I'm a bad blogger. Granted I haven't had two seconds to sit down and pull myself together let alone do laundry, pay bills, and attend to the things that make a person feel like they have some sort of a grip on life. But it looks like the day has finally arrived where I can take a breath...and gear up for the next wave of madness. Seeing that it's already almost April (how did that happen?!), I may as well bring you up to speed via 30 Things. This edition is somewhat momentous because as I write, I only have 4 classes between me and graduation and accomplishing something I still can't believe I am actually doing. With that, here is the March Madness edition of 30 Things I've been up to.
Editor's Note: Since I am such a bad blogger and started this entry in March and it is now April, I am posting this with 20 things because I fear I may never get to 30!!!
1. I haven't spent any amount of quality time with my dear husband in exactly 3 weeks. That changes tonight with date night. As well as Thursday, Friday (no school!), Saturday & Sunday date nights! I miss him.
2. I made a quick trip out to Salt Lake City a few weeks ago for the funeral of my dear cousin's 21 year old, who was killed in a car accident. I was totally blown away by her family and their ability to celebrate his life with such love and joy in the wake of such a senseless tragedy. It was touching.
3. Funerals are never fun, but I did get to see some of my favorite cousins, aunts & uncles, and my parents. It was brief, but there is something comforting about being with family that reminds you how important they are.
4. I also got to see a few old college friends, including my partner in crime during my Idaho days. She's this amazingly talented and creative woman who runs a successful business and I am in no way surprised, but when you become friends with someone freshman year of college because they hatch a plan to rent a U-Haul because you don't have a car and you only need to be 18 to rent a moving truck instead of 25 and then drive around town picking up cute boys and storing them in the back...it's nice to know our decision making skills developed over the years.
5. Also, she introduced me to the Kouing-aman at Les Madeleines Patisserie, a ridiculously buttery, salty-sweet, flaky, crunchy, chewy pastry that originated in Brittany, France. I am determined to find a New York equivalent. Kudos, Salt Lake City.
6. A la Grecque, Farmer Chef and I volunteered at superstar chef competition called Cochon 555 a few weekends ago. It features 5 heritage breeds of pork, 5 top chefs and 5 family owned wineries. We spent about 9 hours doing everything to folding tee-shirts to pouring wines to passing out cheese samples. It was a great pork-filled networking event.
11. I've completed my rotation on the Possoinier Station (fish) for Level 6 and it was my favorite so far. Our fish dishes include Pan-Seared Bass with Artichoke and Buckwheat Crepes and a Pan-Seared Cod with Chorizo, Clams, Kale & Saffron Potatoes. I like both dishes, but the bass has a definite edge. The artichokes are in really lovely curry sauce that doesn't overwhelm the flavor of what is probably one of my favorite veggies.
12. We had Chef Marc for 2 nights on this rotation because Chef Jason had some other obligations. Don't get me wrong, I like learning from other chefs because you learn variations in technique and process. What I don't like is inconsistency and being told that the other chef's way is incorrect. Grrr.
13. Poissonier was great because it involved a lot of care in handling the fish, especially the cod, which is super delicate, and timing was tricky with all the elements that go on the plate. I definitely enjoy the more challenging stations. There's a sense of accomplishment when you have to fire 6 bass on one burner at the same time. And usually several burns and cuts.
14. After Poissonier was Saucier (the meat station), which sort of dragged by, partly because Chef Jason was only with us one night because he had to attend to some family business and we had two different chefs fill in. Again, nice to learn from someone different, frustrating at times as well. One thing I do like to see is the chefs different styles of teaching and communicating. Chef Marc is pretty arrogant, obviously good at what he does, but not necessarily endearing himself to anyone. Chef Justin finds a teaching opportunity in every communication so you really understand the why, not just the how. Chef Herve is very direct, quietly encouraging, and nearly impossible to understand with his thick French accent.
15. Our saucier dishes were a Braised Beef Short Rib with a Sweet Potato Puree and Celery Root Foam and a Sauteed Duck Breast & Braised Duck Leg in a Spiced Broth. Short Rib = yum, Duck = meh.
16. Monday we start on our final station of the entire program - four nights on Garde Manger, which is the appetizer station. I am so excited because we get to work with Chef Janet, who was with us in Levels 3 & 4 again! She is this tiny platinum blonde dynamo that can slaughter and break down a whole pig singlehandedly, while wearing red lipstick nonetheless. Love her.
17. In other news, A La Grecque and I entered a competition called the Brooklyn Brunch Experiment, in which we competed with 19 other cheftestants to prepare 300 brunch themed bites for a crowd of people as well as a panel of judges. The judges included: Andrew Knowlton from Bon Appetit magazine and Iron Chef judging fame, Sean Rembold, Executive Chef of Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn, and Emille Castillo, Executive Chef of Norma's at Le Parker Meridien.
18. Our team name was Wanna Spoon? and we prepared (after much trial and error), a Savory Cornbread Cupcake with a Bacon Buttercream Frosting. Because it was brunch themed, we also included a Bloody Mary Shooter with Candied Bacon. We were really happy with the results.
19. It turns out that the judges were also happy because we won first prize, which was a Cuisinart Stand Mixer and Le Crueset grill pan. These items will be sold on Craigslist for cash that we'd like to put toward a Wanna Spoon? foodie adventure in San Francisco.
20. You can read more about our adventures together on our website Wanna Spoon? or on Linda's blog, The Cheeky Chef. Pictures from the competition are at Wanna Spoon as well!
Showing posts with label 30 Things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 30 Things. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A Belated 30: The Spring Forward Edition
Oh dear! Here we are approaching the Ides of March and I totally neglected to do the latest edition of 30 Things. I don't know where my head is at. Better late than never? Here goes. Following are the things that I have learned, experienced, discovered I like, made plans to do, and in some cases slept through or avoided in our most recent 30 days as New Yorkers.
1. The winter blahs should be listed in the DSM-IV. Not to be confused with the winter blues, known clinically as Seasonal Affect Disorder or SAD. The winter blahs are a mood disorder that presents in the form of grumpiness, irritation, and sudden fits of snippyness.
2. Sunshine is an instant cure for the winter blahs. It helped soften the hard edge I've had lately about this city.
3. I love New York when the weather is great. I would even broaden that statement to include good, decent, not half bad, it's not even that cold, it could be worse, and at least it's not bitter/windy/raining/snowing.
4. When the weather warms up, the city has a life to it that is missing in the winter months. Happy people sit outside and sip their coffee and watch the other happy people strolling along. Even though we only had a short spell of warm, sunny days, it was a glorious preview to the coming months and a nice reminder that the dark times are almost over.
5. Mike and I have been trying to get out more on the weeknights instead of holing up in our apartment and watching TV, which has become our usual routine this winter. Let me tell you, we were not doing ourselves any favors. Who knew that being a lazy shut-in wouldn't make me feel like my best self? (As I write this, I am being buzzed by the delivery guy with my Chinese takeout since I didn't feel like leaving my apartment...hey, I never said I was perfect.) Here's where I've been lately:
6. Bourgeois Pig for fantastic fondue and French wine. Dark, cozy, candlelit and very Parisian.
7. Perilla for killer duck meatballs, the perfect Manhattan, and great service. The space is clean, but not stark or simple, and invitingly warm.
8. Death & Co. for a mixology lesson with A La Grecque. Rockstar bartenders Alex Day and Thomas Waugh gave a great class on cocktails that was made of equal parts history, technique, and tasting. Stirred, not shaken. I'll definitely be back.
