Came across this concept in the Joe Rogan podcast with Andy Galpin, who’s a sports physiologist. Great episode.
He used the terms cooks, bakers and chefs to describe people who are on diets and on fitness programs.
Cooks.
-people who like making their own recipes, after they’ve been given an outline of the basic concepts.
-like a cook works with whatever is in the kitchen, as long as he follows the basic outlines.
Bakers
-the chemists.
-everything has to be extremely structured
-1/2 a spoon of that (which spoon?), quarter cup of that (Gluten free? Whole grain?)
-they need the exact recipe. They want to know how many grapes can be eaten in the morning, on the day of a solar eclipse.
Chefs
-a mix of both of the above.
-they have an extensive, in depth knowledge of exercise and nutrition
-they know the rules, but they also know how to break them to get the best results.
I like working with cooks. Tell them what to do, let them loose, and they’ll come back with good results.
Bakers, are great patients. They’ll follow instructions to the letter. Only problem is, that they’re exhausting, because they’ve got to know everything.
Chefs.
Everyone thinks they’re a chef. Not true. It takes years of practice, reading, and self experimentation to get to that level. These are the worst people to work with. If they’re a true chef, they should not need my help. And if they did, at some point, they should be able to switch their chef hat and change into a cook’s or baker’s mindset as the situation demands.
I’m not confident enough to call myself a chef, yet, when it comes to diet and exercise. I’m pretty hopeless as a baker, but I’m pretty good at cooking.
What are you?
Cook or a Baker?