Soooo the whole thing about posting everyday? Not going to happen, sorry guys. I'm just too busy.
Can't really write now, about to leave for work. In the past two days I worked 24 hours, so I'm absolutely exhausted. Just pushing on until Thursday when I get my mini 4 day vacation down the Cape! I'll write a longer post then.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
On my days off, I have to make a big decision. Do I sleep the day away to catch up on much needed sleep I've been lacking in on days I work? Or do I get up early and make the absolute most of the day, seeing friends I haven't seen, running errands I need to run, or spending time with family. It's quite the difficult decision.
Although I have relaxed a lot this summer during my days off, I think I've done some fun and productive stuff as well! I've gone into the city with one of my best friends, I've gone down the Cape to see another best friend and my grandparents and cousins, I've gone to Newport Beach with my Mom, Rockport and Essex with the family, and more.
I've kind of felt like this summer has been wasted on working, yet I think, although I kind of resent it, that that is what this summer should be about. I'm kind of getting a taste of the real world, what it will be like once I leave school and am working full time. I really feel like I'm growing up, and that both excites me and scares me to death. I've become more and more nostalgic for childhood. I miss finding enough dimes and quarters to walk downtown and buy some candy from the convenience store. I miss summers spent down the Cape where the most work I had to do was hoist up lobster traps and keep my room somewhat clean. I miss weekends spent with my dad, going to movies and on different adventures. I miss lots of things, and that makes me kind of sad.
Yet, I know I need to move on and grow up. Although I cannot do those things now as frequently as I'd like to, they'll still always be a part of my life. I know that I can go down the Cape whenever I want and feel like a kid again. I know that my dad is still up for adventures and trips to the movies, although I'm usually not available to do them, I know that if I REALLY want to, I can walk downtown and buy some candy. These times aren't gone, they're just less frequent. I guess I just need to come to terms with that.
Anyways, in a week I'll be down the Cape celebrating my dad's birthday with my ENTIRE family, and I CANNOT wait. Times with my family are what I treasure most right now. It is sure to be a fantastic day.
Although I have relaxed a lot this summer during my days off, I think I've done some fun and productive stuff as well! I've gone into the city with one of my best friends, I've gone down the Cape to see another best friend and my grandparents and cousins, I've gone to Newport Beach with my Mom, Rockport and Essex with the family, and more.
I've kind of felt like this summer has been wasted on working, yet I think, although I kind of resent it, that that is what this summer should be about. I'm kind of getting a taste of the real world, what it will be like once I leave school and am working full time. I really feel like I'm growing up, and that both excites me and scares me to death. I've become more and more nostalgic for childhood. I miss finding enough dimes and quarters to walk downtown and buy some candy from the convenience store. I miss summers spent down the Cape where the most work I had to do was hoist up lobster traps and keep my room somewhat clean. I miss weekends spent with my dad, going to movies and on different adventures. I miss lots of things, and that makes me kind of sad.
Yet, I know I need to move on and grow up. Although I cannot do those things now as frequently as I'd like to, they'll still always be a part of my life. I know that I can go down the Cape whenever I want and feel like a kid again. I know that my dad is still up for adventures and trips to the movies, although I'm usually not available to do them, I know that if I REALLY want to, I can walk downtown and buy some candy. These times aren't gone, they're just less frequent. I guess I just need to come to terms with that.
Anyways, in a week I'll be down the Cape celebrating my dad's birthday with my ENTIRE family, and I CANNOT wait. Times with my family are what I treasure most right now. It is sure to be a fantastic day.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Is it so wrong to want rewarding? To want more than is given to you?
Sundays. Once a day of rest. Now, to me, a day of long, endless work.
Sunday is the day I dread each week. My 12 hour work day. I start work at 10, end at 10. This means I have to leave my house around 8:30 and don't get home until around 11:30. LONG DAY.
