourage folks to stop because of the health risks.


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## VeraBlue (Jan 2, 2007)

I'm not even sure it's safe to wade in here.. but here goes...

I'm a reformed smoker of the worst kind.  I don't know what ever possesed me, nor do I know what took me so long to wake up and smell the roses.  Literally.  (for the record, I was a social smoker, if there really is such a thing.  I only smoked when out, especially at clubs..but I was in clubs at least 4 times a week)

Can comparisons be made between smokers and non-smokers relating to taste buds?  I've read and heard enough stories from people with better medical backgrounds than mine to accept it.  I experienced it.  I imagine if I smoked all the time I would have experienced it more strongly, as well.

Now, regarding a smoking chef's inability to be a good team leader, well all I can say to that is hogwash.  What a dreadful generalization to make.  Every single kitchen operates differently.  Unless you are actually an employee in one, there is absolutely no way to ascertain if the smokers are better workers than others.   As a control, let's assume that no one takes unnecessary breaks, that everyone puts in the same amount of time.  

Unfortunately, smoking does take it's toll on a person's health.  Those who do smoke tend to suffer more respiratory ailments than non-smokers.  Aside from health, those who smoke do tend to 'disappear' more often than those who do not.  As far as kitchen employees are concerned, the wash-up routine after smoking eats into the work schedule, too.  

So, again, yes, I agree that smoking does alter one's tastebud abilities.  But, a resounding no that smokers cannot be effective and aggressive team leaders.

......climbing out now..reaching for a towel....


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## QSis (Jan 2, 2007)

BlueCat said:
			
		

> I smoked for years, and now I have not smoked for years, and I never ever experienced the wonders that people said I would of being able to taste food better after quitting. Food never tasted one bit different after I gave up the habit ...


 
Ditto.  I was bitterly disappointed about that when I quit.

Lee


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## CharlieD (Jan 2, 2007)

Seasoning is such a personal thing that I doubt that you can find even 2 persons that have absolutely identical taste. I use only salt and paprika in my chicken, for example, everybody loves it, okay, there are couple of secret ingredients there too. But, even people who love heavy seasoning with all kind of spices and herbs come and ask for my recipe. 
    I'll maybe agree with taking brakes and such, but in no way I would agree on the taste part. It's all anti smoking propaganda.


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## Robo410 (Jan 2, 2007)

I smoked for years, and when I quit. I noticed generally better oral health, and fewer colds/sinus issues.  My taste did not really change.  I've always had a great taster, prefering the savory over the sweet.  I prefer vegetables to fruits.


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## Constance (Jan 2, 2007)

buckytom said:
			
		

> having had many reasons to hide certain aromas on my person (from mom and dad  , girlfiends  , the police  , etc.  ), the ones that smoked had a greatly reduced sense of smell.
> it was much easier to sneak one by them than those that didn't smoke.



Isn't that the truth! 
As far as seasoning is concerned, it depends on what the chef's been smoking. 

Seriously, we don't all have the same amount of taste buds. Scientists have done a study on this, actually counting the amount of taste buds on a certain size area of the tongue. 
That would explain why some smokers still have a keener sense of taste than some non-smokers. 
The olfactory senses must be included here also, and I don't know if there's been a study made on that, but smokers are notorious for their loss of their sense of smell. Yet, after 45 years as a smoker, I notice aromas and odors that my husband (a smoker) and my daughter (a non-smoker) can't smell.

Part of the answer could also be how all these stimuli, including color, are perceived by the brain. 
I am right-brained...the imaginative, creative side. I find recipes or make them up to utilize what I have on hand, and come up with a good-looking, tasty meal.
My husband is left-brained...the practical, mechanical side. He's the one that makes everything happen. He does the frying, grilling, searing...all the things that actually get the meal on the table. 

We're a good team, he and I. But then, that's the way we got together in the first place. At parties, we were always the ones in the kitchen, cooking together.


