Bags and Vegetable Soup

Great news, my bags arrived!!!! I had a morning intro session where we got our binders full of recipes, went over the rules (again! we get it, be on time) and went through other housekeeping items. I ran home in between that and demo to see if my bags had come (I got the call last night); when I didn't see them in the atrium I went upstairs feeling very deflated. Once I arrived in the apartment VOILA les bagages! I took them right upstairs, ransacked them (hugged blanky) and ran off to second session...our first demo.

I got there a bit early to avoid the traffic in the locker room which proved to be inevitable. It is literally like oragami in there. Picture 100 ish women trying to get dressed, wrangle knife kits, binders, jackets, scarves, purses, uniforms etc in a teeny tiny little room. I banged my head on the top locker once, got in my uniform and went to sit in winter garden. After finding my seat in class (there is not ONE left handers desk...) Chef Strill came in to begin our demonstration. He showed us how to tie our neckties and then went in to vegetable soup. He was very jovial and friendly, but I have to say that I really didn't like our translator today- she kept messing up and would skip over a bunch of stuff. I'm lucky that I can understand the actual French, there were many people scratching their heads.

He began by doing his prep work. Putting a towel under his board, then explaining to us that we use 1 board for our practical. We must keep our areas clean at all times. He also told us how we're to NEVER (jamais) place vegetables on our board that have not been cleaned, or as he said "no earth on the board". We're to use a big steel tub to put all dirty veggies and peels, and we have a big bowl of water to wash them in. Now we get to work.

1. trim leeks, remove outer layer and take a paring knife to cut a + sign into the top, soak in water
2. peel potato, take out the eyes, soak in H2o
3. trim and soak carrots
4. trim, peel and soak radish
5. trim and soak celery (making sure to remove all the fibers)
6. trim and soak cabbage leaves
7. top and tail haricots verts, waste NOTHING
8. remove peas from pods

Now we clean and chop the veggies into a paysanne cut (very small, thin triangles). Once the vegetables are chopped, we use a plastic scraper that we MUST keep in our pants pocket AT ALL TIMES to put into a clean bowl.

Then the actual cooking begins! It seems like a relatively simple recipe but at free moments, Chef showed us the different cuts we'll need to master. He showed us the Mirepoix, Julienne, Brunoise, and then taught us how to chop an onion with the heart in it, without the heart and also a shallot. Then he'd go back to the soup, then he showed us the bouquet garnis- where you tie herbs with string with a leek paper wrapped around it. Back to the soup, chopping garlic, season the soup, taste the soup, talk about herbs, show us our knives, etc.

When he was done, he let us take pictures and taste the soup. It was great, but to me could have used a little more salt! It's probably my untrained palate.

All said and done it was 3 hours of feverishly writing everything you saw and everything he said. I'm exhausted, and have 6 pages of notes. In practical, you're only allowed to bring 1 piece of paper in to the kitchen, so I need to re-write all my notes. People in class ask the DUMBEST questions and when they ask, it screws up the Chef's train of thought and we're all left going "what was that?" I'm all for asking questions, but some people really asked dumb ones.

I just got home and am going to re-write my recipe for tomorrow's practical and remove all the sleeves for my knives, label them and get everything ready.

I definitely made a friend today! Anthony is great, he is from Salt Lake City and is really nice. I'm excited to get to know him better. I also finally chatted with Melissa (who found this very blog and wrote me!) she found an apt in the 12th and lived in Sonoma and Petaluma working on a farm that supplied Chez Pannisse! Very cool.

I am LOVING Paris, and really feeling like I'm getting the hang of things. It's so beautiful and very clean, and it snowed today. It was so incredible looking out of the apartment and seeing snow falling on the Eiffel Tower...does life get any better? There are no windows at school, so I have to get my looks in when I'm traveling to and from. Tonight- I'm going to get steak frites with Zu who introduced me to the friends in her section. I felt really cool knowing someone in intermediate :) People at school are from every place you can imagine, I'm so lucky to be here and meeting these people that will surely go on and change the world!

I'm going to re-do my notes and UNPACK!

A Bientot!

ps. I have my blanky wrapped around my neck right now...I missed it SO much!

My internet here is spotty, so I'll upload the pictures from class today later



Chef Stril's soup:

Recent Findings/Orientation Day

Well I just got back from my Orientation day at school. It was so exciting and I think I made 3 friends!!! I slept about 4 minutes last night (combination of jet lag and first day jitters). I set 3 alarms and was up and in the shower by 7:30. I had some special K and tea and was out the door by 8:30. Because my stupid luggage hasn't arrived yet (don't go there) I had to buy another lock before I went to school. I arrived around 9:10 and was given my ID badge and shown into the demonstration room.

