During class yesterday, I cooked bacon, for almost an hour. Nothing but bacon. And despite the long, hot shower I took last night, and this morning before work, I still smell like bacon. It’s in my hair, my skin. Bacon. I’m wondering if bathing in tomato juice will help…or perhaps that will just make me smell like a BLT.
I can only imagine having to cook bacon for 10 hours, as compared to my one hour. It must take weeks to get that smoky smell out of your body.
Three classes remain until the final exam. I’m ready. So ready. Not only for the class to come to an end, but ready to experience a new chef instructor next semester. I like Chef, I really do. I just don’t like his way of teaching - I don’t get it.
This class seems more like “what does Chef want for dinner?” rather than a class in teaching us the basics, because every week, we cook the chefs dinner, and it never seems to follow the syllubus. I’m sure the basics are in there somewhere, but they’re rarely pointed out and never correspond to anything we’re reading, so we never really know what we’re supposed to be doing — we can never prepare ahead of time for what we’re supposed to be cooking in class. Not being prepared drives me nuts.
And as often as Chef says, “Just ask me if you’re not sure how to do something,” he acts annoyed and uses a tone that says, “You’re an idiot,” when we ask for help, or if we burn something or make a mistake. I HATE this approach to teaching.
Last night, we focused on cheese making. I was so excited, until Chef said only one group (out of 5) was going to make ricotta, and the rest of us would be tasked with another part of the menu. It’s so easy to make ricotta and fresh mozzarella (from what I’ve seen tableside). How we’re supposed to apply the information he tells us about cheese, without making it, is beyond me. He didn’t even call over the class to watch the other group making it. Nothing. I don’t get it.
So this weekend, I’m going to make a boat load of ricotta cheese, without Chef, and hope I do it right. I’m sure I can do it the right way — it’s not rocket science. But, it would be nice to have that guidance from an experienced Chef.
Three cheers for next semester!
Hi Dawn, Your chef sounds like my Garde Manger I instructor at Le Cordon Bleu. Makes you wonder why some people enter the teaching profession if they dislike interacting with ignorant students as much as the position requires. But as you probably already know, the next semester will bring a new and hopefully more caring Chef Instructor. I lived in Orlando and worked at Disney a very long time ago, not that it matters. I've read through some of your blogs and appreciate your passion for cooking. With respect to your job hunt, to put it frankly, the economy sucks all over. Orlando is as good a location to acquire some professional cooking chops as any location, maybe better. I'd work on finding a position that builds your resume a bit, which will help in the long run with your longer term plans of food writing. If it helps, and I'm sure it won't, I was laid off from a major software company in early 2005. I immediately started my own consulting firm and made enough money to retire at a relatively young age within two years. I followed my lifelong dream of attending culinary school, graduating Suma Cum Laud earlier this year. I haven't been seeking employment as yet since I always seem to have travel plans and it strikes me as lame to look for a position when I would have to ask for time off at the interview. Like you, I'm used to making a significant income and would have to take a significant drop in pay from my old job to work in a kitchen, but that's the business we've chosen. I'll be leaving for the West Indies (Barbados) next week and have decided that I'll take a break from travel for a while and look for a food industry position upon my return. I performed my externship at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, so I know what to expect regarding long hours, low pay, and a pain in the lower back. But if I'm going to build on the skills taught to me at school, this is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I can only grow my skills so much preparing meals for my family and friends, so it's time to pay some more dues. My only requisite for the job will be something that doesn't detract too much from my family, so hopefully early morning hours to mid afternoon. I have no idea where my passion will lead, but I'm excited about starting the journey. With respect to the bacon smell, if the shower didn't help, I have no recommendations to offer. Hopefully your husband finds food smells an aphrodisiac. Best of luck on your job search.