A few years ago as Anthony and I drifted back and forth across Europe, we noticed a marketing technique that the Europeans seemed to have fallen in love with. A statue or cut-out of a chef or waiter beckoning you in to their humble establishment. We instantly dubbed them ‘Crazy Chefs’ as most of the time, there was something just not quite right about them. A slightly wonky stance, skewif hats, strange expressions. There were just so many of them and once we noticed a couple, they were just everywhere. I wrote a post about it called ‘Would You Buy Anything From This Man?‘. If you want a short read and a good laugh, I’d encourage you to hop on over and take a look at the photos.
Since then, we have continued to travel and are always ready with the camera to snap a Crazy Chef in situ. Sightings will never match the volume we saw in Europe but Crazy Chefs continue to pop up across the globe. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Sometimes Crazy Chefs are not chefs at all, but serving wenches in traditional or olde worlde garb…
Pag, Croatia | Melbourne
Sometimes the Crazy Chefs are not in keeping with the culture at all such as these Balinese chefs by way of Italy…
Kuta, Bali
Then there’s the questionable outfits and poses. I’m not exactly sure who or what the guy on the left is supposed to be but I’m fairly certain the woman on the right may have started life as a completely different type of doll altogether…
Agua Calientes, Peru
Crazy Chefs are certainly not limited to human beings, as this farmyard duo can attest…
Norfolk Island | Berlin
Why would this restaurant owner think this sinister Pinocchio would lure anyone in? Do you like the poisoned apple in his hand to lull you into a false sense of security? Straight from a horror film…
South Brisbane
Sometimes though, Crazy Chefs are not crazy. No, sometimes they are very self-aware.
Delta, Colorado
We will continue to laugh at the Crazy Chefs we see on our travels. They are as many and varied as the people on the planet and we hope to sight many more of them when we are out and about on bite sized food adventures.
G’day What a great post Tiffin that made me smile! It is as if each one tells a story!
I have seen many of these and always take photos too!
Cheers! Joanne
Feel free to write a guest post on TIFFIN about your own Crazy Chefs Joanne. I bet you have some funny photos too.
I love this, some of them border on scary funny. Love the Peru ones!
Hi Leanne – yep, there are some seriously Crazy Chefs lurking at the front door of restaurants, scaring people away. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Great post Fiona! I love them, although I agree, some of them do look a little spooky, especially in their still pose. I would love to collect these but would need a very large space for them all. The red hat woman/doll is a gem! 🙂
Thanks so much : ) I think that collection would be very creepy indeed. You’ll start to see them everywhere now!
Ooooooh, yes, I’ve seen a few of these on my travels too! Fun!
You’ll spot them everywhere now Liz.
Mmmmm…. Extraction could do with one of these… NOT!
Well who knows what your shop warming present may be…
I know the man in red tights – he’s El Chapulin Colorado (the Red Grasshopper), a Mexican television character http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Chapul%C3%ADn_Colorado
Well aren’t you the clever one? How did you know about that? From your visit I suppose. Thanks for the link.
Very funny. I had my photo taken with a ‘crazy chef’ granny outside Hemmingway’s favourite coffee spot in Pamplona, Navara Spain.
You’ll have to send it to me and then I can do a composite post of contributions.
Some of them are so scary I would not go through the door!
Yep. You’ll start seeing them in your neck of the woods too.