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## D_Blackwell (Jan 2, 2007)

From a professional perspective, I think that Hopz is dead on.  Smokers tend to bring unwanted baggage. When I was in a position of hiring and/or recommending, smokers didn't fare too well)  (It is an industry with a high percentage of smokers/heavy drinkers etc. - a management minefield.)  A lesser cook will improve, and should be worth the investment.  A cook with nasty habits is probably not worth the trouble.

As to salt/spice levels - it is almost entirely an issue of personal preference.  One has to 'guesstimate' what levels will most appeal to the customer.  Salt and pepper are so easily bumped up at the table that excessive use in the kitchen is hard to forgive.


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## CharlieD (Jan 2, 2007)

D_Blackwell said:
			
		

> ...
> 
> As to salt/spice levels - it is almost entirely an issue of personal preference. One has to 'guesstimate' what levels will most appeal to the customer. .


 
Aha, that is exactly the point of the topic, not the fact that some bodies attitude stinks. Any body could be lousy worker.


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## college_cook (Jan 2, 2007)

I'm one of only 2 non-smokers in the kitchen I work at, and I would have to agree that the smokers among us "disappear" more often than the two of us who don't smoke.  That said, everyone I work with is very professional and some of the hardest workers I have ever been around.  In fact, I would say the only folks I know who work harder than these guys are the landscaping crew I used to roll with.

The head chef smokes like a chimney, plays gameboy, and even drinks the occassional beer on the job.  But he's a thorough professional and the most talented chef I know.  He has NEVER let his habits affect his quality of work and will NEVER be found indulging himself when there is work to be done.  The only time he ever breaks out the gameboy or a beer is on a dead slow night anyways.

As for mis-seasoning or over-seasoning, I can't say that he definitely does it much less than the rest of us, and everyone makes mistakes here and there; on a crazy night its to be expected.  He makes the best food I've ever tasted, his special event meals are meticulously planned out and executed, and even when he takes a turn a putting some dinner together for the dishwasher, he can throw together a plate in 5-10 minutes thats good enough to be a menu item.

So yes, while smoking may affect us somewhat in the workplace, a GOOD CHEF will never let his habit get the best of him.


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## philso (Jan 2, 2007)

using my fingers and toes, i find i put about 18 or 19 years in the restaurant industry, eventually working my way up to head and executive chef positions.

while there may be individual exceptions, my general experience was also that most smoking chefs tended to overseason, especially in the salt department.   there are casual smokers and then there are chain smokers, but i'd have to agree with hopz and d_b, heavy smokers tend to be a liablility in the kitchen.

a chef's tongue and nose are his or her most important tool.


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## amber (Jan 2, 2007)

Not sure what your point was GB for bringing this thread back up, but I did see it over this past weekend.  Whether people smoke cigarettes or not, I dont think that has anything to do with cooking per se.  Sure some may take smoke breaks, and granted may smell of cigarettes, but that doesnt mean they dont cook great meals right?


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## JohnL (Jan 2, 2007)

Quite an interesting topic,
I didn't smoke very long, approx 8 years (I quit @ 21 while tending bar), but I noticed lots of difference in the taste of foods and seasonings. Possibly because I didn't smoke for many years? Or, maybe because I stopped at and early age? I guess many things determine our overall taste sensitivity.


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## GB (Jan 2, 2007)

amber said:
			
		

> Not sure what your point was GB for bringing this thread back up, but I did see it over this past weekend.


 I split this off from another thread where it was off topic. There was a conversation going on about this so it was only fair to turn it into it's own thread. 





			
				amber said:
			
		

> Sure some may take smoke breaks, and granted may smell of cigarettes, but that doesnt mean they dont cook great meals right?


This is exactly the point of this thread. Some people agree with you Amber, and others think the opposite. This thread is a discussion of those two sides.


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## amber (Jan 2, 2007)

GB said:
			
		

> I split this off from another thread where it was off topic. There was a conversation going on about this so it was only fair to turn it into it's own thread. This is exactly the point of this thread. Some people agree with you Amber, and others think the opposite. This thread is a discussion of those two sides.



Ok, fair enough.  I can see both sides of this issue actually.


