Cancer And Mise-en-Place

We can’t ever guarantee having a ‘good day’ but there are things we can do to stack the odds in our favour.

One ritual any self-respecting chef will adhere to is mise-en-place and it is the single most important ingredient of any dish.

Mise-en-place (pronounced meez-on-plahs) is the planning and ‘thinking ahead’ a chef will execute in preparation for the meal ahead. It’s getting organised so everything is in its place ready to go.

A chef’s action plan will be collecting, prepping and measuring the ingredients. It will be getting the tools and equipment ready and planning each phase of every meal.

This involves getting all the pots, pans and tools right at hand and all the ingredients neatly laid out in bowls. It is setting up their station, ensuring everything they need is within easy reach which then minimises wasted movement and extra steps. It positions them for success in a fast-paced environment.

In his book Kitchen Confidential, chef Anthony Bourdain says,

As a cook, your station, and its condition, its state of readiness, is an extension of your nervous system ….The universe is in order when your station is set up the way you like it: you know where to find everything with your eyes closed, everything you need during the course of the shift is at the ready at arm’s reach, your defences are employed. If you let your mise-en-place run down, get dirty and disorganized, you’ll quickly find yourself spinning in place and calling for back-up.

Mise-en-place is a state of mind and way of being that results in a smooth-flowing, time-saving cooking process. A place for everything and everything in its place.

This is not rocket science and the concept itself is really very simple: everything has a place so get organised before you start. It means leaving nothing to chance.

Mise-en-place can spill outside the kitchen into other areas of our lives too and especially when it comes to managing our health and well-being.

To steal a march, we can start the morning the night before.

For me that means tidying the kitchen before I go to bed and doing any washing up that needs doing – I don’t want to wake up and walk into a war zone. Mess equals stress.

It’s getting my walking gear cleaned and ready for action so I’m not wasting time and getting stuck in a rush hour mentality. It’s having my walking route planned and my food sorted.

It means getting my medications laid out next to what I’m going to have for breakfast.

It’s having an action plan for what I’m doing in the day so I’m ready for any obstacles – for me that normally revolves around eating as I have tremendous difficulty doing so. I plan where I’ll be, what I need to take and any equipment I’m going to need to make the experience less stressful.

If it’s a hospital day and treatment then I’ve got my bag already packed, my route planned and I visualise every step from leaving the house to being at the ward and its successful completion. It’s basically anything I can do to help it go well.

Mise-en-place is the best route to less stressful living and it makes you more productive. The day might not go swimmingly but mise-en-place will stop you from drowning.

I’m all for living in the moment but we can’t ignore the fact that even that requires some prep and getting all your ducks in a row first.

Are you getting ready to have a great day tomorrow?

Be prepared!