The other thing I hate about Sundays at work is that it's incredibly slow, and there are hardly any of us on the line in the kitchen. Therefore, when it's slow, it's SLOW. One can only chop so many shallots, blanch so many green beans, make so much mornay sauce. Running out of prep to do in the kitchen is the last thing you want. You look pretty embarrassing standing around doing nothing, and you'll probably wind up on your hands and knees scrubbing various hidden stainless steel that hasn't been cleaned in months. Then, if we suddenly get some business, it gets crazy busy, since like I said, there aren't that many of us. Lots of ups and downs in action, and it's really pretty exhausting.
So, to sum up it all up, Sundays suck. A lot.
Thankfully though, today wasn't too bad. And the one GOOD thing about Sundays is that I have the next two days off! Oh how I love Mondays and Tuesdays :D! Now, sleep, sleep, and more sleep.
Bon nuit, my body hurts.
Sunday is the day I dread each week. My 12 hour work day. I start work at 10, end at 10. This means I have to leave my house around 8:30 and don't get home until around 11:30. LONG DAY.
The other thing I hate about Sundays at work is that it's incredibly slow, and there are hardly any of us on the line in the kitchen. Therefore, when it's slow, it's SLOW. One can only chop so many shallots, blanch so many green beans, make so much mornay sauce. Running out of prep to do in the kitchen is the last thing you want. You look pretty embarrassing standing around doing nothing, and you'll probably wind up on your hands and knees scrubbing various hidden stainless steel that hasn't been cleaned in months. Then, if we suddenly get some business, it gets crazy busy, since like I said, there aren't that many of us. Lots of ups and downs in action, and it's really pretty exhausting.
So, to sum up it all up, Sundays suck. A lot.
Thankfully though, today wasn't too bad. And the one GOOD thing about Sundays is that I have the next two days off! Oh how I love Mondays and Tuesdays :D! Now, sleep, sleep, and more sleep.
Bon nuit, my body hurts.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Just the smell on the summer can make me fall in love
So here I am, back again, in the wonderful world of blogging. Didn't think you'd here from me again on here, huh? Well think again. I'm BACK and better than ever, here to give you an update on what has been going on during my CRAZY summer back home in Massachusetts. Also, at the end of this post, I have a big announcement, so keep reading!
First of all, the famous 25 hour drive home. It was exhausting, really really really really really long, and pretty boring, but with some great tunes, good friends, amazing hospitality, and lots of stops for greasy goodness along the way, I made it. It was actually pretty awesome and rewarding, driving up the east coast. I saw a lot of giant water towers in the shape of fruits and vegetables in the south, along with plenty anti-abortion and other conservative billboards (only in the south...). As I started getting closer to home, in the midst of nothingness, I came upon the Washington Monument! That was pretty much as exciting as it got. I kind of expected to see the ocean, and signs for authentic Carolina BBQ, the Statue of Liberty, a Georgia peach tree....but no. The biggest thing I realized is that there's really not that much of a variation between the United States of Massachusetts and the United States of any other state...it's all America.
After I got home, after less than 24 hours of being there, I was pushed into getting a job. Yes, I grumbled and raged, begging my parents to let me relax just a LITTLE bit longer ("It was 25 HOURS Mom and Dad! 25 HOURS!") Yet, they were relentless, and as much as I hate to admit it, rightly so. Without their push, I probably would not have the amazing job I do today. A few months ago, after hearing about a connection to a restaurant owner that my dad had at work, I called the man and asked about the chances of a 19 year old skinny little culinary school girl with basically NO professional experience of getting a job. He told me to call him when I got back from Miami, so that's exactly what I did. Thankfully enough, I got an interview! I went in to talk to him and after a 3 minute discussion of asking me why I was there, what I hoped to gain from working there, and when I was available, he offered me an opportunity to stage the next day.