Here is a picture of the outside of school:


The room itself was very ordinary but had croissants, jus d'orange, tea and cafe for us. We then met the head of the school who was a woman that looked mean but was very nice. Our translator had the most obscure accent, it was a mixture between British and Australian- hey, at least we have one. We introduced ourselves, and I wrote down the different countries where people were from:

Israel
Japan
Thailand
Brazil
Columbia
Taiwan
China
Italy
Canada
USA
Greece
United Arab Emirates
UK
France

WHOA! Talk about a melting pot of people. Most people spoke a little English and I forsee language being an issue for several. There are others who speak 5 languages and I found myself feeling jealous. I definitely can understand much of the French which is going to be helpful, but speaking is another issue. We got our uniforms, knives, scale, tupperware next and had to try it on in the locker room. My pants COULD NOT be any longer- I'm going to have to have them hemmed. The locker room is absolutely tiny, so I became very close to those that I met...

Then we had a tour of the school. It's very very very small and for being such a renowned place, the equipment seemed antiquated. I had to remind myself that it's not about the equipment, but the technique I will be learning. Pictures on the wall of all the famous alumni are so much fun to look at! (Lots of Julia Child) The prep kitchens are scary and I saw the biggest vat of bubbling veal stock just boiling away when we got a tour of that. We also met some of the chefs who were having lunch in the sous sol (basement). After the tour they took us back to the Winter Garden (not a garden at all, but a frigid cafeteria looking room) where we had some bread, brie, fruits and wine and went home!

While carrying all my stuff home and sweating profusely I managed to get my monthly metro card. The woman helping me spoke no English so I tested out my French. It worked and I have the card...PHEW! one more thing to cross off the list.

Here are a few things I've learned in my 2 days here (in no particular order):

1. The metro couldn't be easier. Everything is so self explanatory and easy- I've been in almost all of the neighborhoods!

2. Crying gets you absolutely nowhere in this country. I've spoken to Air France close to 50 times and each time there are at least a few tears...and my bags still aren't here. Maybe I will yell this time...

3. Paris is so gorgeous it's not even funny.

4. I will never, in my life live in a nicer house than I'm living in right now. I certainly don't deserve a place so incredible, but it's so nice to feel like I have a home.

5. The same annoying music plays in the Gap here too. (I bought a sweater, jeans, underwear and an undershirt)

6. It is no longer legal to smoke inside...making the few clothes that I have smell much better.

7. I miss my blanky

8. Most of the time when I attempt to speak French, people respond in English. Come on people, at least I'm trying!

9. One way to break in kitchen shoes is to wear them everywhere you go (my only pair) my feet hurt and my legs are sore

10. The toothpaste here tastes funny, I can't wait to get my Colgate

I'm going to take pictures of my equipment and go get my pants hemmed and head to the US Embassy to check in with them just in case. I will put pictures up of my first day of school outfit!

A Bientot!

Bienvenue sur Le Cordon Bleu Paris!!

I got the email...it's official! I'm going to Paris!!!!!!!! I'm SO excited and VERY freaked out. I had such a great time in Buffalo for Thanksgiving and everyone I talked to was so excited and supportive. Sarah Mitchell who did the basic program in London got me SUPER excited about the program itself, she thinks I'm going to love it...FEW!

Now begins the stress: Telling my landlord, trying to sublet, finding an apt. in Paris, breaking in my kitchen shoes, buying enough wife beaters to wear under my chef's coat...and the list goes on!

I'm so happy that people have been giving me names of people that live in Paris- I'm contacting everyone I possibly can to have friends there. A friend from Buffalo Zuzu is there and will be starting the intermediate course when I start basic. She's been SO helpful so far and we're emailing about different housing agencies that she found helpful. She's also telling me which neighborhoods I want to live in, what to wear under my jacket, telling me that LCB has an infinite supply of hair nets, and that the knife kit is as cool as I think it will be.

I sent in all my information and tuition (YIKES) yesterday and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my uniform(s) and knife kit. Here is a picture of Mom measuring my head for my Chef's hat (22.5 inches!)...don't worry I will put the whole getup on when I receive it.



I spent the morning emailing housing agencies...I'm interested to see what kind of furnished studios they can come up with. I'll keep you all posted!

A Bientot