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## D_Blackwell (Jan 2, 2007)

I think that it was absolutely right to split this thread from the original.  It took on its own life and merited the split.  The thread now has two distinct points.  First, does smoking impair taste perception?  Second, do smokers (however skilled) (in a business rife with excess) present an overall liability in the kitchen?    For me - maybe to the first, and yes to the second.


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## BlueCat (Jan 2, 2007)

Thank heaven I don't work in a field where people's narrow opinions and generalizations could have had an effect on my livelihood.  Mind you, I don't regret for a minute my decision to stop smoking, but smoking never changed my ability to taste food.  Smoking also never interfered with my putting in a very decent day's work.  It also didn't make me lazy or impair my judgment.  My sinuses are not one molecule better than they were before, and I never caught more than a sniffle as a smoker.  I got double pneumonia and very nearly died several years after quitting.  I will admit, I'm glad I didn't smoke when I was coming back from that one.  I just can't stand holier than thou judgments about a group of people like this.

Honestly, sometimes I think that crackheads get a fairer shake in life than someone who smokes a cigarette.  There are plenty of distasteful habits in the world, but who gets it thrown in their faces like a smoker does?  It's as though people feel that a smoker has no feelings whatsoever.  Maybe they should just make cigarettes illegal, since smokers are such a liability anyway, and try to find some other whipping boy to levy those same horrific taxes on like maybe fat people, or carnivores, or single people, or maybe they should just hit the drinkers harder - they already tax them pretty hard - but they're running out of sins to tax.

BC


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## suzyQ3 (Jan 2, 2007)

I'll trust what some of you have said about a smoker's lessened ability to season properly. But other than that, the liabilities that a chef who smokes bring to the job are no more nor less than a smoker brings to any job. While some may be stellar employees, smokers do tend to have more health issues, which can't help but affect their job performance at some point.


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## TATTRAT (Jan 2, 2007)

BlueCat said:
			
		

> Thank heaven I don't work in a field where people's narrow opinions and generalizations could have had an effect on my livelihood.  Mind you, I don't regret for a minute my decision to stop smoking, but smoking never changed my ability to taste food.  Smoking also never interfered with my putting in a very decent day's work.  It also didn't make me lazy or impair my judgment.  My sinuses are not one molecule better than they were before, and I never caught more than a sniffle as a smoker.  I got double pneumonia and very nearly died several years after quitting.  I will admit, I'm glad I didn't smoke when I was coming back from that one.  I just can't stand holier than thou judgments about a group of people like this.
> 
> Honestly, sometimes I think that crackheads get a fairer shake in life than someone who smokes a cigarette.  There are plenty of distasteful habits in the world, but who gets it thrown in their faces like a smoker does?  It's as though people feel that a smoker has no feelings whatsoever.  Maybe they should just make cigarettes illegal, since smokers are such a liability anyway, and try to find some other whipping boy to levy those same horrific taxes on like maybe fat people, or carnivores, or single people, or maybe they should just hit the drinkers harder - they already tax them pretty hard - but they're running out of sins to tax.
> 
> BC



I wish I could give you all my karma points, Blue Cat.


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## amber (Jan 2, 2007)

BlueCat said:
			
		

> Thank heaven I don't work in a field where people's narrow opinions and generalizations could have had an effect on my livelihood.  Mind you, I don't regret for a minute my decision to stop smoking, but smoking never changed my ability to taste food.  Smoking also never interfered with my putting in a very decent day's work.  It also didn't make me lazy or impair my judgment.  My sinuses are not one molecule better than they were before, and I never caught more than a sniffle as a smoker.  I got double pneumonia and very nearly died several years after quitting.  I will admit, I'm glad I didn't smoke when I was coming back from that one.  I just can't stand holier than thou judgments about a group of people like this.
> 
> Honestly, sometimes I think that crackheads get a fairer shake in life than someone who smokes a cigarette.  There are plenty of distasteful habits in the world, but who gets it thrown in their faces like a smoker does?  It's as though people feel that a smoker has no feelings whatsoever.  Maybe they should just make cigarettes illegal, since smokers are such a liability anyway, and try to find some other whipping boy to levy those same horrific taxes on like maybe fat people, or carnivores, or single people, or maybe they should just hit the drinkers harder - they already tax them pretty hard - but they're running out of sins to tax.
> 
> BC



Agreed   You've summed up my thoughts so I cannot add more, except to say that if one wants to smoke now a days, you have to go outside, and even "air" space is fair game to some.  I've been both a smoker and a non smoker. Enclosed spaces ok no smoking, but outdoors?


