Foodie P%&#

Today being the first Saturday of my post-collegiate life, I decided to take The Lad with me to the Eugene Farmer's Market and do a bit of shopping. Here's what we came home with:




All of this was grown locally, picked fresh, and sold direct to moi. Clockwise from upper left: Strawberries (not those pale pseudo-red styrofoam giant mutants you get in the grocery store, these are compact, seduction-lipstick-blood-red, and co full of flavor they're almost hallucinogenic), spinach, easter egg radishes, carrots, blue potatoes, sugar snap peas, spearmint, and in the center, a cucumber.

The potatoes I'll slice thin and fry into chips, the spearmint will garnish the strawberries, everything else goes in a salad. I'll serve it all with some wild Alaskan sockeye (can't get any closer to local, our runs are closed for the year) and pair it with a local Pinot Gris tonight, or maybe a Pinot Noir Rose.

Welcome to the Majors, Kid

It seems appropriate that on my first day in the kitchen after graduating from the culinary program, I should get my hiney handed to me.

No, seriously, it really is appropriate. And it wasn't anywhere NEARLY as bad as it could have been, but:

I was scheduled a partial shift -- I'm still only part-time, and although I only get one day off this week, I am only scheduled one full shift. Yesterday I was scheduled to work 11-6. The opener was scheduled 10:30-6:30. Another part-timer was scheduled for 6, and the closer arrived at 6:30.

When I got there, the ppener informed me that he had a sore throat and was going to go home after the lunch rush. So from around 1:30 or so until my relief arrived at 6, I was on my own. Only my 6 PM reliever didn't arrive -- I ended up working until 6:30, when the closer arrived.

And the lunch rush picked back up right after the opener left.

And the dinner rush came early.

And we were 86 several popular items.

And several other popular items, all of which the opener told me had been prepped, hadn't.

I actually held my own. The bartender only had to check on the status of an order a couple if times, I only screwed up about 3 garnishes, and nothing got sent back. Overall, I'd say I did ok.

I Walked The Line

Well, that's that. Yesterday by 5:30 PM PDT, the ceremony was over and I had become a graduate. Before the ceremony, the culinary department held a luncheon in our honor, after it, my family had a dinner in mine.

It's a great feeling. For once in my life I finished what I started, something significant and life-shanging. Two years ago I sat in a classroom with a group of strangers, overwhelmed by the list of competencies required in order to complete the program. Yesterday, I sat in an audtiorium with a group of friends, overwhelmed by everything we have accomplished over the last two years. There was laughter, there were tears, a lot of shouting and smiling, and in the end a sense of triumph.

My mother, my sister, my brother-in-law, my niece and two nephews, my uncle (my father's brother) and aunt, and my wife all were in attendance, and I was even able to surprise my mom with my PTK membership. Yesterday and today we spent as a family, celebrating not only my accomplishment, but the love and support that thy have provided me that has carried me through this all (especially my wife).

It's been a good time, and while both my school and my family made me feel like the center of attention, I also felt like part of something bigger than myself.

I'm ready to move on now. I'm hopeful -- no, I'm confident -- in my ability to make a career of this, and I'm ready to go.

Short

Cue Kickass Rock Anthem

A tip of the Toque to Maximum Leader at Naked Villainy:

Find out Which Marvel Superhero Are You at LiquidGeneration.com!

Musical Geography Trivia Question of the Day

If you've pawned all your hopes and he even sold your own car, (1) how are you getting there and (2) where are you going?

DONE!

My last final... make that my FINAL final... was this morning from 8 to 10 PM. I did not ace it, but I am sure I passed. Now all that's left is to walk on Saturday and over the summer complete the paperwork for the co-op work. But in terms of sitting in a classroom, turning in homework, taking tests, and attending labs, I am DONE.

I would have posted earlier today, but I had to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

Two Down, One to Go

Yesterday was the Culinary Leadership final. Today it was American Regional Cuisine. Tomorrow it's First Aid, and I'm done -- with finals, and for all intents and purposes, with school. There was some clarification today regarding our ACF certification. The application and fee we turned in along with our finals this weeks does NOT get us the ACF certification of Ceritifed Culinarian -- it gets us a membership in the ACF as Student Culinarians. Upon completion of our degree, the ACF membership AND our transcripts showing that we've graduated will get us the coveted CC after our name -- which means that I won't have mine until I OFFICIALLY complete the dregree, which will be some time this summer anfter I've put in enough time at a cooking job and hence completed the "Cooperative Education" class.

Which is a pain in the butt, but is a minor detail. When all is said and done, I'll have the following feathers in my resume cap:

Degree: Associate of Applied Science, Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management

Organization Memberships:
American Culinary Federation
Phi Theta Kappa (National Community College Honor Society)

Certifications:
ACF Certified Culinarian
American Red Cross First Aid Certification
ServSafe Certification
Oregon Food Handler's Card

A week before he passed away, my father looked my wife in the eye and made her promise that she'd make sure I graduated from college. I know it's not an advanced degree, or hell, even a Bachelor's, but it's a degree, and it's in a field that I thoroughly enjoy, and that can be the foundation of a career. It took me 40 years to figure out what I wanted to do, but we kept that promise.