9. Gottino for an intriguing selection of Italian wines and bowls of walnuts you can crack yourself at the bar.
10. Casellula for peppadew peppers stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in speck, a fantastic cheese selection, and a well-edited wine list.
11. I just wrapped up my latest rotation in the L'Ecole kitchen: Canape (Can-Uh-Pay). We prepare the amuse bouche (uh-moos-boosh), the welcoming bite given to each patron compliments of the chef. I have a love hate relationship with the canape station. On one hand, it's not stressful, there is plenty of time to chat with my teammates, load up a plate from family meal, and watch the rest of the kitchen buzz with orders. On the other hand, it's boring and there is too much time to eat. (Loosens belt a notch).
12. Our first canape was a tuna crudo: raw tuna loin chopped in a small dice, tossed with lemon juice & zest, olive oil, finely chopped arugula, parsley, chive, capers and grated parmesan. Delish.
12. Canape number 2 was supposed to have been pate a choux filled with a foie gras mousse (pate a choux is the dough that makes the shells of cream puffs and eclairs), but the order for foie gras somehow got lost, so we ended up making agnolotti (a tiny half moon ravioli). We made the pasta dough, filled it with ricotta that had been seasoned with lemon and basil, served it over a classic Sauce Tomate (a cooked tomato puree with smoky bacon) and a roasted cippolini onion puree and then topped it with a dot of bright green olive oil, shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil chiffonade (chiffonade is when you take the leaves of any green or herb stack them, roll them up like a cigar and then finely slice them into strips). All of our canapes are served in a white porcelain spoon meant to be taken in one bite.
13. Our third night on canape, I ended up filling in on Saucier (Saucy-Yay)since that team was short a couple people and they get a lot busier than Canape. But my team did delicious things to oysters. Coated in cornmeal, then deep fried and served with something pickled and some kind of tartar like dressing...I can't remember, but it was a yummy little bite.
14. Our final night on Canape was our triumph. It's not like it's difficult to make pork belly taste delicious, but this was just sooooo good. If you've never had pork belly, you should stop wasting any more precious moments not knowing this delicious pig part. As the name implies, it comes from the belly of an oinker and it's what bacon is typically made from. We coated ours in all sorts of spices and slow roasted it in a tangy barbecue sauce glaze. We cut the belly into bite size cubes (picture the layers of meat and fat like you would see in bacon), served it over a bed of brunoise (broon-wah, which means a very fine dice) purple cabbage, carrot, asian pear, red onion, and red bell pepper, with a sweet cole-slaw like dressing, topped the belly bite with a dot of barbecue sauce and a tiny pommes gaufrette (a waffle cut potato chip) and a single sprig of arugula microgreens. All the little elements were time consuming but the end result was hog magic.
15. I start on Poissonier (Pwah-Sun-Yay) tomorrow night and Chef Jason will be out so we have a substitute chef filling in: Chef Marc Pavlovic who was just featured on the Food Network's Chopped. Spoiler: He wins. If I've learned one thing, every chef has a different style and technique and I have something to learn from each of them, so it should be fun to get his perspective.
16. Knowing I only have 12 more classes between me and the end of my time at FCI is enough to make me misty, but I'm getting more and more excited about my post school plans. I am going to miss seeing my classmates three nights a week (most of them, anyway) and learning from our fabulous chef instructors, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. I'd like to find whoever coined that expression and throttle them. I mean, really must all good things come to an end? The more I think about it, the less I want to get out of bed in the morning. If good things don't last, what's the point?! (Angry and confused, deep breath).
17. I do have some exciting things in store for me that take the sting out of finishing this chapter of my life. A la Grecque and I are competing in The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment, in which we will prepare 300 brunch themed bites for guests who will vote and a panel of judges that includes the restaurant editor for Bon Appetit magazine. It should be a lot of fun and who knows, maybe we come home with a prize?
18. We are calling our team Wanna Spoon?, look for a new culinary adventure blog from us to be unveiled very soon.
19. I'm interning with a really fun wine website called Wine Flirt, which takes a fun, fresh approach to understanding and enjoying wine. I'll be working with wine retailers and wine bars to set up Wine Flirt tastings and events.
20. I'm starting to test my hand at the private chef/catering thing with a few wedding gigs this summer for good friends. Very excited about the possibility of doing more things like this!
21. I'll be volunteering next weekend at Cochon 555, a competition featuring 5 rockstar chefs, 5 heritage breeds of pork and 5 local, family owned wineries. It's a pricey event so volunteering is a great way to experience it without the wallet hit, and network at the same time. A la Grecque, Farmer Chef and one of my favorite instructors from school, Chef Janet, will also be there.
22. I'm looking at the next year in New York as a time to further my education, hone my skills, and narrow the focus of my career path. I've got a list of things I want to do and at the top of that list is wine.
23. I'm strongly considering furthering my wine education through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust at the International Wine Center here in New York. Now if I could just figure out how to turn water into money to turn that into a wine diploma...
24. I want to work in a wine shop. It may sound like a silly, unimportant job, but it's a great place to learn and potentially a place to work my way into wine education and events.
25. I want to learn a lot more about cheese.
26. I want to learn how to make bread and really good pizza...this may have to wait a while, at least until I figure out the formula for turning water into cash.
27. I want a bigger apartment, a bigger bank account, a book deal, and free clothes for life from Anthropolgie. Oh wait, that's from my wildest dreams list, not my plans for the next year list.
28. On a more serious note, a tragic accident this week reminded me how important it is to make the most of the time we have here because you just never know when it's up. For me, that means not being afraid to pursue my dreams even if I am scared sometimes. It means taking care of the people that are important to me. It means taking care of myself. It means leaving a positive mark on the world when I do go.
29. The weeks events also been a reminder that life is fragile, we're not invincible, and a split second decision can have very real, lasting implications that aren't easy to make sense of. The only way I know how to make senseless loss have meaning is to honor the lost by appreciating the life I have.
30. In times like these, the only things that matter are family and friends. There is so much to be said for having people in your life that you know you can lean on. I am so lucky to have friends like this and their support, love and kindness is appreciated and inspires me to be that person to more people. So in that spirit, carpe diem friends!
1. The winter blahs should be listed in the DSM-IV. Not to be confused with the winter blues, known clinically as Seasonal Affect Disorder or SAD. The winter blahs are a mood disorder that presents in the form of grumpiness, irritation, and sudden fits of snippyness.
2. Sunshine is an instant cure for the winter blahs. It helped soften the hard edge I've had lately about this city.
3. I love New York when the weather is great. I would even broaden that statement to include good, decent, not half bad, it's not even that cold, it could be worse, and at least it's not bitter/windy/raining/snowing.
4. When the weather warms up, the city has a life to it that is missing in the winter months. Happy people sit outside and sip their coffee and watch the other happy people strolling along. Even though we only had a short spell of warm, sunny days, it was a glorious preview to the coming months and a nice reminder that the dark times are almost over.
5. Mike and I have been trying to get out more on the weeknights instead of holing up in our apartment and watching TV, which has become our usual routine this winter. Let me tell you, we were not doing ourselves any favors. Who knew that being a lazy shut-in wouldn't make me feel like my best self? (As I write this, I am being buzzed by the delivery guy with my Chinese takeout since I didn't feel like leaving my apartment...hey, I never said I was perfect.) Here's where I've been lately:
6. Bourgeois Pig for fantastic fondue and French wine. Dark, cozy, candlelit and very Parisian.
7. Perilla for killer duck meatballs, the perfect Manhattan, and great service. The space is clean, but not stark or simple, and invitingly warm.