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## Lynan (Jan 3, 2007)

Hear hear Bluecat!  

I am totally amazed that some people would prefer food prepared by a non smoker because his ' bad habit' could affect said food. (I'm assuming the chef is NOT smoking in kitchen! ) I would be a darned sight more concerned over the kitchen worker who doesnt bother washing hands after a bathroom break/nose blowing actually. There are 1000's of documented cases where people have become very ill after these occurences ( Hepatitis, food poisoning etc) but I am yet to read/hear of one concerning a smoker.


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## ironchef (Jan 3, 2007)

From an industry standpoint and from a non-smoker, I don't think it matters in regards to taste. Some chefs have a great feel for flavor, and some don't. Period. Some chefs can make make a great pan seared fish with a lemon-caper sauce. Very vanilla in terms of creativity and flavor complexity, but they can make a good one and that's that. But that is the extent of their skill and taste profile. On the other hand, some chefs can make and season correctly something like a sea bass cooked sous vide with a cauliflower puree and pistacio gastrique. In both these cases the chefs may or may not smoke. The point is, it's the chef or cook's own individual interpretation of the flavor of the dish. Some people have a higher tolerance to salt than others. Some of these people are chefs. They cook your food and it is salty.


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## Gossie (Jan 3, 2007)

I am a non-smoker, always have been, always will be.  I grew up in a family of smokers.  Two of them being very disrespectful of the fact that cigarette smoke made me sick.  This has gotten worse over the years.  As far as I am concerned, I would prefer it not be a smoker that cooks my food, but if they are fastidious about washing their hands, go for it, I don't mind, I'll never know.  hehe

On the other hand, smoking is a disgusting habit. I hate the smell, I hate the smell getting all over MY clothes and hair because I have to walk thru a door where other's are smoking outside the door.  And this happens at a lot of restaurants.  One restaurant that I really love, the food is excellent, but having to walk through that front door where the smokers are is horrible, I can't smell the food when it comes out.  It doesn't help my husband either, he has asthma, and it has brought on an asthma attack.   I'm so glad he is good about carrying around his puffers when  he has an attack.   You can pretty much  fix your house up to not cause problems, but when you go outside, it's random.


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## YT2095 (Jan 3, 2007)

I was going to post here and give my experience, but after reading some of the posts here, I think I`ll stay silent!


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## Vegas Girl (Jan 4, 2007)

Most of the would-be chefs on ****'s Kitchen were smokers.  Although non smoking Virginia didn't win her own restaurant (she was in the final two), she won several mini challenges.  Chef Ramsey said her pallette was "spot on".


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 4, 2007)

BlueCat said:
			
		

> Thank heaven I don't work in a field where people's narrow opinions and generalizations could have had an effect on my livelihood. Mind you, I don't regret for a minute my decision to stop smoking, but smoking never changed my ability to taste food. Smoking also never interfered with my putting in a very decent day's work. It also didn't make me lazy or impair my judgment. My sinuses are not one molecule better than they were before, and I never caught more than a sniffle as a smoker. I got double pneumonia and very nearly died several years after quitting. I will admit, I'm glad I didn't smoke when I was coming back from that one. I just can't stand holier than thou judgments about a group of people like this.
> 
> Honestly, sometimes I think that crackheads get a fairer shake in life than someone who smokes a cigarette. There are plenty of distasteful habits in the world, but who gets it thrown in their faces like a smoker does? It's as though people feel that a smoker has no feelings whatsoever. Maybe they should just make cigarettes illegal, since smokers are such a liability anyway, and try to find some other whipping boy to levy those same horrific taxes on like maybe fat people, or carnivores, or single people, or maybe they should just hit the drinkers harder - they already tax them pretty hard - but they're running out of sins to tax.
> 
> BC