For those of you who are less familiar with the crazy culinary world, a "stage" is almost like an audition. It's a chance to work for a day (unpaid of course) in a kitchen to see how you like it, and how they like you. During my stage I basically did prep work all day: peeling shrimp, making homemade pasta, cutting vegetables, etc. At the end of my long day, I anxiously awaited my meeting with the head chef to see if I got the job or not! He once again, asked me when I was free, to which I obviously HAD to reply, "the whole summer, Chef! Whenever you need me, Chef! I can be here every day, Chef!" He also asked me about payment: "ANYTHING Chef, really. Minimum wage? I'm doing this for the experience!" After hearing that he really had no idea what minimum wage was, we settled on a small, yet realistic payment, of which I'm still quite pleased with. Like I told him, and have to keep telling myself, when I feel like I've been working my butt off and not making that much for it, it's about the EXPERIENCE, about getting the chance to work in a real professional kitchen after having absolutely no experience. Chef took a chance on me, and I'm extremely grateful to him for doing so.
ANYWAYS, let me tell you about what I'm doing in my job. First of all, I work 5 days a week, about 40 hours each week. My schedule is always changing as we lose and gain people, so it's pretty hectic. The restaurant is swanky New England style food with a heavy Italian and French influence. It's simple, but very fresh and good quality. My job title, I suppose, would be Garde Manger, which is a classical French term kind of meaning "cold prep," yet I do a lot more than that. I'm kind of on the helper station. I work the fryer to make fries, make salads, plate desserts and cheese plates, shuck a LOT of oysters (I'm becoming a pro!), make fish and chips and classic croque-monsieur and croque-madame (ham and cheese) sandwiches, and whip up milkshakes with our home made ice cream. I also help a lot with making the homemade pasta. As you can see, that is a LOT for someone who has no line experience. It was extremely difficult at first, for a while. Working in a professional kitchen is so different than being at school. You have to learn a whole knew language for doing this, working with as much speed and efficiency as possible, and trying to reserve as much energy as possible to last you through the long days and nights. It's finally sort of starting to click for me, I'm finding the rhythm of the kitchen, which really makes me proud.
The people I work with are amazing. As I expected, I'm the only girl in the kitchen, and the youngest. I also have the least amount of experience. So, pretty much, I have to REALLY hold my own. The guys in the kitchen are all really great, and have treated me with lots of respect. Of course there are lots of crude jokes and teasing, but it's all in good fun, and something I sort of have to be able to get past and shove right back at them. Working in a kitchen has really made me thick-skinned. I feel bad a lot because I'm not quite as fast or perfect as I'd like to be, and sometimes it slows the rest of the team down and they get frustrated with me. I really just hope they understand that I'm doing the absolute best that I can. I get so much help and support from the guys and will really miss them when I go back to school in the fall. My boss is great. Chef is very fair, with a good sense of humor. He's a bit intimidating at first, but has proved himself to me to be a great leader and extremely smart and capable, and I'm learning a lot from him. He treats every member of his staff with respect and treats the restaurant like his baby, keeping it in tip top shape.
So, since I'm working most of the time, I have limited availability to see friends and family. I thought that working so much would keep me from going out with friends and participating in different things, but it turns out that most of my friends are working just as hard as I am. It's really starting to hit me, what growing up feels like. I'm quite nostalgic now for past summers spent at the Cape catching lobsters and clams and helping Grandma with dinner. I even miss sitting at home in Walpole and being bored and sweaty, having nothing to do. I feel like I'm constantly moving, and when I'm not working, I have to make the decision whether to rest or to muster up some strength to spend time with friends and family. This summer has actually helped me grow closer to my family a lot, and I'm spending a lot of time (well, as much time as I CAN) with them, which I love. I kind of thought for a while that this was the worst summer I had ever had, since I was constantly working and hardly making any money. Funny enough though, I'm realizing it's one of the best, because I think I'm growing the most I've ever grown before. I think most people think of summer as a break, as a time to put dreams and ambitions on hold in order to relax and push aside thoughts of work and school. I'm kind of doing the opposite, focusing mainly on work and moving forward to a brighter future. It can be VERY tiring and difficult at times, yes, but I know it will make me a stronger person.
