But what the hell is going on here? Would you just let me finish, please? That okay?The Menu · 2022 — Chapter 7 of 13 · 2'37" · B1
Slowik Humiliates Jeremy, Explained: aspires to greatness
Slowik introduces a young cook, Jeremy, and reads the letter he wrote begging for a job. "He aspires to greatness but he'll never achieve it," he says, turning a private dream into a public verdict. The kindness is the cruelty.
What happens
For the fourth course, Slowik presents Jeremy, a young cook who wrote to him asking to work at Hawthorn. Slowik reads the letter aloud and then delivers a verdict: Jeremy aspires to greatness but will never achieve it. He lists what Jeremy gave up and asks whether he likes the life he dreamed about.
Listen for
aspires to greatnessno way to avoidmake of your lifeforsake
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Phrase of the scene
aspires to greatness
to aim for excellence or fame
主厨当着众人评价后辈，说他野心极大，却永远够不到那个高度。
She aspired to greatness from her first day on the job.
Also in this scene
- no way to avoid
impossible to escape
- make of your life
the shape one gives one's own life
- forsake
to abandon something or someone important
Everything marked in this scene
35 notes across 35 lines
But what the hell is going on here? Would you just let me finish, please? That okay?flap
But what the hell is going on here? Would you just let me finish, please? That okay?Ladies and gentlemen, please meet sous chef Jeremy Louden.Ladies and gentlemen, please meet sous chef Jeremy Louden.liaison
Ladies and gentlemen, please meet sous chef Jeremy Louden.Originally from Sparks, Nevada, Jeremy studied at the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park.Originally from Sparks, Nevada, Jeremy studied at the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park.Jeremy's goal, as he wrote in a heartfelt letter, was to work for me here at Hawthorn.Jeremy's goal, as he wrote in a heartfelt letter, was to work for me here at Hawthorn.as-parenthetical
Jeremy's goal, as he wrote in a heartfelt letter, was to work for me here at Hawthorn.Isn't that right, Jeremy?Yes, Chef. [CLICKS TONGUE]stress
Yes, Chef. [CLICKS TONGUE]But he's not great.He'll never be great.He desperately wants my prestige, my job, my talent.to aim for excellence or fame
He aspires to greatness, but he'll never achieve it.He aspires to greatness, but he'll never achieve it.Like me at his age.Jeremy has forsaken everything to achieve his goals.Jeremy has forsaken everything to achieve his goals.infinitive of purpose
Jeremy has forsaken everything to achieve his goals.Like mine, his life is pressure. Pressure to put out the best food in the world.And even when all goes right and the food is perfect,impossible to escape
there is no way to avoid the mess.there is no way to avoid the mess.the shape one gives one's own life
The mess you make of your life,of your body, of your sanity.do you like this life? This life that you dreamed about?do you like this life? This life that you dreamed about?No, Chef. Mmm-hmm. And do you want my life?Not my position nor my talent. My life.nor joining negatives
Not my position nor my talent. My life.Ladies and gentlemen, your fourth course.Slowik Humiliates Jeremy, explained
What's really going on
Slowik does not simply humiliate Jeremy; he makes him the evening's lesson. Reading the boy's letter aloud, he says, "He aspires to greatness, but he'll never achieve it." He then notes that Jeremy has forsaken everything to get here. The cruelty is that none of it is hidden from the guests, and Jeremy can only answer, "Yes, Chef." Slowik's real target may be himself as much as the young cook: the hunger he describes is the hunger on display all night. When he asks, "do you like this life? This life that you dreamed about?" he is asking whether anyone would trade places with him now that they can see the cost.
Theme
AmbitionSlowik takes apart a young cook's ambition: Jeremy did everything right and still will not reach greatness.
PowerSlowik uses the dinner as a stage to pass judgment on a young cook, turning his authority into a public verdict.
What you'll learn
- Use The mess you make in the same situation
- Hear giving everything you have as pressure, not small talk
- Catch who the line is aimed at
- Notice how "The mess you make" changes the exchange.
- Listen for the attitude carried by "The mess you make".
Listen for
- let me — flap
- Ladies and — liaison
- Yes Chef — stress
He aspires to greatness but he ll never achieve itSlowik's verdict on Jeremy: the ambition is real, but the talent will never match it. It is praise and a death sentence in one sentence.
The mess you make of your lifeThe phrase Slowik uses for what a person does with their one life; here it is aimed at Jeremy, whose choices have left him desperate and used.
Not my position nor my talent My lifeSlowik says it is not his rank or skill he is offering but the life that came with them; the guests are being asked if they want that too.
do you like this life This life that you dreamed aboutThe question turns Jeremy's dream back on him: now that he has the life he wanted, does it feel like the life he imagined?
Questions about this scene
Who is Jeremy and why is he humiliated?
Jeremy is a young cook who wrote to Slowik asking for a job. Slowik reads that letter aloud to the room and uses it to show that Jeremy wants greatness but lacks the talent to reach it.
Why does Slowik say Jeremy will never achieve greatness?
Because wanting something desperately is not the same as being good at it. Slowik lists Jeremy's training and drive, then delivers the verdict that at his age he is still not great.
What has Jeremy given up for his career?
According to Slowik, Jeremy has forsaken everything to achieve his goals, cutting off people and a normal life. The scene asks whether the dream was worth what it cost.
Is Slowik talking to Jeremy or to the whole table?
Both. He presents Jeremy as a case study, then turns the question on the guests by asking whether they want his life. The humiliation is meant to be watched.
The Menu · 13 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 8name droppingA Staff Member Shoots Himself at Dinner
Chapter 1running interferenceGuests Board the Boat to Hawthorn
Chapter 2on the edge of the abyssTyler Explains Why Chefs Are Artists
Chapter 3not brain surgerySlowik Serves the Island Course
Chapter 4pull this cardThe Guests Beg for Bread
Chapter 5on the mapThe Chef Recounts a Childhood Memory
Chapter 6plausible deniabilityTortillas Expose EchoBrite's Crimes
Watching · Chapter 7aspires to greatnessSlowik Humiliates Jeremy
Chapter 8name droppingA Staff Member Shoots Himself at Dinner
Chapter 9hard home truthsSlowik Serves Tea and Truths
Chapter 10rattle youSlowik Sees Through Margot
Chapter 11refused his advancesThe Guest Reveals Her Real Name
Chapter 12swore you to secrecyThe Chef Confronts His Devoted Fan
Chapter 13bear witness toSlowik Makes the Foodie CookChapter 7 of 13 · about 27 min to go