 
bluecat;  You will see, if you go back to my ealier post on this subject, that I try to judge not by emotion, but by empirical evidence.  That being said, I too believe that to paint all smokers by the same brush is just plain wrong.  But having been in many places and with 51 years behind me, I can say that I understand many non-smoker's aversions to smokers.  It has been only in the last decade or so that the non-smoker has been given freedom from the irritation of second-hand smoke.  My Dad smoked like a chimney, about 3 packs a day of Pall Malls.  He smoked in the car from when I was an infant right through to his 70th year of life.  He quit smoking then.  And in the winter, with car windows rolled up, cigarette smoke is very irritating to the throat and sinuses of non-smokers.  It also causes headaches, can lead to illness, etc. etc.  

The frustration of non-smoking was great in yesteryears.  Often, peer pressure was against you.  And finding a smoke-free place was nearly impossible.  The pendulum has merely swung in the opposite direction and smokers are feeling (unfortunately) the often undesearved wrath of those who don't want cigarette smoke in there lungs and sinuses.

Plus, as a person aware of the risks, and wanting everyone to enjoy life to its fullest, I frequently urge smokers to quit, though I do it gently, understanding that some people actually enjoy the habit, or have difficulty quitting.

For this discussion though, I still believe that taste and smell sensitivity are as another has stated, the result of many factors, such as gentic disposition, smoking, age, and desensitivity to various flavors.

In life, rarely will one find a pat and easy answer to complex questions.  We can only gather what facts are available to us, and try to make educated and informed opinions.  If we tend to form our answers through emotion, then those answers are usually erroneous.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Andy M. (Jan 4, 2007)

If the food is good and has been prepared observing health and safety rules, I don't care what the kitchen staff put into their bodies.


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## BlueCat (Jan 4, 2007)

Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> In life, rarely will one find a pat and easy answer to complex questions. We can only gather what facts are available to us, and try to make educated and informed opinions. If we tend to form our answers through emotion, then those answers are usually erroneous.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


 
I wasn't pointing to your post in particular, Goodweed.  I was stating the facts as I see them, the ones that I have available to me, and making educated and informed opinions, just as you stated above.  I'm not sure what you were driving at with the emotion statement.  Much as I don't like the way smokers are treated, I made some very valid points, certainly because of the fact that I can see the debate from both sides of the issue.

BC


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 8, 2007)

BlueCat said:
			
		

> I wasn't pointing to your post in particular, Goodweed. I was stating the facts as I see them, the ones that I have available to me, and making educated and informed opinions, just as you stated above. I'm not sure what you were driving at with the emotion statement. Much as I don't like the way smokers are treated, I made some very valid points, certainly because of the fact that I can see the debate from both sides of the issue.
> 
> BC


 
I was agreeing with you Bluecat. I don't believe that smoking is as much of an issue with tastebuds as some may suspect. Because of teh posts I've read here, I've expanded my view, or rather, refined my hypothesis a bit. Rather than stating outright that smoking doesn't play a role in taste sensitivity, I will now propose that it is just one of many factors that may affect sensitivity to some flavors, but that it can be compensated for.

And the statement about emotional response or reaction was more for those who tend to let emotion govern their opinions. I found nothing wrong with your statements except they were a bit hard-line, or rigid. I am the kind of guy that constantly re-evaluates my opinions or ideas on the latest information I have. 

Sorry for any misunderstanding.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## goboenomo (Jan 8, 2007)

I like the ones that will go on about how to make the perfect healthy meal and know all about all the right foods to eat, and curse you for eating unhealthy, and then excuse themselves to go out and get some "air".


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## BlueCat (Jan 8, 2007)

I get you now Goodweed.  How funny that things are taken so differently when reading the printed word.  Yep, I'll admit that my opinions are rigid.  I have a real tough time making a decision about many things, but once I have one, by golly, I stick to it!  

