Today’s lingo lesson comes to us from the United States Army…if you’ve ever seen “Scent of a Woman,” then you remember Al Pacino gleefully yelling “Hooo-wa!” throughout the movie. You might also remember a fresh-faced young hottie by the name of Chris O’Donnell, but I digress. Pacino’s “Hoo-wa!” is actually derived from the Army shorthand phrase indicating that one person had “Heard, Understood, and Acknowledged” another. "HUA": For when you don’t have time for full sentences.
It’s not a war zone, but the kitchen is also a place where there's not a lot of time. Seconds count, and attention spans are limited. I don’t know how “HUA” migrated from the army to the hospitality industry (the mess hall, perhaps?) but “HUA”shortened to “heard” over time and has become THE go-to response used in restaurants today.
I love it, because it can mean so many things. Of course, you have the literal meaning. For example, chef yells a customer’s order out to the saute guy, and the cook yells back “Heard!” to let chef know he doesn’t need to repeat himself. “Heard” also means that you understand the words that are unspoken – the things no one wants to say. If Chef pulls the servers together and says, “I didn’t really like the look of the sea bass today…” the servers might respond with “Heard push the halibut.” What they're really saying is, “We understand you don’t want to sell the sea bass because that shit is rotten and we’ll tell the guests to get the halibut instead. It’s ok chef. We won’t make you say it.”
But by far, my favorite use for “heard” is as a smartass non-responsive response to people who annoy me. When my manager asks me to do more sidework, he gets a lot of sass back in the form of “heard.”
WHAT IS ACTUALLY SAID
“Sarah, You can't go home until you fill all the salt and pepper shakers in the restaurant.”
“Heard.”
WHICH ROUGHLY TRANSLATES TO
“Sarah, I know it’s midnight and you want go home. However, I have control issues and would like you to stay an extra 20 minutes because forcing you to do this is the only way I can truly feel powerful."
“I hear what you’re saying and I will grudgingly complete your menial chore because I need this job. However, you are only worthy of the slightest wisp of breath that it takes for me to acknowledge your request. Your importance in my life boils down to one syllable. You will get more words out of me when you stop acting like a dick.”
See? "Heard" saves time.
I’m doing my part to spread “heard” past kitchens and the military. It’s incredibly useful and one of my favorite “restaurant” words. Go forth and multiply, and use the word! Ya heard?