Everyday I’m tasked with answering the question of what’s for dinner. I head out to the local grocery store to get what I need. First stop is the produce section where I grab onions, zucchini, squash, etc. In the cart they go. Next stop is the meat department. Looks like chicken breasts are on sale today…now I know what dinner is going to be! The butcher wraps up a few pounds for me and into the cart they go as well. I just need to grab a few spices and some beer and I’m ready to go home and make dinner.
First thing to do back at the house is fire up the grill. While it’s heating up, I get the chicken seasoned and cut up the veggies. Everything goes onto the grill and in about 20 minutes dinner is ready. I have successfully fed my family. The taste is just OK, and there are pieces of chicken stuck to the grill from me trying to turn them too early. In the end, it was a mediocre dinner at best. Luckily I had picked up that beer!
For the sake of this blog, let’s say that world-renown culinary superstar Bobby Flay is my neighbor. Bobby (we are on a first name basis) goes to the same store that I do. He grabs the same major ingredients. When he gets back he fires up the grill (same model as mine). I can smell him making dinner. Holy moly -that smells delicious, way better than what mine smelled like. He invites me over for a taste. INCREDIBLE!!! My taste buds are now staring in a musical, singing in perfect harmony from delight. Even his beer tasted better, even though it was the same brand. Hats off to you, Bobby Flay.
So, if we used the same equipment and ingredients….why was Bobby’s dinner so much better than mine. It simply comes down to KNOWLEDGE. Bobby has in-depth knowledge of his ingredients and his techniques. He knows what ingredient pairs perfectly with another, and what taste will complement the beer. He knows when to add a dash of salt and when to leave it out.
In the water treatment world, for the most part everyone has access to the same chemicals and equipment. Knowledge of how to put everything to use is what sets people apart. Mediocre water treaters can certainly treat a cooling tower, but a knowledgeable water treater will do it so much better. They won’t overfeed chemical or feed at the wrong times because they have the knowledge of how to make it all work in perfect harmony. At the end of the day they will be serving their customer a masterpiece instead of just some plain ol’ grilled chicken.
-Written by David Naylor, Engineering Manager at APTech Group