Now, to my announcement. I've decided how much I love to write, and how much I want to keep it as a greatly important part of my life. Also, I know how much the few o you who actually read my blog regularly enjoy it. Therefore, I've decided to try as hard as I can to write a post every single day, at least for the rest of the summer. I cannot promise it will be long and in depth. It might just be a picture or some song lyrics or a few sentences, but you'll get SOMETHING. It also may not always be food or work related, but it will definitely be ME related! I can't promise that I'll have something every day, but I'll try my absolute hardest. I wanna document this summer as best as I can, and this blog helps me do that. If you have any suggestions on stuff I should be posting, let me know in a comment!
Hope you enjoyed this "summer so far sum up!" Keep reading each day for more!
Je t'aime!
Elizabeth (Or, as I'm called at work, ElizabethRose, Blanquita [white girl], or Americana [American girl])
First of all, the famous 25 hour drive home. It was exhausting, really really really really really long, and pretty boring, but with some great tunes, good friends, amazing hospitality, and lots of stops for greasy goodness along the way, I made it. It was actually pretty awesome and rewarding, driving up the east coast. I saw a lot of giant water towers in the shape of fruits and vegetables in the south, along with plenty anti-abortion and other conservative billboards (only in the south...). As I started getting closer to home, in the midst of nothingness, I came upon the Washington Monument! That was pretty much as exciting as it got. I kind of expected to see the ocean, and signs for authentic Carolina BBQ, the Statue of Liberty, a Georgia peach tree....but no. The biggest thing I realized is that there's really not that much of a variation between the United States of Massachusetts and the United States of any other state...it's all America.
After I got home, after less than 24 hours of being there, I was pushed into getting a job. Yes, I grumbled and raged, begging my parents to let me relax just a LITTLE bit longer ("It was 25 HOURS Mom and Dad! 25 HOURS!") Yet, they were relentless, and as much as I hate to admit it, rightly so. Without their push, I probably would not have the amazing job I do today. A few months ago, after hearing about a connection to a restaurant owner that my dad had at work, I called the man and asked about the chances of a 19 year old skinny little culinary school girl with basically NO professional experience of getting a job. He told me to call him when I got back from Miami, so that's exactly what I did. Thankfully enough, I got an interview! I went in to talk to him and after a 3 minute discussion of asking me why I was there, what I hoped to gain from working there, and when I was available, he offered me an opportunity to stage the next day.
For those of you who are less familiar with the crazy culinary world, a "stage" is almost like an audition. It's a chance to work for a day (unpaid of course) in a kitchen to see how you like it, and how they like you. During my stage I basically did prep work all day: peeling shrimp, making homemade pasta, cutting vegetables, etc. At the end of my long day, I anxiously awaited my meeting with the head chef to see if I got the job or not! He once again, asked me when I was free, to which I obviously HAD to reply, "the whole summer, Chef! Whenever you need me, Chef! I can be here every day, Chef!" He also asked me about payment: "ANYTHING Chef, really. Minimum wage? I'm doing this for the experience!" After hearing that he really had no idea what minimum wage was, we settled on a small, yet realistic payment, of which I'm still quite pleased with. Like I told him, and have to keep telling myself, when I feel like I've been working my butt off and not making that much for it, it's about the EXPERIENCE, about getting the chance to work in a real professional kitchen after having absolutely no experience. Chef took a chance on me, and I'm extremely grateful to him for doing so.
ANYWAYS, let me tell you about what I'm doing in my job. First of all, I work 5 days a week, about 40 hours each week. My schedule is always changing as we lose and gain people, so it's pretty hectic. The restaurant is swanky New England style food with a heavy Italian and French influence. It's simple, but very fresh and good quality. My job title, I suppose, would be Garde Manger, which is a classical French term kind of meaning "cold prep," yet I do a lot more than that. I'm kind of on the helper station. I work the fryer to make fries, make salads, plate desserts and cheese plates, shuck a LOT of oysters (I'm becoming a pro!), make fish and chips and classic croque-monsieur and croque-madame (ham and cheese) sandwiches, and whip up milkshakes with our home made ice cream. I also help a lot with making the homemade pasta. As you can see, that is a LOT for someone who has no line experience. It was extremely difficult at first, for a while. Working in a professional kitchen is so different than being at school. You have to learn a whole knew language for doing this, working with as much speed and efficiency as possible, and trying to reserve as much energy as possible to last you through the long days and nights. It's finally sort of starting to click for me, I'm finding the rhythm of the kitchen, which really makes me proud.
