What is hospitality about?

For some time now, I have been trying to write down some of the thoughts I have had in my mind, but this has seemed almost impossible because of the lack of time, my full dedication to my studies, and the part-time job I have. It has not been easy to see, in so many workplaces, people giving their very best in order to earn a better salary or simply to secure their own livelihood. The reality seems to be almost the same everywhere I go. Today, here in Auckland, New Zealand, when I arrived at the hotel, I witnessed this in a very real way. That was when I decided that this would be the first story to be told here on the website.

My intention is not to criticise any model or form of work, but to show a little of what happens behind the scenes in many companies, hotels, and restaurants, where the goal is to provide good work and good service to those who are our clients or customers. As I was saying, after returning from a visit to Auckland city centre, where I had a good coffee and some delicious Chinese food — which, by the way, was amazing — I went to visit the inactive volcano here. Just as a curiosity, I had coffee with soy milk, of course, because I developed lactose intolerance as I got older. After that, I went to a Chinese buffet, and the food was wonderful.

Then I left and went to visit the inactive volcano here in Auckland. I will show the photos below, and you will see what a beautiful place it is. When I returned to the hotel after a visit of about two hours, I found the lift stopped. I thought to myself: well, the lift must be broken. I pressed the button to go up to the first floor, but nothing happened. I pressed the button for the second floor, and still nothing. Suddenly, lift number two opened, and inside there was a young woman in distress. I ran over to her and asked, “What is happening, my dear?” She answered, breathing heavily, “No, no, no... I should not be here.” She was carrying her trolley with some towels and cleaning products. So I said, “Calm down. Tell me what is happening.” She explained, “I am stuck. I cannot go anywhere because the lift has a problem, and I cannot access the floors.” I asked her, “Which floor are you going to?” She replied, “The third floor.” So I said, “I can help you. Let us go to the third floor, because I am staying there too, and I will help you.”

Still looking very frightened, she accepted. When we arrived on the third floor, I got out of the lift, went to my room, and remembered that I needed to ask for new towels because the ones I had used were wet. So I went looking for her.

When I reached the corridor in front of the lift, I found the young woman with two colleagues and her supervisor. When I realised that the supervisor spoke Spanish, I asked where she was from. She replied that she was from Spain. So I answered in Spanish, “I am Brazilian, but I also speak Spanish.”

I explained that what had happened had been very embarrassing for the employee, as she had been desperate and unable to get out of the lift, and I had tried to calm her down. At that moment, she was crying and very afraid of losing her job because she had had contact with a hotel guest. So I said to her, “Do not worry. I will not say anything to anyone. What happened was only an accident, and I believe you will not suffer any consequences.” Little by little, she became calmer, brightened up, and smiled. Then I said to the supervisor, “She is all right. She will be fine. Do not worry, because I also work in hospitality. I am a chef in Australia, and I am spending the weekend here in New Zealand.

I saw her situation and decided to help because I know how much we suffer in this industry.” These are the kinds of situations we see every day: people who are afraid, worried about losing their jobs because, nowadays, in the world we live in, everything seems to count — how many hours you worked, where you worked, and how much you produced. After all, we no longer have the same security we once had. And this happens all over the world: in Brazil, in Spain, the country that supervisor came from, and here in New Zealand, where they were working and I was only visiting.

So why not make a gesture of goodwill and help someone who is already so stressed? After all, it was Sunday. In my culture, Sunday is not a day for work, but it is a good day to do a good deed.

And you, have you done your good deed today? Have you cooked for someone? This is the purpose of this website: to show people the world that exists behind every dish, every service, and every one of us, because we also have feelings.

Make a gesture of goodwill today. Cook for someone. I will leave you with a very good and pleasant recipe to prepare on a Sunday, after doing your good deed, and to enjoy a delicious meal.