Allow me, if you will, to attempt an explanation of Duchess County liquor laws. First of all, beer, wine, and hard liquor cannot all be sold in the same store. Grocery stores can sell beer until 9pm. Beer stores (which only sell beer) can sell beer until 11pm. Liquor and wine stores are only open until 7pm. These are the things that I learned Friday night. The end result of that evening is that I now have lots of limes and tonic water, but no gin. It was truly, truly unfortunate.
On Saturday, I went to New York City for the day. I left school at 8am, got to the train station at 8:30 and hurriedly had to park my car and buy my ticket and make it to the platform in time for the 8:40 train. Luckily, years of navigating and walking quickly through the world’s largest children’s museum have taught me how to walk with purpose. I made it. The train ride was interesting. Coming from Indianapolis, public transportation is a little foreign to me. The ride was about two hours long and took us right into Grand Central Station. That place was actually a little more impressive that I had anticipated. There is marble everywhere and it only smelled like urine a little bit. I went with Jen and Katie to meet Andrew Bornstein (a friend from my Le Moyne College years) at Rockefeller Center. This is when it started to rain. It was already less than 40 degrees with wind chill and the rain did not help. We decided to find some Indian food, so Jen and I pulled out our iPhones and did a little research. The place we wanted to go was closed, but being NYC and all, there was another Indian restaurant across the street. When we sat down, my hair was literally dripping wet from the rain. Not fun. Luckily, there are few things in life that make me as happy as an Indian lunch buffet.
After lunch, Katie wanted to go to some really big candy store to get some special candies that her mom likes. The walk over was simply miserable in the rain, cold, and wind, so I broke down and bought an umbrella. It was perhaps the second best purchase that I have made in my entire life (the first being the Dinosphere cup at the museum. $6 five years ago gave me free drinks at the museum for life). The umbrella made my life so much easier. After the candy store, we took a cab to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was crowded, but it didn’t even matter because the museum is so large. We were there for about 4 hours. I could have spent the rest of the night there but the others were getting really restless. There was a really cool exhibit about how art reflects societal changes and history. While this may be obvious, the gallery did an awesome job of interpreting the paintings and explaining what part of history they reflect. I wish more art museums would do this. A painting just hanging on a wall can be beautiful. But when it is explained, it becomes beautiful and meaningful. I guess this is my Children’s Museum background speaking again….
We left the museum around six and it had started snowing. We had all intention of searching out some good ol’ New York City pizza, but the snow and cold got the best of us, so we took a taxi back to Grand Central. We ended up just eating some pizza at the train station. It was not great, but it served its purpose. When we got back to Poughkeepsie. There was about a quarter of an inch of snow on the ground. The campus is really pretty with some snow. There are a bunch of evergreen tress on Anton Plaza that have been decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments. There are also a bunch of banners with clever sayings like “Merry Crispness”, “Season’s Eatings”, “Soy to the World” and “Happy Hollandaise”. Haha…oh god…I love this school.
On Monday, I got a bunch a quizzes and project grade back. I don’t think I have ever been more proud of myself. I think for the first time in a while, I am really trying hard in school. I’d always been successful at the museum. But in the classroom, I could never see how analyzing poetry applied to my life. Here, though, I don’t just want to learn the material; I want to master it. I am actually learning the information that will be vital to my success as a chef. I got a perfect grade on my last two math tests, I got an A and an A- on my Product knowledge tests, I got a perfect on my cauliflower paper, an A on my last Gastronomy test, and A’s on all my Writing papers and assignments. I honestly couldn’t be happier.
It’s only Tuesday afternoon, so I haven’t done much in class this week. Math is finally starting to get kind of interesting and challenging, though. We are putting together everything we learned so far and are costing out individual dishes and menus in order to take into account waste and labor costs. Then, we are creating food purchase orders based on out menus and such. Who ever thought that I’d be learning about business? We did a unit on tomatoes, peppers, chilies, and squash in product knowledge. Writing was canceled this morning, and in Gastronomy we discussed New American Haute Cuisine.