The people I work with are amazing. As I expected, I'm the only girl in the kitchen, and the youngest. I also have the least amount of experience. So, pretty much, I have to REALLY hold my own. The guys in the kitchen are all really great, and have treated me with lots of respect. Of course there are lots of crude jokes and teasing, but it's all in good fun, and something I sort of have to be able to get past and shove right back at them. Working in a kitchen has really made me thick-skinned. I feel bad a lot because I'm not quite as fast or perfect as I'd like to be, and sometimes it slows the rest of the team down and they get frustrated with me. I really just hope they understand that I'm doing the absolute best that I can. I get so much help and support from the guys and will really miss them when I go back to school in the fall. My boss is great. Chef is very fair, with a good sense of humor. He's a bit intimidating at first, but has proved himself to me to be a great leader and extremely smart and capable, and I'm learning a lot from him. He treats every member of his staff with respect and treats the restaurant like his baby, keeping it in tip top shape.
So, since I'm working most of the time, I have limited availability to see friends and family. I thought that working so much would keep me from going out with friends and participating in different things, but it turns out that most of my friends are working just as hard as I am. It's really starting to hit me, what growing up feels like. I'm quite nostalgic now for past summers spent at the Cape catching lobsters and clams and helping Grandma with dinner. I even miss sitting at home in Walpole and being bored and sweaty, having nothing to do. I feel like I'm constantly moving, and when I'm not working, I have to make the decision whether to rest or to muster up some strength to spend time with friends and family. This summer has actually helped me grow closer to my family a lot, and I'm spending a lot of time (well, as much time as I CAN) with them, which I love. I kind of thought for a while that this was the worst summer I had ever had, since I was constantly working and hardly making any money. Funny enough though, I'm realizing it's one of the best, because I think I'm growing the most I've ever grown before. I think most people think of summer as a break, as a time to put dreams and ambitions on hold in order to relax and push aside thoughts of work and school. I'm kind of doing the opposite, focusing mainly on work and moving forward to a brighter future. It can be VERY tiring and difficult at times, yes, but I know it will make me a stronger person.
Now, to my announcement. I've decided how much I love to write, and how much I want to keep it as a greatly important part of my life. Also, I know how much the few o you who actually read my blog regularly enjoy it. Therefore, I've decided to try as hard as I can to write a post every single day, at least for the rest of the summer. I cannot promise it will be long and in depth. It might just be a picture or some song lyrics or a few sentences, but you'll get SOMETHING. It also may not always be food or work related, but it will definitely be ME related! I can't promise that I'll have something every day, but I'll try my absolute hardest. I wanna document this summer as best as I can, and this blog helps me do that. If you have any suggestions on stuff I should be posting, let me know in a comment!
Hope you enjoyed this "summer so far sum up!" Keep reading each day for more!
Je t'aime!
Elizabeth (Or, as I'm called at work, ElizabethRose, Blanquita [white girl], or Americana [American girl])
Monday, May 10, 2010
Here are a few more pictures I thought you'd enjoy!
Out for my friend Siobhan's birthday!
See my face next to the chef's head?! This was a picture in a local newspaper from an event I went to at the school. Pretty cool, right?
One of my dishes in Traditional Euro. It was pretty difficult to make the food look pretty, but we tried! This is a braised lamb chop stuffed with bacon, served with sauteed cabbage with pancetta and potatoes cooked with onions and bacon. SO MUCH BACON = so delicious.
This is a picture that was taken of be while cooking for my culinary community competition! I was chopping up pork for the baked stuffed clams.
Out for my friend Jess's birthday!
Plating in Traditional Euro.
Out for my friend Siobhan's birthday!
See my face next to the chef's head?! This was a picture in a local newspaper from an event I went to at the school. Pretty cool, right?
