There are over 6500 official languages spoken in this world and I know one of them...English. So then how can I consider myself bilingual.
The language of a kitchen. The pans clinking over the fire, chefs screaming, some spanish here and french there. The kitchen is a mix of words, silence, and noise and yet it is a place with the best communication, a sensible chaos to those who speak it. With a kitchen that does not speak comes a failed restaurant.
I used to have a chef that would say, the difference between a cook and a chef is that a cook sees fire while a chef can hear it from across the kitchen. He would know if the fire was too high by its sound and that is how a kitchen communicates. Your back is turned chopping onions and you sense your veal reduction boiling over. That is the language of a kitchen.
Kitchen may not be an official world language but it is one that takes practice, dedication, and devotion. It is ready to be recognized and respected.