And I get your point too goboenomo.  I don't like when anyone goes after a person for their unhealthy eating habits either - whether they go out for a smoke afterward or not.  People really do have a clue that their unhealthy habits are unhealthy.  I just heard a psychologist talking about that very same thing - and saying that people know WHAT they need to do, but often they really aren't very well taught HOW to achieve it.  Their view was that a person with a bad habit gets the news from say, the Dr., that they need to change, but that's the extent of the advice.  What they thought was needed was more one on one education.  Maybe not by the Dr., but by a professional who would take the case from there.  It sounded reasonable.

BC


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## CharlieD (Jan 8, 2007)

I don't know why we are discussing health here anyway. The original post was questioning the ability of a chef to taste food better if he/she smokes or not. So lets forget all the non-smoking propaganda.


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## suzyQ3 (Jan 8, 2007)

CharlieD said:
			
		

> I don't know why we are discussing health here anyway. The original post was questioning the ability of a chef to taste food better if he/she smokes or not. So lets forget all the non-smoking propaganda.


The topic was bound to include a variety of views and opinions. It's impossible to discuss anything remotely related to smoking that wouldn't include people's very different points of view, and some of those views will involve health factors.

I respectfully suggest that you just ignore the posts that bother you rather than trying to enforce a particular direction in which you think the thread should go.


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## CharlieD (Jan 8, 2007)

I was not trying to enforce anything, merely a sugestion so people would move away from closin in on an argument. Smoking is a very hot subject, no pan intended, and could cause a lot of trouble, so far, thank G-d everything was nearly polite.

 As far a "variety of opnion" goes, "I don't believe that a chain smoker is qualified to judge flavors or quality of foods" - where in the above statement do you see the need of the opinion on work atitude?


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## suzyQ3 (Jan 8, 2007)

CharlieD said:
			
		

> I was not trying to enforce anything, merely a sugestion so people would move away from closin in on an argument. Smoking is a very hot subject, no pan intended, and could cause a lot of trouble, so far, thank G-d everything was nearly polite.
> 
> As far a "variety of opnion" goes, "I don't believe that a chain smoker is qualified to judge flavors or quality of foods" - where in the above statement do you see the need of the opinion on work atitude?


Yes, always a good idea to try to keep it as polite as possible but to still allow for differences of opinion. 

So to address your second paragraph, I'm not sure I totally get your drift. Are you saying that aurora does not have the right to her opinion that a smoker's ability to taste and therefore to season may be compromised? Maybe she's right; maybe she's wrong. Maybe it depends on the individual smoker. But others have voiced similar thoughts.


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## GB (Jan 8, 2007)

I think what Charlie is saying (and Charlie please correct me if I am wrong) is that he agrees that a difference of opinion of smokers ability to taste and season correctly is perfectly appropriate in this thread as that is exactly what the thread is about. This thread was not about opinions on work attitude though so that really has no place in this conversation.


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## suzyQ3 (Jan 8, 2007)

GB said:
			
		

> I think what Charlie is saying (and Charlie please correct me if I am wrong) is that he agrees that a difference of opinion of smokers ability to taste and season correctly is perfectly appropriate in this thread as that is exactly what the thread is about. This thread was not about opinions on work attitude though so that really has no place in this conversation.


I reread the thread and found only one that directly attacked smokers' work habits, and you addressed that post quite well. Ironically, that one post was a response to Charlie's "What in the world does smoking have to do with food." (Post #2) Everybody else seems to be very on-topic about whether smoking affects a chef's ability in the kitchen.


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## GB (Jan 8, 2007)

This thread was split off from another where both things were being discussed. I am only guessing that that is what Charlie was talking about. It is easy to get all of these threads confused when you have participated in them.


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## CharlieD (Jan 9, 2007)

Thank you GB. As always, your help appreciated and timely.
 
  And again, to SuzyQ3, if you read the very first post, the one I quoted 3 posts above, you'll see that the original question was about the ability of a smoker to "taste" the food. Not his/her work attitude and/or smoking in general. If you'll read the whole thread, you'll see that there is more than one post about that. Now, having said that, I’m not concern if people talk about the subject of smoking and work attitude, but let's just separate it from tasting. I'm sure, I have also posted something off subject in the past, but it is nice to stay on subject, that's all, no hidden agenda.


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