Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in With the Fire on High, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age and Teen Parenthood
Creativity vs. Professional Norms
Food and Connection
Caregiving, Independence, and Identity
Support, Community, and Mentorship
Summary
Analysis
The next day, when Emoni sets her plate down in front of Chef Ayden for grading, he tells her to throw it away. It’s not the recipe he assigned. Emoni argues that it tastes good and is presented well, and Chef puts a bite in his mouth. Though Emoni can tell he loves it, he says the point is following instructions, not creativity. Emoni throws away her plate. Ignoring Malachi’s warning, she approaches Chef after class and asks why he made her trash the dish. He says that even if it tasted good, she didn’t prepare it right. She’s not being respectful, and she needs to learn the rules before she can break them.
Chef Ayden sets out clear guidelines for how to be a good restaurant employee: mainly, one must follow directions to the letter. And note that while he acknowledges that Emoni’s creativity isn’t a bad thing (since her food does taste good), reworking dishes in a professional restaurant isn’t going to end well for her. Essentially, if Emoni really wants to pursue a restaurant career and not get fired, she must learn to follow directions.
Themes
Emoni argues that she shouldn’t have to learn how to make a bad recipe well, but Chef Ayden says it’s about more than that. Does she remember what temperature a medium-rare flank stank gets cooked to? She doesn’t, so the hypothetical patron will be unhappy and won’t come back. And if Emoni decides to “express herself” and put cayenne on a dish when it’s not in the ingredient list, she could make a patron who’s allergic really sick. Emoni knows she’s been dismissed. She’s not sure she’s coming back.
Chef Ayden continues to highlight that restaurant patrons come into restaurants with expectations: that they’ll get the steak cooked to order, and that they won’t be surprised with ingredients that might hurt them. This is hard for Emoni to grasp because she’s such an intuitive chef, but Chef Ayden makes it clear that Emoni must internalize these professional norms if she wants to be successful in a professional kitchen.
Themes
