GobiasIndustries's recent activity
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Comment on René Redzepi, the head chef and co-founder of Noma, announced he was resigning from his internationally acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant following allegations that he had physically abused his staff in ~food
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Comment on Survey reveals almost 50% of California teachers may quit teaching soon in ~life
GobiasIndustries Link ParentThe article talks about student behavior and parents undermining teachers' decisions. Without the backing of the school board, teachers are pretty powerless against parents and students.The article talks about student behavior and parents undermining teachers' decisions. Without the backing of the school board, teachers are pretty powerless against parents and students.
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Comment on Punching, slamming, screaming: A chef’s past abuse haunts Noma, the world’s top-rated restaurant in ~food
GobiasIndustries Link ParentI wish there were easy answers, but the problems around all the forms of abuse are so baked into the industry and society's definition of how a fine dining chef is supposed to act. Gordon Ramsay...I wish there were easy answers, but the problems around all the forms of abuse are so baked into the industry and society's definition of how a fine dining chef is supposed to act. Gordon Ramsay doesn't have a food and media empire because he's a great cook, he's on TV because people love to watch him yell at donkeys who try to serve raw salmon. Anthony Bourdain's autobiography, Kitchen Confidential was simultaneously the best and worst thing that could have happened to the industry. It shed light on the reality of kitchen life, but it inspired a whole generation of cooks and "foodies" to completely miss the point he was trying to make. He wasn't celebrating his drug-fueled past, he was telling people why the industry needed to change. As long we romanticize that sort of behaviour in our fiction, we're going to accept it in our reality.
You mention French cuisine being especially bad for abuse, which probably isn't too far off the mark. I've read biographies of some of top French chefs who apprenticed in the 1950s and 60s who talk about being treated only slightly better than livestock when starting their careers as teenagers. Like I mentioned in my earlier comment, this isn't even unique to fine dining. The people in your run of the mill, local takeout spot may have it worse. In my case for example, "survival of abuse" wasn't even about reaching the top, it was about keeping a roof over my head. It felt like there was some progress being made in the early 2000s, but maybe it was just me leaving the restaurant world, moving to cooking for seniors, and leading my kitchens differently, but it seems like there's been a huge backslide since the pandemic. I had left the industry entirely by then.
How much responsibility you're willing to accept as a diner is your choice. I guess it comes down to how much you're willing to separate the art from the artist, so to speak. Even if you give up on dining out, it's hard to eat much of anything without exploiting someone. Can you buy an avocado and a couple of limes from the grocery store knowing that at least some of that money will eventually wind up in the hands of a cartel? Upton Sinclair wrote about the conditions that food workers endured 100 years ago. Things may be better nowadays, but there's a long way to go. At a bare minimum, I would suspect that even if nobody is being punched, most restaurants commit varying degrees of wage theft and ignore at least a few safety and labour regulations.
I don't think that you as an average diner really bear any responsibility for it, especially when you have no way to know what goes on behind closed doors. By all means, call it out when you see it and support places that prove they line up with your values when/if you can. I barely eat out anymore, but I buy a ton of grey market homemade food from people on Facebook Marketplace. This may or may not be legal where you live, but I would much rather break the law by giving cold hard cash to a person for feeding me than legally buy food from someone who's stealing from their cooks.
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Comment on Punching, slamming, screaming: A chef’s past abuse haunts Noma, the world’s top-rated restaurant in ~food
GobiasIndustries Link ParentAnd while the article focuses on the highest levels of the craft, this is par for the course in every corner of the hospitality world. One of my first chef's favourite "pranks" to pull on me as 16...And while the article focuses on the highest levels of the craft, this is par for the course in every corner of the hospitality world. One of my first chef's favourite "pranks" to pull on me as 16 year old dishwasher at a chain restaurant was to leave the handles of a dirty pan over an open flame for a little while before handing it to me, handle first. This was on top of the traditional verbal and financial abuse that you expect from most kitchens.