8. Death & Co. for a mixology lesson with A La Grecque. Rockstar bartenders Alex Day and Thomas Waugh gave a great class on cocktails that was made of equal parts history, technique, and tasting. Stirred, not shaken. I'll definitely be back.
9. Gottino for an intriguing selection of Italian wines and bowls of walnuts you can crack yourself at the bar.
10. Casellula for peppadew peppers stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in speck, a fantastic cheese selection, and a well-edited wine list.
11. I just wrapped up my latest rotation in the L'Ecole kitchen: Canape (Can-Uh-Pay). We prepare the amuse bouche (uh-moos-boosh), the welcoming bite given to each patron compliments of the chef. I have a love hate relationship with the canape station. On one hand, it's not stressful, there is plenty of time to chat with my teammates, load up a plate from family meal, and watch the rest of the kitchen buzz with orders. On the other hand, it's boring and there is too much time to eat. (Loosens belt a notch).
12. Our first canape was a tuna crudo: raw tuna loin chopped in a small dice, tossed with lemon juice & zest, olive oil, finely chopped arugula, parsley, chive, capers and grated parmesan. Delish.
12. Canape number 2 was supposed to have been pate a choux filled with a foie gras mousse (pate a choux is the dough that makes the shells of cream puffs and eclairs), but the order for foie gras somehow got lost, so we ended up making agnolotti (a tiny half moon ravioli). We made the pasta dough, filled it with ricotta that had been seasoned with lemon and basil, served it over a classic Sauce Tomate (a cooked tomato puree with smoky bacon) and a roasted cippolini onion puree and then topped it with a dot of bright green olive oil, shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil chiffonade (chiffonade is when you take the leaves of any green or herb stack them, roll them up like a cigar and then finely slice them into strips). All of our canapes are served in a white porcelain spoon meant to be taken in one bite.
13. Our third night on canape, I ended up filling in on Saucier (Saucy-Yay)since that team was short a couple people and they get a lot busier than Canape. But my team did delicious things to oysters. Coated in cornmeal, then deep fried and served with something pickled and some kind of tartar like dressing...I can't remember, but it was a yummy little bite.
14. Our final night on Canape was our triumph. It's not like it's difficult to make pork belly taste delicious, but this was just sooooo good. If you've never had pork belly, you should stop wasting any more precious moments not knowing this delicious pig part. As the name implies, it comes from the belly of an oinker and it's what bacon is typically made from. We coated ours in all sorts of spices and slow roasted it in a tangy barbecue sauce glaze. We cut the belly into bite size cubes (picture the layers of meat and fat like you would see in bacon), served it over a bed of brunoise (broon-wah, which means a very fine dice) purple cabbage, carrot, asian pear, red onion, and red bell pepper, with a sweet cole-slaw like dressing, topped the belly bite with a dot of barbecue sauce and a tiny pommes gaufrette (a waffle cut potato chip) and a single sprig of arugula microgreens. All the little elements were time consuming but the end result was hog magic.
15. I start on Poissonier (Pwah-Sun-Yay) tomorrow night and Chef Jason will be out so we have a substitute chef filling in: Chef Marc Pavlovic who was just featured on the Food Network's Chopped. Spoiler: He wins. If I've learned one thing, every chef has a different style and technique and I have something to learn from each of them, so it should be fun to get his perspective.
16. Knowing I only have 12 more classes between me and the end of my time at FCI is enough to make me misty, but I'm getting more and more excited about my post school plans. I am going to miss seeing my classmates three nights a week (most of them, anyway) and learning from our fabulous chef instructors, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. I'd like to find whoever coined that expression and throttle them. I mean, really must all good things come to an end? The more I think about it, the less I want to get out of bed in the morning. If good things don't last, what's the point?! (Angry and confused, deep breath).
17. I do have some exciting things in store for me that take the sting out of finishing this chapter of my life. A la Grecque and I are competing in The Brooklyn Brunch Experiment, in which we will prepare 300 brunch themed bites for guests who will vote and a panel of judges that includes the restaurant editor for Bon Appetit magazine. It should be a lot of fun and who knows, maybe we come home with a prize?
18. We are calling our team Wanna Spoon?, look for a new culinary adventure blog from us to be unveiled very soon.
19. I'm interning with a really fun wine website called Wine Flirt, which takes a fun, fresh approach to understanding and enjoying wine. I'll be working with wine retailers and wine bars to set up Wine Flirt tastings and events.
20. I'm starting to test my hand at the private chef/catering thing with a few wedding gigs this summer for good friends. Very excited about the possibility of doing more things like this!
21. I'll be volunteering next weekend at Cochon 555, a competition featuring 5 rockstar chefs, 5 heritage breeds of pork and 5 local, family owned wineries. It's a pricey event so volunteering is a great way to experience it without the wallet hit, and network at the same time. A la Grecque, Farmer Chef and one of my favorite instructors from school, Chef Janet, will also be there.
22. I'm looking at the next year in New York as a time to further my education, hone my skills, and narrow the focus of my career path. I've got a list of things I want to do and at the top of that list is wine.
23. I'm strongly considering furthering my wine education through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust at the International Wine Center here in New York. Now if I could just figure out how to turn water into money to turn that into a wine diploma...
24. I want to work in a wine shop. It may sound like a silly, unimportant job, but it's a great place to learn and potentially a place to work my way into wine education and events.
25. I want to learn a lot more about cheese.
26. I want to learn how to make bread and really good pizza...this may have to wait a while, at least until I figure out the formula for turning water into cash.
27. I want a bigger apartment, a bigger bank account, a book deal, and free clothes for life from Anthropolgie. Oh wait, that's from my wildest dreams list, not my plans for the next year list.
28. On a more serious note, a tragic accident this week reminded me how important it is to make the most of the time we have here because you just never know when it's up. For me, that means not being afraid to pursue my dreams even if I am scared sometimes. It means taking care of the people that are important to me. It means taking care of myself. It means leaving a positive mark on the world when I do go.
29. The weeks events also been a reminder that life is fragile, we're not invincible, and a split second decision can have very real, lasting implications that aren't easy to make sense of. The only way I know how to make senseless loss have meaning is to honor the lost by appreciating the life I have.
30. In times like these, the only things that matter are family and friends. There is so much to be said for having people in your life that you know you can lean on. I am so lucky to have friends like this and their support, love and kindness is appreciated and inspires me to be that person to more people. So in that spirit, carpe diem friends!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A Fake Blizzard and a Lazy 30
With the blizzard in DC last week and subsequent snow days they were blessed with, my irritation with winter reached new heights. I felt cheated. Here I am, suffering through frigid temperatures and bitter winds yet we never get enough snow to merit a snow day. Apparently someone heard my grumbling because Wednesday was our first SNOW DAY! By noon, we only had a few inches on the ground, but classes were canceled and Mike's office had closed, so I could care less about the accumulations. It was to be a day of Netflix, board games, and catching up on things like my sometimes neglected blog. Another 30 days has come and gone and although we're well into February (my least favorite month of the year), I have too much to share to forgo the latest edition of 30 things I have seen, experienced, learned, tried, and wished to never do again. Except in honor of the winter blahs, I am going to do a half ass job and only share 15. And that should tell you exactly how I am handling winter...with apathy.
