Rather than go off on Kerry's latest gaffe, I'll just refer you to this excellent essay by Dave E. at Fish Fear Me.
And I'll just quickly remind Kerry that October Surprises are supposed to hurt your enemies.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Damn You, Dissident Frogman!
You couldn't wait until after we've covered Meat Fabrication and Charcuterie at culinary school, could you?
Musical Geography Question of the Day
If they tell you you can't sell no stripers, and there's no luck in swordfishing here, from what part of what U.S. state do you hail?
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Musical Geography Question of the Day
If your heart is down, and your head is spinning around, where did you have to leave a little girl?
Harvest Dinner
Now that I've had time to rest, I'd like to share my thoughts on and impressions of the Harvest Dinner and the prep day for it, before they fade.
Monday, we had no classes, and instead all the first year students, from both both the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management programs, received training on how to serve and bus. By the end of the week, I was sure of one thing -- I'd rather work 16 hours in the back than 4 in the front.
Also on Monday, because The Feared Redhead had a training class all day up in Salem, I had the duty of dropping The Lad off at daycare. That's a job I don't envy TFR. When he cried at my leaving, it pretty much tore my heart out.
Tuesday we had Cooking Theory class in the morning, but our Restaurant Operations class was taken up with more training -- including a game of follow-the-leader around campus carrying serving trays. I made a reference to Supertramp's Breakfast In America album cover, and got a blank stare from a couple of my classmates. That pretty much put me in my place -- and age bracket -- for the week.
Wednesday, no classes or training for my group.
Thursday was prep day, getting all the Mise en Place ready for Friday. I was assigned to the salad station, which was also tasked with developing the vegan options for the dinner. Caprial and John had not specified any, and when asked about it, instructed the school to adapt recipes from Caprial and John's latest cookbooks. The second year students running our station were good about accepting input from us first years, and between all of us we came up with options that fit the theme of the dinner ("Autumn in the Vineyard"), as well as being plausible substitutes for their meat counterparts. I volunteered for the job of doing the conversions, since the recipes were all for 6 servings and we were preparing 24 of each.
So for those who have been wondering, here is the menu for this past Friday's Harvest Dinner:
Appetizer:
Dungeness Crab [Thanks to Sgt. Jeff for the editing] and Parsnip Cakes in Orange Oil
(Vegan) Baked Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Pilaf and Apple Cranberry Chutney
Wine: Griffin Creek Pinot Gris
Soup:
Celeriac Soup
Salad:
Baby Arugula with Rosemary Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
(Vinaigrette made with sugar instead of honey available for Vegans)
Entree:
Roast Tenderloin with Wild Mushrooms in a Veal Demi-Glace accompanied by Caramelized Onions
(Vegan) Marinated Portobello Mushrooms with Pear and Onion Compote
Wine: Lorane Valley Pinot Noir
Dessert:
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Apple Compote
(Vegan): Apple Tartlets with Caramel Sauce
Wine: Sylvan Ridge Early Muscat
We ended the day Thursday with a meeting after cleanup in which our guest celebrity chefs were introduced to us. I was impressed with how gracious and down-to-earth they were. They heard that several students had asked our instructors if we were allowed to speak directly to the guest chefs. They made it clear that yes, they wanted us to talk to them. They also gave us strict orders not to address them as "Chef" -- John's exact wordswere, "I'm john, this is Caprial." They fielded questions from us. My classmate Patty, the "Mom" of our class, asked the best question, I felt, and I appreciated their answer. The question was regarding the philosophy behind the menu they selected. Caprial explained that the menu was selected with an eye for what ingredients are available locally this time of year, so that they are seasonal. The Pences are very strongly influenced by the Slow Food Movement. They also explained that for large events such as this, they believe in simple, elegant dishes wthout a lot of complex components. They shared a story about a dinner for Julia Child in which they participated, and how they were able to spend time mingling with other chefs while some of the participants were stuck in the kitchen for many more hours because of the complexity of the dishes they chose to prepare. I agree with them in this regard, and besides, Caprial is a James Beard Award recipient, so it's safe o say she knows what she's talking about.
