With the close of this wonderful Friday, August 28, 2009, comes the close of my first week of culinary school! And all I can say is; I'm lovin' it. A friend earlier asked me how everything was going here, and I couldn't find a better way to respond then this: "I wish there was a word in the English language that could describe the feeling of love I have for what I'm doing, and the place I'm doing it in." (If anyone has any helpful suggestions, please let me know!)
Unfortunately, my dorm situation is still unresolved. For those of you who don't know, I'm supposed to be living in a brand new dorm, that was to be completed just a few weeks shy of my start date. About 3 days before I left for school I received an e-mail saying that like many other construction projects, my dorm was not complete, and still required "finishing touches". All students that were to be lodged in the new dorm, Vineyard Lodge 2, were to be put up in a nearby college for 10-14 days. The college in question is Pacific Union College, a Seventh-Day Adventist college. Let's just say, it's stuck in the 70's and many students refer to it as "jail" because it just so happens to be perched atop a mountain, 10 miles from civilization. As you drive up the curvy road to reach your destination, you're greeted with a delightful cardboard cut-out of Jesus, leading two small children onto a playground. Get the picture? I think enough has been said.. Anyways the "current" move-out of PUC, move-in to VL2 date is set for next Wednesday; hooray!
Oh and just a nice little treat we all got to encounter... PUC is preparing for their start of term (Sep. 28) and have been doing touch-ups on the school since I arrived. We we're told that floor polishing would occur today at 9 AM and ALL personal belongings had to be off the floor and in the closet, as all the furniture was to be removed from the room. So we leave for class with our rooms completely emptied, and return to find all of our dorms unlocked, with the furniture stacked outside the room, and seemingly un-polished floors. Fun stuff, eh?
Upcoming weekend events: A quick one-pager for Gastronomy on how I see myself fitting into the culinary and hospitality world of the future, followed by a quick one-pager for math on where I'm interested in externing in April. Yay! Throw in a delicious burger, fries, and malt at Taylor's Refresher, and you've got yourself a weekend.
I would like to offer my congratulations once again, to the newly engaged, Kate Margrett and Jay Scherer. I'm so unbelievably happy for you both, all my best!
"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring." - Oscar Wilde
xo
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
CIA: Day 2
8/26/09
Today is Wednesday, August 26, 2009, and I have successfully completed two days at the Culinary Institute of America! Ta-Da! Some accomplishment, eh? All joking aside, the past two days have been the best of my life....so far at least :) I decided to begin this blog, so that all of my friends and family who were interested to know how my school is going could stay informed on a more regular basis.
All I can say is that I am absolutely in love with this school. It's everything I've hoped for and more. I'm so excited that I finally feel as if i'm working towards all my future goals and aspirations, and cannot wait to get up everyday and learn more about the field; past, present, and future.
Block 1 --- Culinary Math, Gastronomy. (M-F, 8:30-1:30)
My day consists of a delicious buffet breakfast in the morning will all of my fellow students, followed by Culinary Math, taught by Corinne Meddaugh. Luckily I paid attention in math, and this class is a good refresher course on conversions and word problems. So from 8:30 until 10:30, I'm in math costing out recipes, and the percent of 3 tablespoons in 1 cup... (18.75%). Next up: Gastronomy! My all-time favorite class! (So far)
Gastronomy: 11:00-1:30
This class is basically devoted to the study of cooking throughout history with an emphasis on the role of culture. We get to talk about not only the scientific aspects of culinary arts and the effects on the body, but the origins of it as well. Today we discussed how the shift from being a nomadic society and a more settled society led to changes in diet and cuisine. For example, society began to settle down once people realized that animals could become domesticated. This led to larger opportunities at mealtimes because people were not forced to go out and forage for food or hunt meat. Later on in the class we discussed how once man realized how to store grains, bread and beer were possible, possibly because of a happy accident.
We continued on to do a tasting of cheese with 6 different ingredients, in order to display differences in palate. The class was then polled to see what was the most popular pairing!
Cheese: Mimolette
Paired with walnuts, prunes, olives, brandied cherries, spice, and quince paste.
** The average consensus was that the cheese went best with the quince paste, or the walnuts! Interesting, eh? Paused for a quick lunch break(12:00-12:45); buffet, of course! (Complete with desserts that can kill). Then back to gastronomy to watch Babette's Feast!
Overall, an awesome day. Gotta sign off though and mentally prepare for my next meal; buffet dinner with all the works.
Oh this life I've grown so accustomed to....
Works for me! :)
Today is Wednesday, August 26, 2009, and I have successfully completed two days at the Culinary Institute of America! Ta-Da! Some accomplishment, eh? All joking aside, the past two days have been the best of my life....so far at least :) I decided to begin this blog, so that all of my friends and family who were interested to know how my school is going could stay informed on a more regular basis.
All I can say is that I am absolutely in love with this school. It's everything I've hoped for and more. I'm so excited that I finally feel as if i'm working towards all my future goals and aspirations, and cannot wait to get up everyday and learn more about the field; past, present, and future.
Block 1 --- Culinary Math, Gastronomy. (M-F, 8:30-1:30)
My day consists of a delicious buffet breakfast in the morning will all of my fellow students, followed by Culinary Math, taught by Corinne Meddaugh. Luckily I paid attention in math, and this class is a good refresher course on conversions and word problems. So from 8:30 until 10:30, I'm in math costing out recipes, and the percent of 3 tablespoons in 1 cup... (18.75%). Next up: Gastronomy! My all-time favorite class! (So far)
Gastronomy: 11:00-1:30
This class is basically devoted to the study of cooking throughout history with an emphasis on the role of culture. We get to talk about not only the scientific aspects of culinary arts and the effects on the body, but the origins of it as well. Today we discussed how the shift from being a nomadic society and a more settled society led to changes in diet and cuisine. For example, society began to settle down once people realized that animals could become domesticated. This led to larger opportunities at mealtimes because people were not forced to go out and forage for food or hunt meat. Later on in the class we discussed how once man realized how to store grains, bread and beer were possible, possibly because of a happy accident.
We continued on to do a tasting of cheese with 6 different ingredients, in order to display differences in palate. The class was then polled to see what was the most popular pairing!
Cheese: Mimolette
Paired with walnuts, prunes, olives, brandied cherries, spice, and quince paste.
** The average consensus was that the cheese went best with the quince paste, or the walnuts! Interesting, eh? Paused for a quick lunch break(12:00-12:45); buffet, of course! (Complete with desserts that can kill). Then back to gastronomy to watch Babette's Feast!
Overall, an awesome day. Gotta sign off though and mentally prepare for my next meal; buffet dinner with all the works.
Oh this life I've grown so accustomed to....
Works for me! :)
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