1. I finished my pastry rotation in the restaurant kitchen and I say good riddance to you measuring and precision.
2. We had three chefs in pastry: 2 nights with Chef Anna, 1 with Chef Mimi, and 1 with Chef Mark. It is unbelievable how much teaching style and method of delivering feedback can impact your success in the kitchen. My confidence and feelings of competence swung wildly from night to night. The chef's styles ranged from direct instruction with questions for students designed to make us think about and understand the process, to less than constructive criticism accompanied by head shaking and eye rolling, to a more laissez-faire style with helpful tips on technique. (In no particular order). Let's just say that being told something looks disgusting accompanied by an eye roll does not exactly inspire me. What it does is make me question each and every decision I make all the while trying to block my mixing bowl from scrutinizing eyes lest I be called out for being a moron again. Like I said, good riddance.
3. On the flip side, most of our chefs have been encouraging and supportive and seem to truly enjoy the teaching process. Our lead chef, Chef Jason, clearly understands the impact of his instruction, praise, and constructive feedback. He gives simple, direct instruction and demonstration, gives praise as you work, and looks at mistakes as a learning opportunity rather than a disaster. Love him.
4. Having experienced a small dose of a less than kind chef, I do wonder how this all bodes for me if I choose to work in a restaurant kitchen. I have got to develop thicker skin and carefully vet potential employers.
5. Putting the personality of one dreadful chef behind, I did learn some useful things in pastry. We prepared two desserts from the menu each night: a chocolate walnut cake with eggnog mousse and caramel sauce and then a creme brulee baked apple with an orange and ginger florentine (a thin little cookie). We also came up with a dessert special each night and made plates of petit fours and cookies to send to VIP guests.
6. My favorite thing about pastry was the plating. We used sauces, berries, candied nuts, spun sugar, and cocoa powder stencils to decorate the plates and elevate the dish from simple to sublime. These are tricks I will be practicing at home until I get that squeeze bottle of sauce to make perfect swirls and lines.
7. Tonight would have been my last night on the Poissonier (fish) station had it not been for Blizzard 2010 that at this point appears to be a total bust. It's definitely my favorite station thus far because it's busier than most and requires more in terms of timing and communication.
8. We make a brioche crusted scallop dish with butternut squash hollandaise, which is easily the most popular dish on the menu and probably my favorite. We also do an Italian seafood stew that has more components that I can keep track of: octopus, mussels, clams, branzino, fennel, calamari, shrimp, croutons, basil, olive oil, and a rich tomatoey broth. It's tricky to get it plated quickly and in synch with the other plates.
9. Mike and I decided to call Blizzard 2010 "Diet Blizzard" because it didn't seem blizzardy at all. I know I am from California but recall that I did live in Buffalo for three winters, the first of which gave me 8 feet of snow over a two day period. They didn't call it a snow day until well into day 2. We couldn't see the house across the street and the snow was so high you couldn't tell where cars were parked save for the antennas poking out. Diet Blizzard produced about 8 inches of snow over 12 hours. I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth (remind me to revisit that later), so I'll take the snow day, but a blizzard? Who is to blame for this misrepresentation of weather? And what exactly defines a blizzard. We were not impressed.
10. I tried to research the origin of the expression "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" and all I got was a bunch of gobbledygook about Henry the VI and horses having long protrusive teeth. No clear origin...
11. Gobbledygook on the other hand is attributed to US Representative Maury Maverick in 1944 in reference to his frustration with the convoluted language of bureaucrats.
12. And now back from that tangental interruption, winter sucks.
13. It is doubly sucky living in a glorified walk in closet in which you cannot control the heat. The closet warms up to sweat inducing levels which forces us to open windows and let in the sounds of jackhammers and the shrill old lady living below us. These sounds are typically accompanied by aromas of stale tempura and cigarette smoke.
14. Spending so much time in the apartment/closet has also alerted me to the shocking volume of dust in this city. I feel like I am living with a sneaky society of dust bunnies that leave trails all over everything as soon as I leave the room with my pledge multi-surface spray.
15. Luckily I will be escaping the blahs, the dust bunnies, the pretend blizzards, the jackhammers, and grouchy pastry chefs. I'm headed west for sunshine, friends, and hopefully a revitalized spirit. Even though I won't be sharing Valentine's Day with my Valentine, sometimes he knows when it's better to ship me off and hope I come back a happier, more pleasant Valentine. XOXOXOXO
1. I finished my pastry rotation in the restaurant kitchen and I say good riddance to you measuring and precision.
2. We had three chefs in pastry: 2 nights with Chef Anna, 1 with Chef Mimi, and 1 with Chef Mark. It is unbelievable how much teaching style and method of delivering feedback can impact your success in the kitchen. My confidence and feelings of competence swung wildly from night to night. The chef's styles ranged from direct instruction with questions for students designed to make us think about and understand the process, to less than constructive criticism accompanied by head shaking and eye rolling, to a more laissez-faire style with helpful tips on technique. (In no particular order). Let's just say that being told something looks disgusting accompanied by an eye roll does not exactly inspire me. What it does is make me question each and every decision I make all the while trying to block my mixing bowl from scrutinizing eyes lest I be called out for being a moron again. Like I said, good riddance.
3. On the flip side, most of our chefs have been encouraging and supportive and seem to truly enjoy the teaching process. Our lead chef, Chef Jason, clearly understands the impact of his instruction, praise, and constructive feedback. He gives simple, direct instruction and demonstration, gives praise as you work, and looks at mistakes as a learning opportunity rather than a disaster. Love him.
4. Having experienced a small dose of a less than kind chef, I do wonder how this all bodes for me if I choose to work in a restaurant kitchen. I have got to develop thicker skin and carefully vet potential employers.
5. Putting the personality of one dreadful chef behind, I did learn some useful things in pastry. We prepared two desserts from the menu each night: a chocolate walnut cake with eggnog mousse and caramel sauce and then a creme brulee baked apple with an orange and ginger florentine (a thin little cookie). We also came up with a dessert special each night and made plates of petit fours and cookies to send to VIP guests.
6. My favorite thing about pastry was the plating. We used sauces, berries, candied nuts, spun sugar, and cocoa powder stencils to decorate the plates and elevate the dish from simple to sublime. These are tricks I will be practicing at home until I get that squeeze bottle of sauce to make perfect swirls and lines.
7. Tonight would have been my last night on the Poissonier (fish) station had it not been for Blizzard 2010 that at this point appears to be a total bust. It's definitely my favorite station thus far because it's busier than most and requires more in terms of timing and communication.
8. We make a brioche crusted scallop dish with butternut squash hollandaise, which is easily the most popular dish on the menu and probably my favorite. We also do an Italian seafood stew that has more components that I can keep track of: octopus, mussels, clams, branzino, fennel, calamari, shrimp, croutons, basil, olive oil, and a rich tomatoey broth. It's tricky to get it plated quickly and in synch with the other plates.
9. Mike and I decided to call Blizzard 2010 "Diet Blizzard" because it didn't seem blizzardy at all. I know I am from California but recall that I did live in Buffalo for three winters, the first of which gave me 8 feet of snow over a two day period. They didn't call it a snow day until well into day 2. We couldn't see the house across the street and the snow was so high you couldn't tell where cars were parked save for the antennas poking out. Diet Blizzard produced about 8 inches of snow over 12 hours. I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth (remind me to revisit that later), so I'll take the snow day, but a blizzard? Who is to blame for this misrepresentation of weather? And what exactly defines a blizzard. We were not impressed.