The most touching moment of the day came as we were leaving. I have a classmate who has missed quite a few classes because his three-year-old daughter has a malignant tumor in jer jaw muscle. We were passing around a card for them, and Caprial and John were happy to sign it for us. altogether very warm, personable people, and John has a quirky sense of humor much like my own.
Friday was hectic all day. It started when I woke up remembering I had homework due for my 10 AM "Human Relations in the Workplace" class. Ugh. Not only is this class almost universally viewed as a waste of time in terms of what we're getting out of it, it has more take-home work than any other class we're taking. But I got it done and got to school with time to print it out at the library and still get to class.
After class ended at 1, I went directly to the Center for Meeting and Learning and got changed into my Black & Whites, then waited around until the auditorium was ready for us to start setup, around 2 or so. Then we met with our section captains (all second year Hospitality students) and received our table assignments, where I learned that I would be serving the president of the college. Apparently, I wasn't already nervous enough.
We began seating at 6 and serving at 6:30. The evening went well. Between the cost of dinner itself, the silent auction held in the lobby and the oral auction during dinner, we raised around $200,000 for the College Foundation, which will mostly go to scholarships. At the end of the night they had all of us students come to the front and we received a standing ovation. It choked me up, to be honest, knowing how generous all these people were being, and knowing that my efforts helped raise money to pay the tuitions of people I pass on campus every day.
We were done cleaning up by around 10 or 10:15. I must say, the students who worked as stewards rawked. Their efficiency clearing trays as we bussed made things run incredibly smoothly. I can't tell you how much I appreciated them.
I got dropped off at home around 10:30 or so. TFR had a nice bourbon and Coke waiting for me, and I took a long, hot bath, then went to bed for what I expected to be a good night's rest. No such luck. The Lad has a cold, so I was up with him at midnight, again at 2 and then fro 2:30 to 2:45, at 4:15, at 6:30, and finally when he was up for good at 8. It was a challenge keeping my eyes open all day yesterday while I cared for him, so I was grateful that TFR took over last night -- of course, he slept most of the night, only waking once.
Monday, we had no classes, and instead all the first year students, from both both the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management programs, received training on how to serve and bus. By the end of the week, I was sure of one thing -- I'd rather work 16 hours in the back than 4 in the front.
Also on Monday, because The Feared Redhead had a training class all day up in Salem, I had the duty of dropping The Lad off at daycare. That's a job I don't envy TFR. When he cried at my leaving, it pretty much tore my heart out.
Tuesday we had Cooking Theory class in the morning, but our Restaurant Operations class was taken up with more training -- including a game of follow-the-leader around campus carrying serving trays. I made a reference to Supertramp's Breakfast In America album cover, and got a blank stare from a couple of my classmates. That pretty much put me in my place -- and age bracket -- for the week.
Wednesday, no classes or training for my group.
Thursday was prep day, getting all the Mise en Place ready for Friday. I was assigned to the salad station, which was also tasked with developing the vegan options for the dinner. Caprial and John had not specified any, and when asked about it, instructed the school to adapt recipes from Caprial and John's latest cookbooks. The second year students running our station were good about accepting input from us first years, and between all of us we came up with options that fit the theme of the dinner ("Autumn in the Vineyard"), as well as being plausible substitutes for their meat counterparts. I volunteered for the job of doing the conversions, since the recipes were all for 6 servings and we were preparing 24 of each.