One of my dishes in Traditional Euro. It was pretty difficult to make the food look pretty, but we tried! This is a braised lamb chop stuffed with bacon, served with sauteed cabbage with pancetta and potatoes cooked with onions and bacon. SO MUCH BACON = so delicious.
This is a picture that was taken of be while cooking for my culinary community competition! I was chopping up pork for the baked stuffed clams.
Out for my friend Jess's birthday!
Plating in Traditional Euro.You'll always make me feel best even when I'm blue, you'll always smile upon me and I'll smile upon you too.
So today, after a long leave of absense, I'm finally back again.
My chef in dining room class told me that I was one of the nicest people he had ever met. Pretty good compliment, huh? I thank Mom for giving me that nice gene!
Being down south, I've had to miss out on two very special occasions in the past two days:
First of all, Sunday was Mother's Day. I believe it was the first Mother's Day I've been away from home, and although Mother's Day is not necessarily a HUGE holiday like Christmas or Easter, I definitely wished I was home. I love and respect my mother so much. She is the perfect role model, an angel, and one of my best friends. She has helped me through so many difficult times this year, and I feel closer to her than ever. I wish I could've been home to celebrate her yesterday. Also, I am extremely lucky to have more than one mother figure in my life. I have two amazing grandmothers, and Peggy and Bonnie, who have been there for me throughout my entire life as mother figures as well. They have been there through everything, my ups and downs, my successes and failures, and more. I could not be more lucky for having all of these women in my life, giving me gallons of motherly love.
Today was my sister's college graduation (or at least one of them). My whole family is in New York City to be there to congratulate her, and I feel terrible that I'm not there. My sister is also a huge role model of mine, and has helped me so much this year as well, giving me amazing advice. We get along better than ever, and I am so thankful to have her in my life. I am so proud of her, she has worked so hard and knows who she is and what she is passionate about. I envy her intelligence and poise. We are so different in our goals and aspirations, but I will take her hardworking and passionate attitude with me through life. She is sure to do amazing things.
Going back to mothers and family for a bit, yes, I was not able to go home for Mother's Day, but I WAS able to visit my amazing grandparents last weekend in Naples with two of my friends. We had been under an extreme amount of stress. I had class every day and had just worked a 38 hour week. We were sick of being in Miami, and VERY homesick. Naples was the absolute PERFECT medicine. Gram & Pa were SO hospitable, taking us for lunch at the pool, letting us relax and do our own thing, then Gram cooked us an amazing steak dinner. We were in desperate need of homecooked food! That Sunday was one of the absolute best days I've had in Florida literally all year. I was happier that day than I had been in a long time, and I think Gram & Pa so much for giving me exactly what I needed.
Now I KNOW many of you (cough, Aunt Diane, cough) want to know about my culinary life, and there is much to tell since I haven't been blogging in quite some time! I finished my dining room class with an A! I brought back my Friendly's skills and am now a pretty amazing fancy shmancy server. I know what fork goes where, different napkin folds, and when to remove the bread and butter plates! I also got to partake in a fantastic wine tasting!:
My chef in dining room class told me that I was one of the nicest people he had ever met. Pretty good compliment, huh? I thank Mom for giving me that nice gene!
My next class, which I just finished, was Traditional European Cuisine. It was nothing but stewing and braising all day, everyday. I made dishes like shepard's pie, braised lamb, braised chicken, etc. One of the dishes in the class was chicken paprikash (or chicken in the pot)! The techniques were not necessarily that exciting, but I learned a LOT. Also, my chef, who I didn't think liked me that much, took me aside at the end of class and told me how much he respected me and was recommending a supposedly very intense culinary business bachelor's program that he apparently "doesn't recommend to most because of how intense and rigorous it is." That was really exiciting to hear. I was glad to finish that class, I got a little tired of hacking up meat and throwing it in a pot to braise, but we got to do some cool things like set a pig's head on fire!
