As the second season of “The Bear” wrapped up and the teaser for the third season was released, it was evident that Chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) would be pursuing Michelin stars with his restaurant’s latest update. Despite the transformation from a casual eatery to a fine dining venue embracing chaos cooking, the staff continued to serve sandwiches from a side takeout window during the day, necessitating the stocking of various supplies. One such item is the C-folds that Natalie (Abby Elliott) is shown restocking frequently in Season 3, Episode 7 of the series.
If you’re not familiar with the restaurant business, the term C-fold may not be part of your everyday language. Nonetheless, it simply refers to a standard item: tri-folded paper towels. When their two opposite ends are folded inward, these towels take on a “C” shape when viewed from the side. Other common folding styles for paper towels include V-fold and Z-fold. The former is folded in half, while the latter has its ends folded in opposite directions. It’s likely that the restaurant in the show provided C-folds along with takeout, but in any commercial kitchen, they are typically used for drying hands after washing or wiping spills at a workstation—similar to how you might use paper towels at home.
Many terms in The Bear may be unfamiliar to viewers.
Since its debut, “The Bear” has exposed viewers to the frenetic chaos often present in a restaurant’s back of house, while prominently highlighting kitchen terminology. For viewers who lack experience in kitchen culture, it may be straightforward to infer the meanings of frequently used phrases like “yes, Chef,” “behind,” and “heard,” but some terms can be more challenging to understand. One example is “in the weeds,” which is a kitchen phrase unrelated to actual weeds; it refers to falling behind on orders. It is easy for the kitchen to feel overwhelmed if there are too many orders “all day.” Contrary to what it implies, “all day” signifies an immediate need to fulfill the orders.
Another phrase that may seem confusing is “dying on the pass.” However, understanding that “the pass” is the expediting station clarifies that this term references a dish that should have been served but has been lingering at the station. And while it might sound like a bad idea to shout “fire” in the kitchen, it’s actually a common way to signal that cooking should commence on a dish.