So for those who have been wondering, here is the menu for this past Friday's Harvest Dinner:
Appetizer:
Dungeness Crab [Thanks to Sgt. Jeff for the editing] and Parsnip Cakes in Orange Oil
(Vegan) Baked Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Pilaf and Apple Cranberry Chutney
Wine: Griffin Creek Pinot Gris
Soup:
Celeriac Soup
Salad:
Baby Arugula with Rosemary Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
(Vinaigrette made with sugar instead of honey available for Vegans)
Entree:
Roast Tenderloin with Wild Mushrooms in a Veal Demi-Glace accompanied by Caramelized Onions
(Vegan) Marinated Portobello Mushrooms with Pear and Onion Compote
Wine: Lorane Valley Pinot Noir
Dessert:
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Apple Compote
(Vegan): Apple Tartlets with Caramel Sauce
Wine: Sylvan Ridge Early Muscat
We ended the day Thursday with a meeting after cleanup in which our guest celebrity chefs were introduced to us. I was impressed with how gracious and down-to-earth they were. They heard that several students had asked our instructors if we were allowed to speak directly to the guest chefs. They made it clear that yes, they wanted us to talk to them. They also gave us strict orders not to address them as "Chef" -- John's exact wordswere, "I'm john, this is Caprial." They fielded questions from us. My classmate Patty, the "Mom" of our class, asked the best question, I felt, and I appreciated their answer. The question was regarding the philosophy behind the menu they selected. Caprial explained that the menu was selected with an eye for what ingredients are available locally this time of year, so that they are seasonal. The Pences are very strongly influenced by the Slow Food Movement. They also explained that for large events such as this, they believe in simple, elegant dishes wthout a lot of complex components. They shared a story about a dinner for Julia Child in which they participated, and how they were able to spend time mingling with other chefs while some of the participants were stuck in the kitchen for many more hours because of the complexity of the dishes they chose to prepare. I agree with them in this regard, and besides, Caprial is a James Beard Award recipient, so it's safe o say she knows what she's talking about.
The most touching moment of the day came as we were leaving. I have a classmate who has missed quite a few classes because his three-year-old daughter has a malignant tumor in jer jaw muscle. We were passing around a card for them, and Caprial and John were happy to sign it for us. altogether very warm, personable people, and John has a quirky sense of humor much like my own.
Friday was hectic all day. It started when I woke up remembering I had homework due for my 10 AM "Human Relations in the Workplace" class. Ugh. Not only is this class almost universally viewed as a waste of time in terms of what we're getting out of it, it has more take-home work than any other class we're taking. But I got it done and got to school with time to print it out at the library and still get to class.
After class ended at 1, I went directly to the Center for Meeting and Learning and got changed into my Black & Whites, then waited around until the auditorium was ready for us to start setup, around 2 or so. Then we met with our section captains (all second year Hospitality students) and received our table assignments, where I learned that I would be serving the president of the college. Apparently, I wasn't already nervous enough.
We began seating at 6 and serving at 6:30. The evening went well. Between the cost of dinner itself, the silent auction held in the lobby and the oral auction during dinner, we raised around $200,000 for the College Foundation, which will mostly go to scholarships. At the end of the night they had all of us students come to the front and we received a standing ovation. It choked me up, to be honest, knowing how generous all these people were being, and knowing that my efforts helped raise money to pay the tuitions of people I pass on campus every day.
We were done cleaning up by around 10 or 10:15. I must say, the students who worked as stewards rawked. Their efficiency clearing trays as we bussed made things run incredibly smoothly. I can't tell you how much I appreciated them.