Cool, right?! One of the most exciting things that has happened to me recently, is that I won the Culinary Community Competition! The living and learning community I live in has a competition at the end of the year every year. We get into groups and have two hours to make a 3 course meal based on a mystery basket. We must use every item in the mystery basket and 3 proteins. I was not looking forward to this competition at ALL because I had been so busy and just wanted to relax. Yet, I sucked it up and went. The three proteins were pork, chicken, and clams. The mystery basket had walnuts, canned peaches, yuca, dried figs, sorrano peppers, sweet potatoes, green apples, and more. After much deliberation, my group decided on making a grilled chicken with a veggie rice and mango peach and apple salsa and crispy sweet potato garnish for our main dish. Our dessert was a tropical ice cream sundae, with homemade coconut fig ice cream, pineapple sauce, and a starfish cookie. My work went primarily into the appetizer. I made a baked stuffed clam with pork and a tangy slaw. We wound up winning, and the judges loved my clam! I brought my New England roots down here with me and proudly put them into my food. We received a certificate signed by the dean and two fantastic new knives. I am absolutely obsessed with my new chef's knife, and am pretty proud of myself. The competition really showed me that I have a shot at making it in this crazy industry. Here's a picture of our chicken! (I forgot to snap a picture of the clam, sadly.)
Anyways, now I'm in Stocks, Soups, and Sauces, which is pretty much self explanatory. I started it today, and just cut vegetables all day. My knife cuts should be pretty awesome when I get home for summer, so if you want to see a batonnet or a julienne, let me know! I cannot wait to et home and see everyone, I'm tired of Florida and need some Massachusetts in my life! I'm gonna try to keep this blog going through my deadly drive home and even through summer, since I'll hopefully be working in a restaurant (fingers crossed, eek!). I can't believe this year is almost over, and thanks again for everyone's support through it all. You know who you are.
Looking towards the future, I'm not sure how long I'll stay at JWU. I know I'm going to finish my associate's program there, because I love my culinary classes and want the degree. Yet, I feel like I'm not being challenged at all in my academic classes, and want a stronger college academic experience. In order to be truly successful both professionally and personally, I think a change is needed. I'm not exactly sure what that change will be, but it will probably involve leaving Florida for a different, more challenging business school up north (Cornell, possibly?). I might just try to apply there again, we shall see! I know I will find more satisfaction eventually, I just don't think it is completely there yet. Who really knows what will happen in the future though, right?! In some of my favorite words of William Shakespeare, in his play Hamlet, "If it be now, 'tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all."
Oh, I'm ready.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A moment, a love, a dream aloud.
I believe for a lot of you this is a much awaited post!
I was able to go home for Easter weekend two weeks ago and it was absolutely AWESOME. First of all, it was an unexpected trip. I didn't think that I would be able to go home until school ended in May, but my parents told me I could come back for Easter, so I was unbelievably excited. I was able to see my dad act again, which I have not been able to do in such a long time. I missed seeing him on stage, and missed even more being on stage myself. I LOVE food and everything about the food industry, but I have a great passion for acting and I want it to be a part of my life, even if it is just a hobby. Seeing him in Oliver! (yes, there's an exclamation point in the title), which is a show I've been in twice, gave me goosebumps. It's not the most amazing show, but the experiences I've had being in it were so fun and great and seeing the kids sing on stage made me miss doing it myself. Dad was also absolutely fantastic, and stole the show as usual. We'd hear people in the audience commenting on his performance and how great he was. Also, he played Fagin, which is a character that spends most of his time on stage with the kids in the show, and all the kids absolutely adored him. They made me jealous that I was not home more to experience how great of a father he is. They looked up to him so much.
I got to see my friends a few times, which was great! I got to go to my favorite breakfast place with my best friends (minus Natalie, who I miss oh so much!) and into Cambridge for the day with one of them, my friend Ariana. It was so fun. Easter itself was great! We went back to the delicious brunch place in Beacon Hill that we went to last year and met up with my aunt, uncle, my cousins, and my grandma. I loved seeing them all! Shoutout to my Aunt Diane by the way, she pressured me to write this post! Sorry I took so long! The food was amazing. I had french toast with a yummy orange marmalade and smoked bacon, AND lobster eggs benedict. Yes, that sounds excessive, but I couldn't decide!