Luckily, I only had a handful of violent chefs in the rest of my career, and while I never worked at the Michelin level, the highest-end places I worked also tended to be the most supportive while still being able to enforce the exacting standards that fine dining requires.
I won't defend it by any means, but a lot of intense work environments where deadlines are so strict, poor performance is immediately obvious and has a direct effect on the rest of the team is going to have some sort of "vetting process" like hazing. You see it in high level team sports, the military, and probably a lot more. While a careless mistake in a kitchen can serious hurt someone or cost a lot of money, a lot of chefs have a very inflated sense of how important their work is since the industry demands that you make it your entire identity if you want to make it to the top of the hill.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
GobiasIndustries Link ParentImagine having enough money to never want for anything for a thousand lifetimes and instead of just disappearing forever, choosing to burn through it all to spread ignorance and hate.Imagine having enough money to never want for anything for a thousand lifetimes and instead of just disappearing forever, choosing to burn through it all to spread ignorance and hate.
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Comment on Denmark is set to explore if gastronomy can be recognized as an art form in ~food
GobiasIndustries Link ParentThis is what I'm struggling with. Food is already a lot of things depending on who's cooking, who they're cooking for, and why. If you're feeding vulnerable populations, It's a public health...To me, art is pure aesthetic but food should be seen as high forms of craft and function. Food is inherently functional and I'm not sure how you can decouple that, even if you offer the most experimental meal...
This is what I'm struggling with. Food is already a lot of things depending on who's cooking, who they're cooking for, and why.
If you're feeding vulnerable populations, It's a public health service. If you're showcasing your country's culinary traditions, its a cultural exchange. If you're trying to make money, it's a business. They're all perfectly valid reasons to cook, and I don't see how adding gastronomy as an officially recognized art form makes life better for anyone besides the Michelin-starred restaurant owners who have already reached the peak of their craft and certainly aren't struggling to keep the lights that project pictures of ocean trash onto their ceilings on.
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Comment on Denmark is set to explore if gastronomy can be recognized as an art form in ~food
GobiasIndustries Link ParentThe article talks about how an official acknowledgement of cooking as an art form would unlock the possibility of chefs qualifying for grant funding thats been earmarked for the arts. That...The article talks about how an official acknowledgement of cooking as an art form would unlock the possibility of chefs qualifying for grant funding thats been earmarked for the arts. That requires a much more formal definition of what art is and isn't.
If some food is art, where do you draw the line? If a Michelin starred restaurant making a dish that conveys a message about pollution qualifies, what specific qualities does that dish have to make it art?
If I want to apply for arts funding, what sort of artistic merit does my food have to demonstrate? Is just being visually impressive enough?
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
GobiasIndustries Link ParentThank you for that, sincerely. It's a hard thing to talk about since the Americans who are putting in the work are pretty much the only ones who would be willing to listen to a statement like that...Thank you for that, sincerely. It's a hard thing to talk about since the Americans who are putting in the work are pretty much the only ones who would be willing to listen to a statement like that without getting too defensive about it.
While my intent wasnt to lump you personally in with America as a whole, I also dont have the emotional bandwidth to separate the "good" ones from the "bad" ones. Especially when 2/3 of you looked at Trump's first term and decided that they either wanted more or just didn't care enough to stop it.
What hurts the most about it all is that America really did kick ass. The last decade has been like watching a dear friend succumb to an addiction or an untreated mental illness. You want to help, but staying close to them just hurts you and doesn't help them. Even if the US ends up with a new, more stable leader in a few years, it's going to take a long, long time to regain the world's trust and show that you won't slide right back into this four years later.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
GobiasIndustries Link ParentI'm going to be careful not to make this a criticism of you personally, but I'm so tired of hearing Americans apologize and try to absolve themselves of their share of the blame for the current...I'm going to be careful not to make this a criticism of you personally, but I'm so tired of hearing Americans apologize and try to absolve themselves of their share of the blame for the current state of affairs between our countries. You want to show how sorry you are? Demand better from the democratic leaders who let things get this bad and recognize that the left is just as responsible for the chasm between the two sides right now.