Musical Geography Trivia Question of the Day, Head Space Round

If you know what you're needing and you don't want to waste more time, where are you?

Milestones and Signs of the End

A lot of things going on this week -- it's "dead week" at school, and I'm close to matching that description.

Today I cooked the last dish I'll cook in the student kitchen of my schools culinary arts program. It was a bittersweet moment -- I was relieved to be done, triumphant that I did it well, but a little sad. I'm going to miss the camaraderie and the environment of learning and inquiry. I'm not going to miss the petty bickering and schoolchild self-centeredness of some of my fellow students, and I'm CERTAINLY not going to miss not making a living wage.

On that note, I received good news this week. I've been selected as a recipient of a scholarship frtom a local congressman, earmarked for vets and displaced workers, several of each received it. It's going to finish off my tuitiuon and help with bill.

One small paper to write tomorrow, due on Friday, it's an evaluation of the dinner event. Tomorrow is also my 40th birthday, and I get to work (yay!), and finish the day in wine class, eating a buffet and trying delicious wines.

Tomorrow's also payday, and I'll finally have the money to buy my cap and gown for next Saturday's ceremony. The culinary program is hosting a luncheon for the graduating Second Years that day. It'll be nice to not be the one cooking for once.

I'm finally a Single Digit Midget -- barring any major catastrophes during finals week, in less than ten days, I will be an American Culinary Federation (ACF) Certified Culinarian, as well as an Associate of Applied Sciences in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management. I'll also have my First Aid training certificate -- all of which will look good on my resume. The one thing I didn't gain as part of the program that would pad it even more is an OLCC liquor handlers license.

Officially I won't receive the AAS until I finish the Co-Operative Education segment, but that's simply a matter of working enough hours at a job, pay the tuition fee, and fill out a form. The ACF CC will be mine if I pass my final exam in my Culinary Leadership class.

It feels weird. It's like my life has been on hold for two years, and now that this period is passing, It feels like it's time to get back to real life. I just wish I felt more... transformed, I guess, if that makes sense?

Maybe after I've had some sleep.

You'd Better Believe it, Pilgrim!

A Tip of the Toque Stetson to Vulture Six:

What Kind of a Western Bad-Ass are You? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as John Wayne You a classic all American cowboy who does the right thing. When you're sober. Which means occasionally. You like horses, the outdoors, whiskey, hot tempered women, whiskey, and bourbon. John Wayne 100% Charles Bronson 88% Clint Eastwood 75% Lee Marvin 75% Lee Van Cleef 50%

All Over But the Shouting

Sorry for the light blogging last week, Thursday was our Spring Classic Cuisine Dinner. It's the final big dinner event of the year, and for us Second Years, of our culinary school careers. It was a huge roller coaster for me. We were supposed to prep on Wednesday, and finish on Thursday. I was in on Monday prepping, to make sure my ice cream was done in time, and was there every day through event day -- on top of closing Sunday night at the bar and opening on Tuesday. I was on my feet almost the entire time, and by Thursday night, my entire lower body was in pain, and I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and feeling a mixture of elation and frustration.

I was elated because the dish was a success. I had several "Dumb luck" moments where I stumbled upon components of the dish that went over better than I expected. The Bend Distillery Hazelnut Espresso vodka that I used for the flambe' was delicious. In keeping with the 100-mile menu concept, I'd picked Bend mostly on what I knew of their other products. The same with the honey used in the honey caramel sauce -- Glory Bee Honey is HQ'ed in Eugene, but they get honey from all over the place. I asked for a local honey, and they sold me some made from the nectar of the meadow foam flower, gathered near Junction City. It was incredible -- it had this rich, full aroma that reminded me of good cavendish pipe tobacco. I got the toasting of the hazelnuts just right, and the overall presentation was spot on. Everyone loved the show when I flambe'ed it, and I also got good feedback about how it tasted.

I was frustrated because throughout the days leading up to the even, I was constantly unable to please one of my chef instructors. Some of the time it was little mistakes on my part that he had a valid reason to criticize, and those made me mad at myself. But there was also a lot of criticism of things that I felt I was doing right -- questioning my choice of recipes, when the recipes in question had gone over so well in our dry runs -- from the fact that my honey caramel sauce didn't have caramelized sugar added to the honey, to the temperature the recipe called for me to cook the honey to, to my choice f liquors for the flambe'. He even made a snarky comment about my ice cream melting (when it was not). To top in all off, some of my classmates decided to confront him, at our final debriefing, about a separate issue (one in which I was not involved), and what should have been the best night of my school career ended up being miserable and awkward.

But oh, well. Two more weeks of class and then finals, and I'm done.

Musical Geography Trivia Question of the Day

Two Parter, Vic has to give everyone else a one day head start:

Old times where ain't half as rotten as where?