10. I tried to research the origin of the expression "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" and all I got was a bunch of gobbledygook about Henry the VI and horses having long protrusive teeth. No clear origin...
11. Gobbledygook on the other hand is attributed to US Representative Maury Maverick in 1944 in reference to his frustration with the convoluted language of bureaucrats.
12. And now back from that tangental interruption, winter sucks.
13. It is doubly sucky living in a glorified walk in closet in which you cannot control the heat. The closet warms up to sweat inducing levels which forces us to open windows and let in the sounds of jackhammers and the shrill old lady living below us. These sounds are typically accompanied by aromas of stale tempura and cigarette smoke.
14. Spending so much time in the apartment/closet has also alerted me to the shocking volume of dust in this city. I feel like I am living with a sneaky society of dust bunnies that leave trails all over everything as soon as I leave the room with my pledge multi-surface spray.
15. Luckily I will be escaping the blahs, the dust bunnies, the pretend blizzards, the jackhammers, and grouchy pastry chefs. I'm headed west for sunshine, friends, and hopefully a revitalized spirit. Even though I won't be sharing Valentine's Day with my Valentine, sometimes he knows when it's better to ship me off and hope I come back a happier, more pleasant Valentine. XOXOXOXO
Monday, January 4, 2010
Twenty Ten: A New Year & A New 30
Remember me? I know it's been a while but what can I say? I got caught up in the holiday hubbub and now that the confetti has finally settled, I've got a lot to share. So I am going to kick off 2010 with a special 30 things I've learned, done or seen in the last 30 days of 2009 as well as a few things I am hoping to do see, learn, or in some cases, never again repeat in 2010.
1. The holidays in New York City were inspiring. Walking to work or school with the Rat Pack singing me Christmas tunes via iPod allowed me to look at the crowds, grinches, and scrooges through rose colored glasses. My Christmas cheer level was at an all time high this year.
Salvation Army Rock Stars
2. I did 99% of my shopping online and I think that was about 80% of the reason my Christmas cheer cup was overflowing. No fighting crowds, no standing in long lines, no buying gifts that aren't exactly perfect but you just need to get the hell out of the store. Just me, a cup of eggnog, and my laptop. (Contented sighing).
3. We had our first snowstorm in New York on Saturday the 19th. We got close to a foot of snow and it coated the city in powder and temporarily hid the grime and garbage. It was lovely. Here's a pic of Mike and I walking home from a holiday party in the Village.
Note: This photo was taken just a short while after I slipped and landed so hard on my bum that I couldn't sleep on that cheek for 3 nights.
4. Speaking of holiday parties...my class threw one at a Korean restaurant in the East Village on blizzard night and I am confident we as a group will never be allowed back. I haven't seen such madness since my last San Diego State frat party. It was like letting a group of caged animals loose. I feel a mixture of shame and amusement just thinking about. Mom, you'll be pleased to know that I did not do any of the following: break a chair, break glasses, lose my dinner, or get carried out unconscious. I did acquire a bruise the size of my face on the previously mentioned cheek, but I maintain that had more to do with the snow than the Soju we were served.
5. We spent Christmas in Buffalo with Mike's extended family, although I feel like I am equally a part of the family after our three years living there. They are a great bunch of people best described as very loving wise asses.
6. Mike's aunt made her traditional Christmas Eve feast for us which consists of a mountain of jumbo shrimp cocktail, beef tenderloin, lobster tail, twice baked potatoes and peppermint cheesecake. This in addition to the 4,000 plates of cookies and sweets she put out for us and following the couples massage she booked for us upon arrival. Needless to say, we were spoiled!
7. We spent Christmas night at our good friends, Trisha and Mike's home on Lake Ontario watching the Chargers - Titans game. We showed up in full Charger gear (complete with my new lightning bolt earrings that Santa put in my stocking) and they were very good sports. Mike #2 yelled at the TV right along with us and Trisha cued up the San Diego Super Chargers song and drinks every time the Bolts scored, which was often.
8. We had a chance while in Buffalo to reunite with my all my old co-workers and their significant others (well in one case, two of them have become significant others) for wings at the Anchor Bar and drinks at our favorite bar on Allen St. It's kind of smelly but it's our favorite because it has a photo booth and we probably spent $20 trying to cram ourselves in there. Good times.
9. We made a Sunday trip up to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada for wine tasting and lunch at one of our favorite wineries, Vineland. It's been several years since we have been up there and I was even more impressed with the quality of the wines. Especially when you consider the bone chilling cold and wind, it's amazing what they are able to produce.
Note to Elaine: You will notice the lovely scarf I am sporting in this picture. Thank you so much for the gift and encouraging words, they are very much appreciated.
10. We were welcomed back from Buffalo with bone-chilling, face-numbing winds. The wind just seems to scream down the streets and smack your cheeks leaving them red and stinging. Yaaaay...
11. It was 76 in San Diego yesterday. Yaaaay...
12. Winter just began. Yaaaay...(crying quietly)
13. We spent New Years Eve on Long Island with some good friends continuing our tradition of a multi-course tasting menu paired with wines and beers. It was awesome as usual, although it did make me miss our San Diego friends who have shared the tradition with us previously.
14. The Chargers are going to make my head explode. They are playing so well that it's hard not to look at where they may go, especially considering that they fell to 2-3 after a Week 5 loss to Denver that looked nearly impossible to bounce back from. I was ready to break up with them and was grateful for the bye week and some time apart to evaluate our relationship. Now here they are, teetering on the brink of greatness and getting ready to deliver the biggest gift a fan could ever hope for or to lay a playoff egg and punch me in the gut again. So exciting, yet excruciating. Inhale. Hold. Exhale.
15. I've mentioned before that school is flying by, but today begins the final phase of my education. I will spend Levels 5 & 6 cooking at L'Ecole, the school's highly regarded restaurant. I'm excited and ready to get some experience cooking for real people. We rotate our way through 5 stations over 6 weeks Garde Manger (appetizers, salads, soups), Poissonier (fish), Saucier (meats), Patissiere (Pastry), and Entremetier (Daily Special and Vegetarian Entree). I start on Entremetier tonight and am grouped with 4 others on this same station. I'm sure I will have more to report on my newest endeavor. Stay tuned.
16. While Level 3 was intense and focused on whipping us into shape in regards to timing, organization and cleanliness, Level 4 felt like something of a vacation. There were several nights when are prep work and cooking was complete and we took on extra projects making cookies or curing meats for fun. There were also nights where we spent a good portion of the time goofing off and trying not to get caught. In short, going from Level 3 to Level 5 would have made more sense. We were focused and disciplined and now it feels like I have to ready my head, sharpen my knives and put the pressure back on.
17. Level 4 made my pants tighter. We had more down time than any other level and therefore more time to eat and plenty of leftover food to take home. I'm almost looking forward to the lack of time to eat in the restaurant kitchen so I can zip up my jeans without laying down.
18. I've been trying to walk instead of taking the subway whenever I can to combat the Level 4 side effects. This wind chill though makes it pretty unappealing. I hate that the forecast includes words like "bitter", "bone chilling", and "17 but feels like 3".
19. I know I said in this post that I would try to only write positive things about winter in order to not allow myself get in funk, but it's haaaaard. Wah.
The best way to look at Winter
20. Okay, I just realized that since I have to get through at least another 3 months of this weather, I better find a silver lining quick. Hmmm...it's nice to not be soaked in sweat when I'm walking around. Now it just happens as soon as you walk indoors in 13 layers.