For decades, I've listened to Americans joke about moving to Canada whenever a Republican president gets elected as though we're some sort of backup choice. Rather than fixing their own country, they want to bring their baggage here. American-style politics has already gotten a foothold here and we were a hair away from electing a MAGA Prime Minister last year. Unlike some leaders, our incumbent PM had the good sense to resign rather than run in an election he had no chance of winning.
Even the talk from Americans wanting to visit Canada to show their support feels dirty and politically-motivated. As though a parading yourselves through Old Montreal with an anti-Trump t-shirt will validate you as "one of the good ones" or something. A lot of democrats made jokes about Canada annexing their home states when the whole 51st state talk started, completely ignorant to the fact that a huge influx of Americans would be just as destructive to the Canadian identity as a military takeover. Personally, I don't think that most Americans ever really thought of Canada as an ally, at best we were America Jr.
While I hope your country gets itself together, the damage has been done and our relationship will probably never recover, at least not in my lifetime, and that's fine by me.
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Comment on What are you no longer a fan of? in ~talk
GobiasIndustries Link ParentAgreed. Of all the countries that Canada has a land border with, Denmark is my favourite.Agreed. Of all the countries that Canada has a land border with, Denmark is my favourite.
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Comment on Color game — how well can you remember colors? | Dialed in ~games
GobiasIndustries Link ParentI didn't care much for the game's snarky tone either. I assume that it wasn't meant to be malicious, but it reminded me of the times that I've been mocked for my colourblindess.I didn't care much for the game's snarky tone either. I assume that it wasn't meant to be malicious, but it reminded me of the times that I've been mocked for my colourblindess.
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Comment on NHL trade deadline Friday, March 6, 2026, at 3pm ET. What are your predictions? in ~sports.hockey
GobiasIndustries LinkI expect the Canucks to attempt another half-assed rebuild, that recent season where they finished 1st in the Pacific and nearly made it to the conference finals gave them a false sense of...I expect the Canucks to attempt another half-assed rebuild, that recent season where they finished 1st in the Pacific and nearly made it to the conference finals gave them a false sense of confidence. Quinn Hughes was the only core member of the team I would have tried to keep, but I guess that's why I don't manage an NHL team. Time will tell how that trade turned out, but unless that 1st round pick becomes a generational talent or Hughes's production falls off a cliff, you don't win a trade like that
I don't think the Leafs have the guts to do a full rebuild either. They need to do something, but with the amount of scrutiny that players get from fans and media there, it's got to be one of the least attractive destinations for free agents or players with no-movement clauses right now.
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Comment on The mega-rich are turning their mansions into impenetrable fortresses in ~finance
GobiasIndustries Link ParentBesides, it just seems like bad form to invite 200 people to your home nightclub without also offering them 8 places to swim.Besides, it just seems like bad form to invite 200 people to your home nightclub without also offering them 8 places to swim.
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Comment on Why America is slipping in the Olympics in ~sports
GobiasIndustries Link ParentI think that winter sports are just the easiest ones to spot the class inequality that's inherent to the highest levels of any sport. The high cost and exclusivity of skiing being a good thing...I think that winter sports are just the easiest ones to spot the class inequality that's inherent to the highest levels of any sport.
The high cost and exclusivity of skiing being a good thing depends on how you look at it. Is skiing a vacation activity or a sport? Should a ski resort cater to locals or to outsiders? Most importantly, why is skiing so expensive and who benefits from the high cost? It certainly isn't skiers or employees of the resorts. Is a ski pass $250 because the resort is trying to protect the ecosystem and give their staff a living wage or is it just because they know that you'll pay that much?
As for why we should care when we have bigger problems? At the risk of oversimplifying things and coming across as an idealist, sports used to teach you how to lose with dignity, how to work with people you may not like, how to face adversity, and how to win with grace. Not to mention the whole host of health benefits from making exercise a regular part of your life. Maybe more sports would eventually help smooth some of those out.
