The Battle Scars We Bear
What Kitchen Injuries Teach Us About Grit, Growth, and the Craft We Love Every cook carries a map of their career on their skin. A constellation of burns, nicks, and scars that tell the story of where we’ve been, what we’ve survived, and how deeply we’ve committed ourselves to this craft. In most professions, injuries are accidents. In kitchens, they’re almost a rite of passage—unwelcome, yes, but inevitable. They’re the quiet reminders of the heat we stand in, the pressure we thrive under, and the resilience we build along the way. Occupational Hazards: Burns, Cuts, and “Worst‑Case Scenarios” There’s a reason cooks joke that we could identify each other by forearms alone. The salamander kisses. The sheet‑pan stripes. The faint crosshatch from a grill grate you swore you weren’t leaning against. The knife slip that taught you—instantly—why your chef always said “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.” These aren’t badges of honor, exactly. No one wants them. But they’re part of the lan...