21. That wasn't very successful. Okay here is actually a silver lining. Mike got me one of those faux fur lined wool hats with the ear flaps and chin strap for Christmas. It's like wearing Uggs on your head. Toasty warm, but not very attractive. I love it.
22. Looking ahead to 2010, I do have a few hopes, wishes, and plans for the new year and decade for that matter. First is that two sweet little babies continue to grow and become healthier. Let's hope that when they turn 1 in April that we will be there to give them hugs and kisses and celebrate their being cancer free.
23. With two-thirds of my education under my belt, let's hope that the my career path and next step come into clearer focus. My plan is to work in a restaurant kitchen here in New York for at least a year before we decide what and/or where is next. Not knowing what the future holds is both exhilarating and anxiety inducing, but I know that whatever it is, I have the best possible companion for the journey.
24. Speaking of companions, Mike's zest for beer is gaining steam, if that is possible. He brewed his 3rd batch in November and it is finally ready to drink. He calls it 3rd Street Stout, named for our location. He brewed an Oatmeal Stout and then divided it into 3 batches. He left one as is, added Gorilla coffee (a Brooklyn coffee roaster) to the second, and to the third he added coffee that he had steeped in bourbon. They are all very good, my favorite being the regular Oatmeal Stout, although if I am in the mood for an eye opener, the bourbon coffee stout definitely has a caffeinated kick.
25. I'm looking forward to the next batch, which I get to pick the style and I am leaning towards some sort of Belgian Ale. You never know, someday you may just find us with a brewpub of our own.
Inside the Brewery, aka our kitchen
26. Another wish for the New Year is for square footage. We'll see once I am finished with school and have a job if we can afford a larger apartment, but something tells me making $11 an hour as a line cook is going to inflate our income only enough to find open spaces on a weekend getaway to Connecticut. Sigh.
27. As far as plans for 2010, we'll be doing some traveling in celebration of milestones. There will be births: a new niece and beginnings and additions to our friends families. There will be birthdays: two little fighters with something big to celebrate. There will be weddings: summer in San Diego, yes please!
And there will be house warmings: a Paris apartment, don't mind if I do.
28. The other travel plans I'm banking on is to win one of the 14 contests I entered to win tickets to the Super Bowl, which of course the Chargers will play in and win. Oprah told me if I visualize it and make a collage about it and stare at it, it will happen. She was right about all those books, so she better be right about this.
29. Another very important plan for 2010 is to get my hair cut and colored. My BFF Donna used to do my hair in San Diego and she was out here in August and that was my last cut and color. I don't think I will find anyone who compares to her and I have been putting it off. It turns out that I have a startling number of grey hairs that went previously unnoticed under the constant coloring. I can't put this off any longer...
30. In all seriousness though, I am looking forward to another years worth of memories, lessons, challenges, and triumphs. Happy New Year!
1. The holidays in New York City were inspiring. Walking to work or school with the Rat Pack singing me Christmas tunes via iPod allowed me to look at the crowds, grinches, and scrooges through rose colored glasses. My Christmas cheer level was at an all time high this year.
Salvation Army Rock Stars
2. I did 99% of my shopping online and I think that was about 80% of the reason my Christmas cheer cup was overflowing. No fighting crowds, no standing in long lines, no buying gifts that aren't exactly perfect but you just need to get the hell out of the store. Just me, a cup of eggnog, and my laptop. (Contented sighing).
3. We had our first snowstorm in New York on Saturday the 19th. We got close to a foot of snow and it coated the city in powder and temporarily hid the grime and garbage. It was lovely. Here's a pic of Mike and I walking home from a holiday party in the Village.
Note: This photo was taken just a short while after I slipped and landed so hard on my bum that I couldn't sleep on that cheek for 3 nights.
4. Speaking of holiday parties...my class threw one at a Korean restaurant in the East Village on blizzard night and I am confident we as a group will never be allowed back. I haven't seen such madness since my last San Diego State frat party. It was like letting a group of caged animals loose. I feel a mixture of shame and amusement just thinking about. Mom, you'll be pleased to know that I did not do any of the following: break a chair, break glasses, lose my dinner, or get carried out unconscious. I did acquire a bruise the size of my face on the previously mentioned cheek, but I maintain that had more to do with the snow than the Soju we were served.
5. We spent Christmas in Buffalo with Mike's extended family, although I feel like I am equally a part of the family after our three years living there. They are a great bunch of people best described as very loving wise asses.
6. Mike's aunt made her traditional Christmas Eve feast for us which consists of a mountain of jumbo shrimp cocktail, beef tenderloin, lobster tail, twice baked potatoes and peppermint cheesecake. This in addition to the 4,000 plates of cookies and sweets she put out for us and following the couples massage she booked for us upon arrival. Needless to say, we were spoiled!
7. We spent Christmas night at our good friends, Trisha and Mike's home on Lake Ontario watching the Chargers - Titans game. We showed up in full Charger gear (complete with my new lightning bolt earrings that Santa put in my stocking) and they were very good sports. Mike #2 yelled at the TV right along with us and Trisha cued up the San Diego Super Chargers song and drinks every time the Bolts scored, which was often.
8. We had a chance while in Buffalo to reunite with my all my old co-workers and their significant others (well in one case, two of them have become significant others) for wings at the Anchor Bar and drinks at our favorite bar on Allen St. It's kind of smelly but it's our favorite because it has a photo booth and we probably spent $20 trying to cram ourselves in there. Good times.
9. We made a Sunday trip up to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada for wine tasting and lunch at one of our favorite wineries, Vineland. It's been several years since we have been up there and I was even more impressed with the quality of the wines. Especially when you consider the bone chilling cold and wind, it's amazing what they are able to produce.
Note to Elaine: You will notice the lovely scarf I am sporting in this picture. Thank you so much for the gift and encouraging words, they are very much appreciated.
10. We were welcomed back from Buffalo with bone-chilling, face-numbing winds. The wind just seems to scream down the streets and smack your cheeks leaving them red and stinging. Yaaaay...
11. It was 76 in San Diego yesterday. Yaaaay...
12. Winter just began. Yaaaay...(crying quietly)
13. We spent New Years Eve on Long Island with some good friends continuing our tradition of a multi-course tasting menu paired with wines and beers. It was awesome as usual, although it did make me miss our San Diego friends who have shared the tradition with us previously.
14. The Chargers are going to make my head explode. They are playing so well that it's hard not to look at where they may go, especially considering that they fell to 2-3 after a Week 5 loss to Denver that looked nearly impossible to bounce back from. I was ready to break up with them and was grateful for the bye week and some time apart to evaluate our relationship. Now here they are, teetering on the brink of greatness and getting ready to deliver the biggest gift a fan could ever hope for or to lay a playoff egg and punch me in the gut again. So exciting, yet excruciating. Inhale. Hold. Exhale.
15. I've mentioned before that school is flying by, but today begins the final phase of my education. I will spend Levels 5 & 6 cooking at L'Ecole, the school's highly regarded restaurant. I'm excited and ready to get some experience cooking for real people. We rotate our way through 5 stations over 6 weeks Garde Manger (appetizers, salads, soups), Poissonier (fish), Saucier (meats), Patissiere (Pastry), and Entremetier (Daily Special and Vegetarian Entree). I start on Entremetier tonight and am grouped with 4 others on this same station. I'm sure I will have more to report on my newest endeavor. Stay tuned.