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Comment on What science says we’ve been getting wrong about exercise in ~health
GobiasIndustries Link ParentI think the problem is that people don't want boring solutions that involve consistently putting in a bit of work for a long time before starting to see results. Even when people aren't explicitly...I think the problem is that people don't want boring solutions that involve consistently putting in a bit of work for a long time before starting to see results.
Even when people aren't explicitly looking for shortcuts or trying to make sweeping lifestyle changes all at once, they're still looking for "the best" routine that somehow produces instant results with as little change to their status quo as possible. For a lot of people who are looking for any excuse to avoid accepting accountability, if they can't get that, why bother trying at all?
There's already so much misinformation in the health and fitness industry that it's no wonder why people get paralyzed with indecision before trying anything. I'd love to assume that common sense should dictate that any choice to eat a healthy thing or to do any sort of exercise, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. It turns out that that's the incredibly boring secret that the wellness industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars trying to keep you from realizing.
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Comment on How many Hosers are there on Tildes? in ~talk
GobiasIndustries Link ParentConsidering how hard it is to bring fresh food that far North, you have to calibrate your expectations for price and quality accordingly. There's a wide variety of cuisines to choose from, but the...Considering how hard it is to bring fresh food that far North, you have to calibrate your expectations for price and quality accordingly.
There's a wide variety of cuisines to choose from, but the best I can say for most of the food I had is "It's impressive that they managed to get the ingredients for this from so far away". Not to say the food was bad, but the prices reflect the cost of shipping almost everything in from Edmonton or further. One standout was the Mexican place in the legislative assembly building. Definitely worth checking out both the assembly and the restaurant.
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Comment on How many Hosers are there on Tildes? in ~talk
GobiasIndustries Link ParentIt's just one possible explanation for the term. It was widely popularized by the SCTV sketch comedy characters, Bob & Doug McKenzie, who parodied a certain flavour of Southern Ontario working...It's just one possible explanation for the term. It was widely popularized by the SCTV sketch comedy characters, Bob & Doug McKenzie, who parodied a certain flavour of Southern Ontario working class Canadian in the 1980s.
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Comment on How many Hosers are there on Tildes? in ~talk
GobiasIndustries Link ParentLegend has it that before the Zamboni was invented, the losing hockey team had to hose down the ice to resurface it after the game. Hence the term 'Hoser' as an appropriately self-effacing way for...Legend has it that before the Zamboni was invented, the losing hockey team had to hose down the ice to resurface it after the game. Hence the term 'Hoser' as an appropriately self-effacing way for Canadians to talk about themselves.
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Comment on How many Hosers are there on Tildes? in ~talk
GobiasIndustries LinkGood day, eh? Born and raised in Ottawa, but have been living in Vancouver for the past 15 years. I actually arrived here the day after our last hockey riot. I've made a point of travelling within...Good day, eh?
Born and raised in Ottawa, but have been living in Vancouver for the past 15 years. I actually arrived here the day after our last hockey riot.
I've made a point of travelling within Canada way more in the past few years. Initially because of the pandemic, but carrying on because of, well, you know. I managed to visit places in 6 different provinces/territories last year not including BC.
The biggest surprise of the year was how multicultural Yellowknife is. Beyond the various First Nations and Inuit groups, there are big Filipino, Indian, African, Vietnamese, and Chinese communities along with a United Nations of young people on working holiday visas. I think I spoke to people from at least 10 different countries over the week. That's pretty impressive for a town of about 25,000 people.
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Comment on List animals until failure in ~games
GobiasIndustries Link ParentThere's also a really good chance that I'm misremembering what knocked 'Dog' off the board for me. It was a very intense situation with animal names flying all over the place.There's also a really good chance that I'm misremembering what knocked 'Dog' off the board for me. It was a very intense situation with animal names flying all over the place.
I think it would be more fair to say that Redzepi resigned because corporate sponsors began to withdraw from their partnerships with Noma. The allegations of physical abuse were the catalyst, but money was the reason.
I don't believe for a second that Redzepi and Noma are parting ways, they just arent going to let him be the public face of the brand for a few years.