If you don't taste it, how will you know if it's good?

You would think that need no other explanation; you'd be wrong.  One of my prep cooks, refuses to taste things.  I have no idea why, they can't explain it.  They can't explain it, even though they taste things they make at home.  "I don't know" is the answer I goy when I asked how this was possible.  This was better than the blank stare that I got when I asked how they knew what the dish they were making, tasted like and if it was good, if they didn't taste it.  Sometimes teaching via Taser seems like such a great idea.  "I bet you'd tell me if I blasted your ass with 5,000 volts?  Would you remember to taste things, then?"  Of course, you say that to yourself in today's litigious climate, but what does it take for it to be remembered and followed?

Why does it seem that some cooks refuse to taste what they make?  Do they think they automatically know how it is going to taste?  Do they not care about the product?  Do they know what to taste for?  Sometimes it is a combination of all of them, a few of them, or possibly even, none of them.  One prep cook refused to taste things because they felt they would gain weight.  One prep refused to taste things because they thought that they knew the ingredients well enough, that they knew it was balanced, without even trying it.  I've seen my share of good ingredients, ruined by not tasting because it is the same dish they prepped a week ago.  Well that head of celery that come in last week, may not taste the same as this week's head.  Same with the onion, garlic, chicken breast and apple.  Yes, chicken salad is made every week and every week it should be the same.  You need to taste it to make sure it tastes like it did last week.  Our customers expect that; they also deserve it.  Just because we are not working in a Michelin Three Star restaurant, does not mean our customers, do not deserve the best we can give them.  They pay our salary, they should get a perfect experience each and every time they walk in our door.  Any thing less and we should just pack up our stuff and hand the keys over to someone who will give them that experience. 

 That last sentence hit home and the prep finally picked up a spoon and tasted the chicken salad.  I asked what did they taste?  They told me that it needed salt and maybe a little more dry mustard.  I said, yes it did and that they would have never known that if they hadn't tasted the dish.  Did they think the salad would just tell them this?  A small voice muttered, "No."  And the day went on.