Above all, he enters a new world. This one is separated into two parts by a wall pierced by a double door; it is split into two opposing zones: the dining room on the street, the kitchen at the back. The former is a theater, a performance space, displayed before the eyes of all. Vast, lit up, serene. What strikes you immediately is its continual murmur: a calmness buzzing with sensations, looks, intentions. You hear whispers, the clink of glasses, the rustle of tablecloths and of fabric rubbing up against the backs of wing chairs; you feel the smoothness of bouquets of fresh flowers and the deep softness of carpets where high heels and leather soles sink; you imagine the exquisite presentation of the dishes, their sophisticated design, the pointillist line of balsamic vinegar on porcelain and the petals of beetroot chips forming a rose, the delicate little bowls containing miniature appetizers that melt or crunch in your mouth, the verrines with tie-dye shadings, the iced oysters scattered with petunias; you discover the flavors of those wines that slowly evolve on your palate, their taste that gradually overwhelms your entire body and creates a continuous sensual reality in which you dissolve; you visualize the softly lit room, intimate, rose colored, with just the right degree of shade for those smiling, pleasure-bathed faces unrestrainedly enjoying their privilege, obscene in their delight, while on the other side of the constantly swinging double door, behind the set, we find the second zone, governed by inverted laws.

Here there is no tingling silence, no soothing calm; this is a zone of noise. The whistling of the gas-stove fires, the grinding of blades, the thrum of small motors here and there, the popping of bubbles at the surface of broths, the metallic scrape and clang. Time does not flow here in sensory layers of liquidity; it is divided into minutes, into cooking times and presentation times punctuated by the voice that gives the order and by the bell that delivers the dish in return; space, too, is segmented, compartmentalized, each person confined within set borders, occupying a station; the chain of actions is painstakingly detailed, inch perfect, structured by obedience, discipline, the execution of commands: it is a military operation in which each employee is a soldier.