[quote name='WhipSmartBanky']Wouldn't smoking dull the palette or alter the taste of things?[/QUOTE]
I've asked this exact thing on another forum. I've been told that as a non-smoker, I'll never understand, but that the fast pace and high stress-level of working in a kitchen/being a chef can only be eased by smoking.
I've also heard that many "factory workers" (someone else's words, not mine) smoke for a change of pace.
I dunno, I work in an industry that is pretty damn high-stress and fairly fast-paced, where we do indeed have people who work on the floor building/putting together our stuff, and nowhere near as many of them seem to smoke (in terms of %) as do chefs (having watched HK, Top Chef, Food Network stuff, etc).
Strikes me as odd, too, but as long as the chef makes food I like, I guess that's what matters..
/tk