I got dropped off at home around 10:30 or so. TFR had a nice bourbon and Coke waiting for me, and I took a long, hot bath, then went to bed for what I expected to be a good night's rest. No such luck. The Lad has a cold, so I was up with him at midnight, again at 2 and then fro 2:30 to 2:45, at 4:15, at 6:30, and finally when he was up for good at 8. It was a challenge keeping my eyes open all day yesterday while I cared for him, so I was grateful that TFR took over last night -- of course, he slept most of the night, only waking once.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Watch This Spa.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The Harvest Dinner was very eventful, and I have a lot to say about it, but The Lad is sick, and adter getting home at around 11 last night, I was up with him at midnight, again from 2:15 to 2:45, again at 4 AM, and yet one more time at 6:30. I'm too exhausted to articulate everything I have to say about this week. I'll be back sometime later this weekend.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Halfway There
This week is by all accounts one of the hardest and busiest weeks of the academic year for the Culinary Arts program -- it's the week of the Harvest Dinner, the biggest fundraiser of the year for the entire college. A guest chef is invited, and the culinary students prepare a meal for around 400 guests who each pay $100 to attend, using a menu created by the guest chef. Today was prep day -- all culinary students helped prep the Mise en Place. Tomorrow the Second Years will be doing the cooking, while we First Years, along with the Hospitality Management students, will be the serving staff.
I spent the day helping prep for the salad - Arugula with a honey, mutard and rosemary vinaigrette. We were also responsible for coming up with optional vegan dishes based on recipes in the latest cookbook from our guest chefs, Capriak and John Pence (Not John and Caprial, Caprial and John -- that was very specifically communicated to us). To replace the first course of crab cakes, we decided on baked acorn squash stuffed with wild rice pilaf and apple cranberry chutney. The tenderloin entree was replaced (WHY?) with a marinated portobello mushroom with apple and onion consomme. And finally, instead of an apple mascarpone cheesecake, the vegan dessert is an apple and phyllo dough tartlet.
All in all a pretty long, demanding day. But I'd still repeat it a dozen times over rather than face tomorrow and the front of the house.
I spent the day helping prep for the salad - Arugula with a honey, mutard and rosemary vinaigrette. We were also responsible for coming up with optional vegan dishes based on recipes in the latest cookbook from our guest chefs, Capriak and John Pence (Not John and Caprial, Caprial and John -- that was very specifically communicated to us). To replace the first course of crab cakes, we decided on baked acorn squash stuffed with wild rice pilaf and apple cranberry chutney. The tenderloin entree was replaced (WHY?) with a marinated portobello mushroom with apple and onion consomme. And finally, instead of an apple mascarpone cheesecake, the vegan dessert is an apple and phyllo dough tartlet.
All in all a pretty long, demanding day. But I'd still repeat it a dozen times over rather than face tomorrow and the front of the house.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Musical Geography Question of the Day
If you'll be looking for eight when they pull that gate, where will you be and when?
Note:
I talked to Vic in person and asked him this, and yes, he got it.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Pun Fun
While enjoying the aforementioned dessert, I did something I haven't done in ages -- bumped my funny bone. I didn't find it humerus at all.
Something Wicked This Way Crumbs
Oh, man. I just had one of the most decadent desserts I've ever had in my life. The Feared Redhead picked me up after class, and before she went to work, we went out for Mexican food, then stopped by Sweet Life -- a patisserie here in Eugene that is (justifiably) renowned for their cakes, pies, and other desserts. I had the caramel chocolate shortbread, and just about died.
Unimpressed? I'm sorry, let me go into detail. They start with a scalloped shortbread.... I guess you'd call it a cookie, though it's as big as a coffee cup saucer, and a full quarter inch thick. It's the richest shortbreat I've EVER had -- when I asked them how much butter they use, the answer was, "You don't want to know". Then half of it is coated in caramel and then dark chocolate. Dear Lord, this thing was RICH, but not as sweet as you'd expect -- the dark chocolate and shortbread offset the caramel nicely. I'm telling you, this thing was pure evil. If you ever get to Eugene, join its dark side.
Unimpressed? I'm sorry, let me go into detail. They start with a scalloped shortbread.... I guess you'd call it a cookie, though it's as big as a coffee cup saucer, and a full quarter inch thick. It's the richest shortbreat I've EVER had -- when I asked them how much butter they use, the answer was, "You don't want to know". Then half of it is coated in caramel and then dark chocolate. Dear Lord, this thing was RICH, but not as sweet as you'd expect -- the dark chocolate and shortbread offset the caramel nicely. I'm telling you, this thing was pure evil. If you ever get to Eugene, join its dark side.