UPDATE:
OK, Vic, go for it.

Quote of the Day

A tip of the toque to Ed Morrissey via the Llama Butchers:

"...if Obama considers discussion of foreign policy “divisive”, then he should hie himself right back to Academia. Guess what, Senator? Presidential elections focus on foreign-policy principles, and if you can’t defend yours, then you have no business running for office."

It's been my experience, in observing the political debate for the last 12 years or so, that when a liberal of Leftist calls you "divisive", what they really mean is "Why can't you just see things my way?".

Quote of the Day

Another Tip of the Toque to Rob at Say Anything Blog:


"We can't afford six more years of President Bush."

- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), in support of Barack Obama

Six years.

Six.

How many years is a presidential term?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

I Didn't Tell You So, But I Could Have

A Tip of the Toque to Rob at Say Anything Blog.

I really wish this suprised me, but it doesn't. While I've been prating for the people in Myanmar, and wishing I could do more to help, like I did after Katrina, I've also been wondering, silently to myself, "just how is the Left going to spin this to pin it on Bush?"

Well, Anne Applebaum of Slate Magazine has the answer:

Unfortunately, the phrase "coalition of the willing" is tainted forever—once again proving that the damage done by the Iraq war goes far beyond the Iraqi borders...

There you have it, folks. Because George W. Bush sent U.S. troops into Iraq, people are dying in Myanmar. Incredible. The logic is just... breathtaking.

Rob makes a good point in his entry over at Say Anything -- The parallels between the ruthlessness, megalomania, and brutality of the ruling Junta in Myanmar and the former regime of Saddam Hussein are so striking that it is tempting to question the intelectual integrity, if not the reasoning powers, of someone who advocates intervention in one situation while opposing intervention in the other. I would further argue that to not only take that position, but in fact to use ones support of the former as further excuse to criticize the latter, requires a level of chutzpah that would make P.T. Barnum kneel in awe.

But this is what BDS reduces people to. I have been hesitant, myself, to use that term, because I think that often on the Right we use it as a form of Argumentum Ad Hominem to dismiss criticism of the President. But every time I resolve not to take that view, along comes a case of true BDS that is so blatant that I find myself facing the old laugh-or-cry conundrum.

Musical Geography Trivia Question of the (Day? Week? Month?)

Strike two... this is the first time I've stumped my readers two songs in a row. Let's see if I can make it three.

No man for debt shall go to jail from where?

Musical Geography Trivia Question of theDay

Posted 4/23:

If my TV's broke, my life's a joke, and the sheriff moved next door, where do I live and what's the outlook?

No one got this one, so here's ne answer:

I live in a Lakeside Trailer PArk and everything's gonna be alright.

A Good Tired

Now that I'm home from my first night there, I can share without jinxing it:

I got a job. Cooking. I only worked an hour and a half tonight, but it was just orienting myself with the place.

It's not my dream job -- it's at a bar and grill, cooking burgers and other bar food. And the hours are going to be killer -- I'll be pulling down three or four closing shifts (6:30 PM to 2:30 AM).

But it's a job. And the people are nice. And it's a job. And the waitresses tip the kitchen. And it's a job. And I get a free meal every shift. And it's a job. And I get one free bar drink at the end of the shift. And.. here's the best part...

It's a job. Cooking.

I'm a cook.

Dry Run

Friday was the first dry run for our spring Classic Cuisine Dinner, and I had a blast. This will be the only dinner where I am in charge of the dish I am cooking, and am not answerable to a chef de parti -- I found and am developing the recipe and sub-recipes, and am working directly with our student Chef de Cuisine on adjustments to them.

The dinner is a 100-mile menu, which means we're highlighting local ingredients. The main purpose in the school's eyes is to focus on sustainability. For me, that's all well and good, what thrills me about it is the chance to highlight the glorious ingredients available in this region. So the dish I came up with was vanilla ice cream, made with local dairy milk and cream, topped with a hazelnut & honey caramel sauce. One of my classmates made a suggestion, and I thought it was a good one, so I've added a slice of pound cake to the recipe.

The dry run went well. I made the ice cream a couple days ahead of time, so ti would have time to set in the freezer, and it came out almost perfectly -- smooth, light, with a rich taste but not cloyingly sweet. On Friday, the sauce came out delicious, but a bit thin. Next time I'm cutting back on the cream. toasting the filberts, and especially the stage of skinning them, was the most tedious part. The last step was to add the nuts and the sauce to a saucepan, flambe them (We'll be using a locally-distilled vodka, Bend Distillery's Hazelnut Coffee Vodka). The dish was supposed to be a half-dessert, since we're doing a buffet and eople will have several desserts to choose from. But we determined that a half-serving of ice cream just can't take the heat from freshly flambeed sauce, so we're increasing the serving to a full 4 ounce scoop, and cutting the amount of sauce and nuts in half.

The final plating needs some tweaking, as you can see, but the flavors and textures are out of this world.