16. While Level 3 was intense and focused on whipping us into shape in regards to timing, organization and cleanliness, Level 4 felt like something of a vacation. There were several nights when are prep work and cooking was complete and we took on extra projects making cookies or curing meats for fun. There were also nights where we spent a good portion of the time goofing off and trying not to get caught. In short, going from Level 3 to Level 5 would have made more sense. We were focused and disciplined and now it feels like I have to ready my head, sharpen my knives and put the pressure back on.
17. Level 4 made my pants tighter. We had more down time than any other level and therefore more time to eat and plenty of leftover food to take home. I'm almost looking forward to the lack of time to eat in the restaurant kitchen so I can zip up my jeans without laying down.
18. I've been trying to walk instead of taking the subway whenever I can to combat the Level 4 side effects. This wind chill though makes it pretty unappealing. I hate that the forecast includes words like "bitter", "bone chilling", and "17 but feels like 3".
19. I know I said in this post that I would try to only write positive things about winter in order to not allow myself get in funk, but it's haaaaard. Wah.
The best way to look at Winter
20. Okay, I just realized that since I have to get through at least another 3 months of this weather, I better find a silver lining quick. Hmmm...it's nice to not be soaked in sweat when I'm walking around. Now it just happens as soon as you walk indoors in 13 layers.
21. That wasn't very successful. Okay here is actually a silver lining. Mike got me one of those faux fur lined wool hats with the ear flaps and chin strap for Christmas. It's like wearing Uggs on your head. Toasty warm, but not very attractive. I love it.
22. Looking ahead to 2010, I do have a few hopes, wishes, and plans for the new year and decade for that matter. First is that two sweet little babies continue to grow and become healthier. Let's hope that when they turn 1 in April that we will be there to give them hugs and kisses and celebrate their being cancer free.
23. With two-thirds of my education under my belt, let's hope that the my career path and next step come into clearer focus. My plan is to work in a restaurant kitchen here in New York for at least a year before we decide what and/or where is next. Not knowing what the future holds is both exhilarating and anxiety inducing, but I know that whatever it is, I have the best possible companion for the journey.
24. Speaking of companions, Mike's zest for beer is gaining steam, if that is possible. He brewed his 3rd batch in November and it is finally ready to drink. He calls it 3rd Street Stout, named for our location. He brewed an Oatmeal Stout and then divided it into 3 batches. He left one as is, added Gorilla coffee (a Brooklyn coffee roaster) to the second, and to the third he added coffee that he had steeped in bourbon. They are all very good, my favorite being the regular Oatmeal Stout, although if I am in the mood for an eye opener, the bourbon coffee stout definitely has a caffeinated kick.
25. I'm looking forward to the next batch, which I get to pick the style and I am leaning towards some sort of Belgian Ale. You never know, someday you may just find us with a brewpub of our own.
Inside the Brewery, aka our kitchen
26. Another wish for the New Year is for square footage. We'll see once I am finished with school and have a job if we can afford a larger apartment, but something tells me making $11 an hour as a line cook is going to inflate our income only enough to find open spaces on a weekend getaway to Connecticut. Sigh.
27. As far as plans for 2010, we'll be doing some traveling in celebration of milestones. There will be births: a new niece and beginnings and additions to our friends families. There will be birthdays: two little fighters with something big to celebrate. There will be weddings: summer in San Diego, yes please!
And there will be house warmings: a Paris apartment, don't mind if I do.
28. The other travel plans I'm banking on is to win one of the 14 contests I entered to win tickets to the Super Bowl, which of course the Chargers will play in and win. Oprah told me if I visualize it and make a collage about it and stare at it, it will happen. She was right about all those books, so she better be right about this.
29. Another very important plan for 2010 is to get my hair cut and colored. My BFF Donna used to do my hair in San Diego and she was out here in August and that was my last cut and color. I don't think I will find anyone who compares to her and I have been putting it off. It turns out that I have a startling number of grey hairs that went previously unnoticed under the constant coloring. I can't put this off any longer...
30. In all seriousness though, I am looking forward to another years worth of memories, lessons, challenges, and triumphs. Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
30 Days: The Wistful Holiday Edition
This most recent 30 days ticked away without me even realizing another month had gone by. And I may have prematurely declared the honeymoon over. With the holiday season in full swing, there aren't many places I'd rather be filled with cheer in than New York City. Well, there are a few (Mom), but if I can't be home at least I can walk on over to Rockefeller Center and see the Christmas tree I've only ever seen on television. So in honor of our most recent month in New York and in the spirit of one of my favorite times of year, here is the holiday edition of thirty things I've discovered, experienced, observed or would like to share.
1. The crisp fall air is invigorating. We've had our coldest stretch of weather this season (in the 40's) and it's just perfect for walking around this magnificent city. Cold enough to make your cheeks rosy, but not so much that it bites.
2. Walking to work is the perfect way to start my day. I put holiday tunes on my ipod and head past the arch in Washington Square that is now occupied by a giant Christmas tree. It's impossible not to be in a good mood.
3. If you are a park, plaza, department store, building with a large lobby, or a bank in Manhattan, it is illegal to not have a giant Christmas tree.
4. The Salvation Army bell ringers here are not the downtrodden bell ringers I am accustomed to outside of the grocery store or mall in the 'burbs. The quartet (yes, there were 4!) outside of Grand Central had an acoustic guitar, were fully miked, and singing (and ringing) Feliz Navidad. Brilliant.
5. There are so many things that I've seen on TV (like the Rockefeller tree lighting or the Macy's Thanksgiving parade) that I've thought "I have to do that at least once while I live here". There's a part of me that thinks it is a necessary New York experience and that I'd be a fool to pass it up. It turns out that most of these events require a serious time investment to even get in a position to have a sliver of a view and involve an epic battle with a crowd of irritable people all jockeying for position for this one moment in time that is supposed to be a fond memory for lifetime. My decision is that I will keep the 12 hours of my life I would have spent waiting and watch it on TV...again.
6. We toured the window displays at Macy's and Saks last weekend as well as the holiday train display at Grand Central. It made me realize that the thing I love most about this time of year is being able to grab onto a little piece of that sense of wonder and magic that I had as a child.
7. I play holiday music constantly from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Day. I don't get tired of it and it makes me realize what a freaking sap I am.
8. I took great care in decorating our apartment as I wanted it to reflect who we are and our own personal style. I don't like kitsch, country crafts or clutter, yet for some reason at this time of year, I find it perfectly acceptable to hang a Santa Claus doll on our bathroom doorknob that plays Jingle Bells when you wind him up.
9. I think I might be dangerously close to wearing a light up reindeer sweater.
10. Given that we have no chimney to hang our stockings by with care, I've hung them above our TV on a shelving unit framing a second Santa doll whose legs dangle off the ledge of the shelf rather adorably.
11. I might be wearing a headband with mistletoe attached.
12. My favorite Christmas albums are Christmas with the Rat Pack, John Legend's NBC Special, The Carpenters, and some Old Navy jazzy compilation that I picked up probably more than a decade ago since I've known it longer than I've known Mike.
13. I knew our apartment was not big enough for a Christmas tree, but it is just now sinking in how much I will miss having a tree. I love sitting with all the lights off but the ones on the tree with a favorite CD playing and a cup of hot schnocolate. This year, I'm afraid, will be my first without a Christmas tree EVER.
