in the weeds

MSG: it really aint so bad

“It was a nightmare for my family,” said Jennifer Hsu, a graphic designer whose parents owned several Chinese restaurants in New York City in the 1970s. “Not because we used that much MSG — although of course we used some — but because it meant that Americans came into the restaurant with these suspicious, hostile feelings.”

Even now, after “Chinese restaurant syndrome” has been thoroughly debunked (virtually all studies since then confirm that monosodium glutamate in normal concentrations has no effect on the overwhelming majority of people), the ingredient has a stigma that will not go away.

So, lately i’ve been sick with a virus. So sick that the cookery coordinator doesnt want to see me in prac classes for another two weeks. I attemped to get through a class on Tuesday but had to leave less than an hour into it because i felt so dizzy and like i was going to ralph everywhere. Not good!

It actually makes me feel really bad because, well, how am i going to go in the real world in a real kitchen where people are actually depending on me? It’s like being in the army. What happens when someone gets sick in the army and they’re needed? 

So on the downside i’ll be missing a unit - possibly two. The upside? I can do them next semester. She was excited at the fact i’ll have more time to work on my theory, but man, i barely even feel up to that. I don’t even want to move.

Tonight i made Penne Carbonara for my mother and brother since i missed out on making in class. They liked it. It looked nice. It tasted quite nice too - i only ate two pieces of pasta since the dish, obviously, contains bacon (puke!) and loads of cream. But they liked it so much they want me to make it again later in the week. I reckon it’s going to turn into one of those comfort food/crowd pleaser meals.

I also made another focaccia - this time stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and spanish onion - and studded with thyme and garlic. I kind of made it wrong, but it still turned out okay. I know what to do next time when i make it this way.

I was going to make Baked Egg Custard too but it’s now 12:53 and i have class at 9am. I really don’t feel like sleeping tonight but i must.

Tomorrow we receive our major assessment sheet which details what kind of eating establishment we have to invent, which season we’ll be in, and how big it will be. I’m kind of excited by this project. It’s gonna be major. I’m scared because i’d really like to get top marks for this. 

I'm gonna get fat

Right now i’m kind of obsessed with mayonnaise and have been making lots of aioli. And eating lots of aioli with anything i can get my hands on (hardboiled eggs, coleslaw, etc.)

The worst thing about knowing how to make shit properly is that even when you don’t have it you can simply whip it up. Temptation! Everywhere!

And since oil and eggs are pretty much a staple in every kitchen there’s no escaping. 

How today went ...

Everything i thought i’d fuck up i aced (roux, garlic paste)

Everything i was really confident about i pretty much aced (lemon wedges, segments, parsley, etc)

Everything i felt OK at i flunked. He basically said “you can’t use your knife!” I felt like screaming back, “DUDE. MY HANDS ARE SHAKING. I HAVE STAGEFRIGHT! I WAS PERFECT AT HOME!”

I don’t want to do any more assessments. And he said we didnt need to. We can come and continue to learn. We just wont get our certificates at the end of the year. And here’s the thing: some woman i was talking to today basically said that completing the course basically puts you in no-man’s land where you can’t get an apprenticeship and you’re not experienced enough to be a commis. FUCK ME.

!@%$#

I have 171 pages of theory to commit to memory this evening. We’ve been studying this subject for two weeks now and although i know most of it i don’t know all of it and we need to know all of it.

This is for our assessment tomorrow. We have a theory test in the afternoon and a 2.5 hour practical in the morning.

Then in two weeks we do it all again with another subject. Oh joy! That on top of keeping up with our other theory classes/assessments.

Cooking school = not a walk in the park. In case you were wondering.