Why do cooks seem to be so obsessed with tattoos? I personally love them, have a few and often get asked this question but do not have a good answer for you. I started getting tattoos before I was a cook but being in the kitchen definitely led to a few more. I feel tattoos have recently become socially acceptable in America as long as they can be hidden. I could of course go on and on about how tattooing is an ancient art and is considered a thing of beauty by many other cultures...but the culture we are talking about is ours. I first ventured into the sacred region of the forearms because of a few burn scars I had. I was honestly self conscious and I wanted them covered up. Now, personally I love tattoos. I love tattoos that are truly significant to a person and the story that goes along with it. I love the art that lies in the permanence of mile-stoning your life. Once I knew I wanted them covered, the decision was easy. So why are cooks so comfortable bearing visible ink? Well, one of my theory's is the uniform. When you have to wear a uniform, especially a plain white one, the only way to express yourself is through the visible parts. Some do ink, some do hair and so on and so on. There is definitely a wide array of wild hairstyles running through the kitchens of America, running though the kitchens with wild tattoos.
Another theory of mine is the type of people that work in kitchens. For a lot of people, working is restaurants starts as a moonlighting. They are aspiring writers, musicians, actors, painters or artists looking to earn extra money to help support their lifestyle. What you end up with is an extremely passionate person who finds they love (or need) the restaurant industry. Expression is part of their lives and tattoos are a wearable expression of feeling and life.
My last theory is pain. We work long, strenuous hours in a steamy kitchen over hot flame all while constantly burning and cutting ourselves to put out dishes we are proud of. Pain and discomfort is a part of our job and sometimes the only way comfort ourselves away from work is to endure more pain. We'll let the psychologists deal with the rest of that theory.
As I mentioned before, I love tattoos. I love the art and the story. I only have artists tattoo me and I let them take liberty in my tattoo, I involve their creativity so it becomes art. I don't think you should put something on your body that you wouldn't want every one to see (in reason), would you hide that painting in your dining room every time you have your boss over? I have tattoos for my own reasons and I love to look at them, they are a story of my life. Tattoos are for some, not for others. Some people paint, some people garden, I collect art and the canvas is...me....
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