A word on palate development: *Ahem* Fish is gross. I really want to like it. Salmon is everywhere. People rave over scallops. Tuna is as present on a menu now as chicken is. However, I cant seem to get past it’s grossness. I have been trying so hard to like it. There is a breaded flounder appetizer that is served over a tartar sauce slaw that I have been able to eat all of. However, every time I am given a salmon filet, I can make it though about a third of it before I want to reach down and rip my stomach out. And the third that I do eat, I cover up the flavor with horseradish mashed potatoes. Last night, the amuse bouche at dinner was a Haddock fritter with pink sauce. I popped it in my mouth and immediately regretted it. I was chewing and chewing trying not to gag. It took an entire glass of water to help me get it down. I want to try these things and develop a taste for them, but I am really struggling.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Eggs Benedict
It’s been a little while since I updated. Sorry everybody. Life kind of got interrupted by Thanksgiving Break.
The last few days before the break were a little bit of a scramble. I had work to finish before leaving town for five days. It was also the half-way mark for B-Block. Only 2.5 more weeks and we will be in the kitchen! As I have mentioned to most of you before, at the CIA, there is a graduation ceremony every three weeks. So on the day that I was getting ready to go home, there was a graduating class going through the motions of leaving the school. Here, that means lots of food. For the day before graduation, there is The Grand Buffet in Farq Hall. Most every class sets up a table and they basically show off what they have learned how to do. The Skills classes have big roast meats and perfectly cut veggies; Asia’s class has huge sushi platters; Garde Manger has terrines galore and lots of aspics. You get the idea…. Well, we are allowed to exchange a meal swipe for a ticket to Grand Buffet. You go in and eat whatever you want. The only problem is that there is not enough room to seat everybody. Also, The Catering & Banquets kitchen shut down for a few days to prepare for the buffet and graduation meal, so I was free to eat wherever I wanted for dinner. It was a nice change.
I also picked up my uniforms. The jackets are nice and medium weight. They have our names embroidered on them. The pants are actually a lot better than I expected. Mine are kind of big right now, but I’m told that they shrink after washing them a few times. The hats, though, are a little ridiculous. I’m not a big fan of tall paper hats. We even received our Table Service uniforms. We won’t need them until our final semester here, but I guess it’s nice to have them already.
After going home, I was very eager to return to school and finish B-Block. The night of getting back, I got a bunch of homework done and cleaned the room a bit. On Tuesday, I went to Writing in the morning and got a few of my papers back. I’m doing well and Prof. Genee seems to like my writing style. I just need to remember to proof read more…I’m not at Ivy Tech anymore. In Gastronomy that afternoon, we took a quiz and listened to some presentations on Haute Cuisine. The majority of the students at this school completely massacre the French language. Seriously, really simple words like Escoffier and auberge become unrecognizable. I think I might have made an enemy in a boy I who I don’t know while trying to help him pronounce les pièce montées. It’s a good story; you should ask me about it some time…I was denied a cookie.
Wednesday was spent in Math where we got (another) group project. I’m working with Stephanie and Katie, so it should be fine. We have to scale a recipe for taco salad into ridiculously large proportions and then fill out a purchasing order based on product yield and edible portion quantities. Fun, right? In Product Knowledge, we had a lesson on tubers and onions. The best part of that class is always the tasting that we do. How often in life do you get to do side-by-side comparisons of 10 types of potatoes? I learned the following: local varieties of yellow potatoes are the best thing you will ever eat, and fingerlings are delicious with salt and rosemary. Additionally, I will never ever like jicama. It has always and will always taste like crunchy grass.
