One of my favourite shows on TV is Kitchen Nightmares. The formula is simple, a failing restaurant invites famous chef and entrepreneur Gordon Ramsay to help them get their business on track in his unique and very effective way. Each show follows a similar track, Gordon visits the restaurant where he samples some of their dishes and gets a feel for the restaurant. Invariably, things escalate quickly from there. Almost every time the food is terrible, the dining room is a mess, the staff are unhappy and the owner is in denial. Often Gordon will get into the kitchen right away and the sparks will start to fly. For those who have seen Gordon at work, he is extremely direct and does not pull his punches. My gran used to say that it is good to call a spade a spade, but you don’t need to call it a bloody shovel! In Gordon’s world, let’s just say that there’s no such thing as a spade.
I am amazed by the things that he uncovers; waste, laziness, exhaustion, denial, shortcuts and compromise of all kinds. Most of the time, I can understand how things got to where they are, people get tired, worn out, lose their passion and vision, make bad decisions, etc. A lot of times the owners mean well but just have no idea, they’re totally naive. Gordon is very good at solving those problems.
The one thing that strikes me as the saddest state of affairs is when restaurants serve microwave food. They have a fully equipped kitchen and chefs who know their craft, but for some reason they’ve regressed so far that they don’t even prepare their own food any more. They buy frozen food made in a factory and all they really do is reheat and serve.
Why is this so sad? Because there’s no passion, no joy, no love, no art and no heart. They love the idea of having their own restaurant, but they do not love food and they do not love their customers.
They can serve a lasagne but it’s not theirs, it’s exactly the same as everyone else who buys from the same supplier. They might have nicer plates and a beautiful dining room, but they’re still serving a microwave dinner. If you ask them about the dish they’ll go and read what it says on the label. They buy that particular brand because it’s cheap, or because it’s what the supplier sells, not because it tastes best or has the best ingredients or reflects their particular style or passion. If those things were a concern they would have cooked their own.
It struck me that Sunday church is often like a restaurant that serves microwave food. We sing songs that were written by someone else, in the way that someone else dictates they should be sung. Our sermons contain nothing fresh or new, we just pick some well established or accepted message that comes from a reputable brand, put it on a plate and reheat it. There’s nothing in there that makes it uniquely ours. We have not developed the dish, have no investment in it and don’t really understand how it’s made. All we need to do to make it ready to eat is to follow the instructions on the box.
What makes it all even more tragic is that the people being served this food think that they’re eating a nutritious meal. One has to blame this on naiveté. People they trust tell them the meal is good for them. The box advertises all the nutritional benefits, no added colouring, no preservatives, no added salt, low fat, etc. so it must be good.
Most of the time the biggest challenge for Gordon, the hardest pill for the restaurateur to swallow, is to accept how bad things are and that change is needed. The response follows a predictable pattern starting with denial, anger and offense. At this point Gordon is very direct, even brutal. This is the crucial part, he needs to destroy a delusion. If the owner can take the truth and process it, he has a chance to be set free. This is a beautiful process. As part of this process Gordon will often cook them a meal, something fresh, cooked from scratch, so they can remember what real food tastes like.
When last did we serve fresh bread from heaven as a matter of course? When last did our people eat food that was cooked with love and passion, that was full of life and joy? If your people are happy to eat microwave meals, some reflection is warranted. Don’t be like the restaurateur who is in denial. Go eat some fresh heavenly food and remind yourself what real food tastes like. Throw out the frozen food and get some fresh bread!