Shut Up, Cartman!
| Which South Park kid are you most like? Kyle You are clever, and often come up with intelligent and funny comebacks to other people's stupid remarks.
|
| Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. |
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
My Son the Preschool Gourmand
From the time he began eating solid foods, The Lad has preferred small portions of our grownup food to the baby foods we presented to him. As I've mentioned before, this has led to a toddler with some very refined tastes. His latest obsessions? Dill pickles, hot salsas, green olives, and Gruyere.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Praise the Lord and Pass the Twelve-Gauge
A big tip of the toque to Maximum Leader via Bobgirrl.
The Zombie Movie Survival Quiz
Francesco Dellamorte is your name, and killing zombies is your game. Living at Buffalora Cemetery, where the dead rise quite frequently, you know how to take care of zombies. Yes, you are definitely a bad ass. Too bad your sexy model girlfriend is a zombie.
Take this quiz!
Quizilla
Join
Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code
The Zombie Movie Survival Quiz
Francesco Dellamorte is your name, and killing zombies is your game. Living at Buffalora Cemetery, where the dead rise quite frequently, you know how to take care of zombies. Yes, you are definitely a bad ass. Too bad your sexy model girlfriend is a zombie.
Take this quiz!
Quizilla
Join
Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Preemptive Hindsight
DuhA Big tip of the toque to Ken at It Comes in Pints?
The next time someone on the Left tells you that the entire reason we went to war with Iraq was WMD's, and that all the other reasons were tacked on later, send them over to Fish Fear Me to read this entry and its linked references.
The next time someone on the Left tells you that the entire reason we went to war with Iraq was WMD's, and that all the other reasons were tacked on later, send them over to Fish Fear Me to read this entry and its linked references.
An Interesting Perspective
A tip of the Toque to HMIL at Teapot Tantrums.
HMIL has posted a column by Victor David Hanson, who is in my mind one of the more intelligent, erudite spokesmen for the right today. I recommend you go read it. As in, right now.
There's a lot to digest there -- not only about how we're presented with information on Iraq, but on the state of affairs at home.
HMIL has posted a column by Victor David Hanson, who is in my mind one of the more intelligent, erudite spokesmen for the right today. I recommend you go read it. As in, right now.
There's a lot to digest there -- not only about how we're presented with information on Iraq, but on the state of affairs at home.
Comeback Weekend
This weekend in sports is going much better for me than last. Last week, by Padres got dumped from the playoffs with only 1 win. My Ducks got their tails whipped by Cal. And in Fantasy Football, I lost for the second week in a row -- going from alone in first and undefeated to being in fourth with a 3-2 record.
Well, this week, the Ducks recovered well from their loss and trounced UCLA 30-20, re-establishing themselves as one of 3 PAC-10 teams to watch.
In the meantime, I'm up 13.4 to 7.0 against one of the 4-1 teams in my league. It's way too early to call, but if I win, I could move up as high as second in the league, since another 4-1 team is also losing.
UPDATE:
Nope. After several reversals of fortune, I got trounced, 70.3-36.4. Oh, well, at least the Ducks won.
Well, this week, the Ducks recovered well from their loss and trounced UCLA 30-20, re-establishing themselves as one of 3 PAC-10 teams to watch.
In the meantime, I'm up 13.4 to 7.0 against one of the 4-1 teams in my league. It's way too early to call, but if I win, I could move up as high as second in the league, since another 4-1 team is also losing.
UPDATE:
Nope. After several reversals of fortune, I got trounced, 70.3-36.4. Oh, well, at least the Ducks won.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Musical Geography Question of the Day
If your destination is a world away from the coaly Tyne, to where are you sailing?
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