That evening, I was preparing for my Paul Bocuse project. I was responsible for making up and copying the handout that we were going to use. It ended up being four pages long. So, I went to the library to print and make 40 copies. Things did not go well. Suffice it to say that after two trips back to my room, a trip to the bookstore, a ream of paper, a new toner roll, and a rainstorm later, I finally got the packets made. I even finished my work in time to go see The Blind Side at the movie theatre at the mall. I went with Anthony, Katie, and Anthony’s friend Lydia. It was actually really good. I was surprised at how good of an actress Sandra Bullock is. The bad thing: we didn’t get back to campus until midnight and I had to be awake at 5:00am. Boo.
This morning I had Writing again. We have started having the first 20-30 minutes of class in Farq Hall so that we can eat breakfast while we discuss our readings or edit work, etc. It’s been really pleasant. I have either a chorizo burrito or classic eggs Benedict with bacon and breakfast potatoes. Sometimes I have a raspberry yogurt as well….depending on my mood. I wash it down with a cup of hazelnut coffee and a glass of orange juice. Needless to say, I don’t usually have room for lunch on these days. While in class, I figured out the thesis for the first essay that I have to have done for January. I’m going to compare Jackson’s The Lottery and Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant while discussing how societies that repeatedly face injustices are often desensitized and have a hard time realizing, yet alone overcoming, the problem. I miss going to a school where a 4-page essay is not regarded as “challenging’. Also, we had a grammar lesson on how to use apostrophes. Really? I need to learn how to make words plural and use possessives? Oh well…
I also had the pleasure of giving my Paul Bocuse project today. It actually went really well. I have no problem talking in front of groups as long as I am confident in the information I am presenting. Katie said that we did better than any of the other groups and Prof. Forrest didn’t have much to add on at the end, so I think we will do well. It’s worth 25% of our final grade.
Tomorrow I have my first big Product Knowledge test over salad greens, cooking greens, cabbages, stalk vegetables, flowers, mushrooms, tubers, and onions. I went to the storeroom already today and maybe I will go back right before the quiz for a little refresher. I also have a test in Math tomorrow morning. I’m not as worried about that one. I’ll let you now how those go. Also, this weekend I am planning a trip into NYC for the day on Saturday. The train ride is only 1.5 hours right into Grand Central. I’m going with Katie and we are going to meet up with Andrew Bornstein from Le Moyne. He lives in northern New Jersey, and it will be great to see him again. I’ll keep you all updated on that as well.
Are these posts interesting to all of you? Am I talking too much about mundane details? Are there things that I’m not talking about that you want to know? Let me know. E-mail me or leave a comment here. Let me know how your lives are going too!
The last few days before the break were a little bit of a scramble. I had work to finish before leaving town for five days. It was also the half-way mark for B-Block. Only 2.5 more weeks and we will be in the kitchen! As I have mentioned to most of you before, at the CIA, there is a graduation ceremony every three weeks. So on the day that I was getting ready to go home, there was a graduating class going through the motions of leaving the school. Here, that means lots of food. For the day before graduation, there is The Grand Buffet in Farq Hall. Most every class sets up a table and they basically show off what they have learned how to do. The Skills classes have big roast meats and perfectly cut veggies; Asia’s class has huge sushi platters; Garde Manger has terrines galore and lots of aspics. You get the idea…. Well, we are allowed to exchange a meal swipe for a ticket to Grand Buffet. You go in and eat whatever you want. The only problem is that there is not enough room to seat everybody. Also, The Catering & Banquets kitchen shut down for a few days to prepare for the buffet and graduation meal, so I was free to eat wherever I wanted for dinner. It was a nice change.
I also picked up my uniforms. The jackets are nice and medium weight. They have our names embroidered on them. The pants are actually a lot better than I expected. Mine are kind of big right now, but I’m told that they shrink after washing them a few times. The hats, though, are a little ridiculous. I’m not a big fan of tall paper hats. We even received our Table Service uniforms. We won’t need them until our final semester here, but I guess it’s nice to have them already.