Now, back at school, I've been super duper busy as always! I finished New World cuisine with a B+, which I'm actually proud of. The class was pretty difficult and dealt with a lot of techniques I had not used much before. My shining moment in that class was during our practical where my chef told me I grilled the best steak in the class! I don't have much experience grilling, let alone grilling steak, so I was pretty proud of myself. Now I'm in Essentials of Dining Room, where I wear a funny looking server uniform, learn about front of the house, and serve food to the dining room. It brings me back to my waitressing days at Friendly's, yet upper class. It's not that difficult, and kind of boring, but I'm learning all about swanky dining room information like the difference between a potage spoon and a bouillon spoon, how to fold napkins, and how to carry a large tray filled with dinnerware. We had to parade around the school carrying heavy trays to make us more "confident," as practice for service. It just made my arms hurt.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post. April is gonna be a pretty crazy month. My friend is coming to visit next week so I'm really excited about that! Also, two of my friends birthdays are coming up, plus I'm working a lot as always. I got a positive write-up at work last week, saying that I always have a positive attitude and work quickly and efficiently. It was kind of cool, seeing that according to the managers, they hardly ever give those out.
More soon hopefully!
I was able to go home for Easter weekend two weeks ago and it was absolutely AWESOME. First of all, it was an unexpected trip. I didn't think that I would be able to go home until school ended in May, but my parents told me I could come back for Easter, so I was unbelievably excited. I was able to see my dad act again, which I have not been able to do in such a long time. I missed seeing him on stage, and missed even more being on stage myself. I LOVE food and everything about the food industry, but I have a great passion for acting and I want it to be a part of my life, even if it is just a hobby. Seeing him in Oliver! (yes, there's an exclamation point in the title), which is a show I've been in twice, gave me goosebumps. It's not the most amazing show, but the experiences I've had being in it were so fun and great and seeing the kids sing on stage made me miss doing it myself. Dad was also absolutely fantastic, and stole the show as usual. We'd hear people in the audience commenting on his performance and how great he was. Also, he played Fagin, which is a character that spends most of his time on stage with the kids in the show, and all the kids absolutely adored him. They made me jealous that I was not home more to experience how great of a father he is. They looked up to him so much.
I got to see my friends a few times, which was great! I got to go to my favorite breakfast place with my best friends (minus Natalie, who I miss oh so much!) and into Cambridge for the day with one of them, my friend Ariana. It was so fun. Easter itself was great! We went back to the delicious brunch place in Beacon Hill that we went to last year and met up with my aunt, uncle, my cousins, and my grandma. I loved seeing them all! Shoutout to my Aunt Diane by the way, she pressured me to write this post! Sorry I took so long! The food was amazing. I had french toast with a yummy orange marmalade and smoked bacon, AND lobster eggs benedict. Yes, that sounds excessive, but I couldn't decide!
Now, back at school, I've been super duper busy as always! I finished New World cuisine with a B+, which I'm actually proud of. The class was pretty difficult and dealt with a lot of techniques I had not used much before. My shining moment in that class was during our practical where my chef told me I grilled the best steak in the class! I don't have much experience grilling, let alone grilling steak, so I was pretty proud of myself. Now I'm in Essentials of Dining Room, where I wear a funny looking server uniform, learn about front of the house, and serve food to the dining room. It brings me back to my waitressing days at Friendly's, yet upper class. It's not that difficult, and kind of boring, but I'm learning all about swanky dining room information like the difference between a potage spoon and a bouillon spoon, how to fold napkins, and how to carry a large tray filled with dinnerware. We had to parade around the school carrying heavy trays to make us more "confident," as practice for service. It just made my arms hurt.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this post. April is gonna be a pretty crazy month. My friend is coming to visit next week so I'm really excited about that! Also, two of my friends birthdays are coming up, plus I'm working a lot as always. I got a positive write-up at work last week, saying that I always have a positive attitude and work quickly and efficiently. It was kind of cool, seeing that according to the managers, they hardly ever give those out.
More soon hopefully!
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