***F.N.G.***

So what is FNG?

Here's the definition from Urban Dictionary:
Fuckin' New Guy. Term still used in the western English-speaking armed forces of the west (primarily United States, Australia, United Kingdom and Canada) to denote a new soldier fresh off his basic training. It means they have the basics but no real experience, so they do everything by the book (which is not always best) and they are overly keen and always shut down on long excersices.
Some people stay F.N.G.'s for years, however most switched-on soldiers lose the status within a year.

I remember working my first kitchen job in Boston, MA. I was still a bright eyed teenager. Those guys were great cooks, quick, precise, and each demanded the same amount of intensity from everyone in the kitchen. This group of cooks were my first influence in my professional life. They were OGs (Original Gangsters), and I wanted to be just like them. But I wasn't. I was the FNG, the "fucking new guy". I was called things like "Lala", "F* Face", "Bitch"... you get the idea. Basically, I didn't have a name. Once a new FNG came onto the team, I was out of the doghouse. The guys finally called me by my name, and I was officially one of them. This cycle kept repeating itself as one FNG got their name back as one FNG came into the kitchen.

I don't know of any restaurants that still keep something like this going, but I'm sure there are plenty. It's not a good culture for the kitchen, but it's there, and it's good not to be the FNG.