After going home, I was very eager to return to school and finish B-Block. The night of getting back, I got a bunch of homework done and cleaned the room a bit. On Tuesday, I went to Writing in the morning and got a few of my papers back. I’m doing well and Prof. Genee seems to like my writing style. I just need to remember to proof read more…I’m not at Ivy Tech anymore. In Gastronomy that afternoon, we took a quiz and listened to some presentations on Haute Cuisine. The majority of the students at this school completely massacre the French language. Seriously, really simple words like Escoffier and auberge become unrecognizable. I think I might have made an enemy in a boy I who I don’t know while trying to help him pronounce les pièce montées. It’s a good story; you should ask me about it some time…I was denied a cookie.
Wednesday was spent in Math where we got (another) group project. I’m working with Stephanie and Katie, so it should be fine. We have to scale a recipe for taco salad into ridiculously large proportions and then fill out a purchasing order based on product yield and edible portion quantities. Fun, right? In Product Knowledge, we had a lesson on tubers and onions. The best part of that class is always the tasting that we do. How often in life do you get to do side-by-side comparisons of 10 types of potatoes? I learned the following: local varieties of yellow potatoes are the best thing you will ever eat, and fingerlings are delicious with salt and rosemary. Additionally, I will never ever like jicama. It has always and will always taste like crunchy grass.
That evening, I was preparing for my Paul Bocuse project. I was responsible for making up and copying the handout that we were going to use. It ended up being four pages long. So, I went to the library to print and make 40 copies. Things did not go well. Suffice it to say that after two trips back to my room, a trip to the bookstore, a ream of paper, a new toner roll, and a rainstorm later, I finally got the packets made. I even finished my work in time to go see The Blind Side at the movie theatre at the mall. I went with Anthony, Katie, and Anthony’s friend Lydia. It was actually really good. I was surprised at how good of an actress Sandra Bullock is. The bad thing: we didn’t get back to campus until midnight and I had to be awake at 5:00am. Boo.
This morning I had Writing again. We have started having the first 20-30 minutes of class in Farq Hall so that we can eat breakfast while we discuss our readings or edit work, etc. It’s been really pleasant. I have either a chorizo burrito or classic eggs Benedict with bacon and breakfast potatoes. Sometimes I have a raspberry yogurt as well….depending on my mood. I wash it down with a cup of hazelnut coffee and a glass of orange juice. Needless to say, I don’t usually have room for lunch on these days. While in class, I figured out the thesis for the first essay that I have to have done for January. I’m going to compare Jackson’s The Lottery and Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant while discussing how societies that repeatedly face injustices are often desensitized and have a hard time realizing, yet alone overcoming, the problem. I miss going to a school where a 4-page essay is not regarded as “challenging’. Also, we had a grammar lesson on how to use apostrophes. Really? I need to learn how to make words plural and use possessives? Oh well…
I also had the pleasure of giving my Paul Bocuse project today. It actually went really well. I have no problem talking in front of groups as long as I am confident in the information I am presenting. Katie said that we did better than any of the other groups and Prof. Forrest didn’t have much to add on at the end, so I think we will do well. It’s worth 25% of our final grade.
Tomorrow I have my first big Product Knowledge test over salad greens, cooking greens, cabbages, stalk vegetables, flowers, mushrooms, tubers, and onions. I went to the storeroom already today and maybe I will go back right before the quiz for a little refresher. I also have a test in Math tomorrow morning. I’m not as worried about that one. I’ll let you now how those go. Also, this weekend I am planning a trip into NYC for the day on Saturday. The train ride is only 1.5 hours right into Grand Central. I’m going with Katie and we are going to meet up with Andrew Bornstein from Le Moyne. He lives in northern New Jersey, and it will be great to see him again. I’ll keep you all updated on that as well.
Are these posts interesting to all of you? Am I talking too much about mundane details? Are there things that I’m not talking about that you want to know? Let me know. E-mail me or leave a comment here. Let me know how your lives are going too!
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