14. I just decided that it would be a complete travesty to not have a tree. I will be buying the 2 footer that I saw at the Union Square Greenmarket and balancing it on an ottoman if I have to, lights, ornaments, and all. Tiny apartment, I am putting my foot down!
15. Oh and if you don't know what hot schnocolate is, it's hot chocolate with a splash of peppermint schnapps. Love it.
16. I also love egg nog. I will be picking some up tomorrow.
17. As we all know, real estate in Manhattan is worth more than gold, so you don't see vast parking lots outside of a big box retail store with an area sectioned off for Christmas trees. So just where do you find a Christmas tree in Manhattan?
18. It turns out that Christmas tree lots are much like those Spirit Halloween stores that seem to pop up everywhere in unused retail space that you never actually noticed was unused until you considered buying a sexy devil costume. The Korean deli sells Christmas trees, CVS sells Christmas trees, some guy set up shop on what looks like an island in the middle of 7th Avenue...basically they get in where they fit in.
19. Having lived far from home in years past and now doing it again, I realize that so much of making Christmas feel like the Christmas you know is recreating the familiar in a new setting. How could I possibly have considered not cramming a tree in here?
20. (Visualizing getting poked in the eye by an errant branch and breaking my nose on a manger scene.)
21. (Shaking it off and recommitting.)
22. This year we are making a triumphant return to Buffalo for Christmas, where we spent three memorable holidays seasons. The first was the most difficult, but Mike's Aunt Maureen and Uncle Ron helped us establish new traditions during our time there and I am soooooo looking forward to the butter poached lobster tail and filet mignon that follow the mountain of shrimp cocktail and directly precede the parade of butter cookies, cakes, candies and Niagara Ice Wine.
23. (Realizing I must make a point to buy gifts for the cats and pretending it's normal).
24. Although we have our new traditions, I will miss the ones I have with my family back in California. The one I will miss the most? My sister and I recounting the sleepless Christmas Eves where we spent hours drawing maps that would guide us to our stockings at the allowed time of 6:00 am. We lived in a ranch house in the shape of a T, so we were either severely directionally challenged or inherited our father's compulsion for always having a gameplan.
25. I'll miss the twinkle in my mom's eye that tells me how happy she is to have the family all together, however briefly.
26. I'll miss my dad's carefully orchestrated feast from pancakes to clam dip to turkey to pie. I probably won't miss the DVD of their photos from a second Alaskan cruise set to music...
27. I'll miss examining every ornament on the tree and each accompanying memory that it invokes.
28. I'll miss watching my beautiful nieces and nephew giddily opening their presents from Santa and watching the faces of my family as we all share in their glee.
29. (Shaking off the melancholy and returning to the present).
30. Clearly, I love the holidays. They remind me of a time filled with magic, excitement, sharing, and love. I love that this time of year has the power to soften the edges of the harsh reality of life with its bills and work weeks and depressing evening news. I love that it makes you nicer to the important people in your life and to the people you don't know at all. I love twinkle lights, the smell of pine and spice, greeting cards from old friends, holiday parties, and Christmas Vacation (both the movie and the time off). I know I'm oozing Christmas sap here and I know not everyone shares my warm fuzzy feeling for this time of year, but I hope that each and everyone of you recaptures some of the magic that December has to offer. If not, I will personally burn you a copy of Christmas with the Rat Pack and send you the makings of hot schnocolate. Cheers!
1. The crisp fall air is invigorating. We've had our coldest stretch of weather this season (in the 40's) and it's just perfect for walking around this magnificent city. Cold enough to make your cheeks rosy, but not so much that it bites.
2. Walking to work is the perfect way to start my day. I put holiday tunes on my ipod and head past the arch in Washington Square that is now occupied by a giant Christmas tree. It's impossible not to be in a good mood.
3. If you are a park, plaza, department store, building with a large lobby, or a bank in Manhattan, it is illegal to not have a giant Christmas tree.
4. The Salvation Army bell ringers here are not the downtrodden bell ringers I am accustomed to outside of the grocery store or mall in the 'burbs. The quartet (yes, there were 4!) outside of Grand Central had an acoustic guitar, were fully miked, and singing (and ringing) Feliz Navidad. Brilliant.
5. There are so many things that I've seen on TV (like the Rockefeller tree lighting or the Macy's Thanksgiving parade) that I've thought "I have to do that at least once while I live here". There's a part of me that thinks it is a necessary New York experience and that I'd be a fool to pass it up. It turns out that most of these events require a serious time investment to even get in a position to have a sliver of a view and involve an epic battle with a crowd of irritable people all jockeying for position for this one moment in time that is supposed to be a fond memory for lifetime. My decision is that I will keep the 12 hours of my life I would have spent waiting and watch it on TV...again.
6. We toured the window displays at Macy's and Saks last weekend as well as the holiday train display at Grand Central. It made me realize that the thing I love most about this time of year is being able to grab onto a little piece of that sense of wonder and magic that I had as a child.
7. I play holiday music constantly from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Day. I don't get tired of it and it makes me realize what a freaking sap I am.
8. I took great care in decorating our apartment as I wanted it to reflect who we are and our own personal style. I don't like kitsch, country crafts or clutter, yet for some reason at this time of year, I find it perfectly acceptable to hang a Santa Claus doll on our bathroom doorknob that plays Jingle Bells when you wind him up.
9. I think I might be dangerously close to wearing a light up reindeer sweater.
10. Given that we have no chimney to hang our stockings by with care, I've hung them above our TV on a shelving unit framing a second Santa doll whose legs dangle off the ledge of the shelf rather adorably.
11. I might be wearing a headband with mistletoe attached.
12. My favorite Christmas albums are Christmas with the Rat Pack, John Legend's NBC Special, The Carpenters, and some Old Navy jazzy compilation that I picked up probably more than a decade ago since I've known it longer than I've known Mike.
13. I knew our apartment was not big enough for a Christmas tree, but it is just now sinking in how much I will miss having a tree. I love sitting with all the lights off but the ones on the tree with a favorite CD playing and a cup of hot schnocolate. This year, I'm afraid, will be my first without a Christmas tree EVER.
14. I just decided that it would be a complete travesty to not have a tree. I will be buying the 2 footer that I saw at the Union Square Greenmarket and balancing it on an ottoman if I have to, lights, ornaments, and all. Tiny apartment, I am putting my foot down!
15. Oh and if you don't know what hot schnocolate is, it's hot chocolate with a splash of peppermint schnapps. Love it.
16. I also love egg nog. I will be picking some up tomorrow.
17. As we all know, real estate in Manhattan is worth more than gold, so you don't see vast parking lots outside of a big box retail store with an area sectioned off for Christmas trees. So just where do you find a Christmas tree in Manhattan?
18. It turns out that Christmas tree lots are much like those Spirit Halloween stores that seem to pop up everywhere in unused retail space that you never actually noticed was unused until you considered buying a sexy devil costume. The Korean deli sells Christmas trees, CVS sells Christmas trees, some guy set up shop on what looks like an island in the middle of 7th Avenue...basically they get in where they fit in.
19. Having lived far from home in years past and now doing it again, I realize that so much of making Christmas feel like the Christmas you know is recreating the familiar in a new setting. How could I possibly have considered not cramming a tree in here?
20. (Visualizing getting poked in the eye by an errant branch and breaking my nose on a manger scene.)
21. (Shaking it off and recommitting.)
22. This year we are making a triumphant return to Buffalo for Christmas, where we spent three memorable holidays seasons. The first was the most difficult, but Mike's Aunt Maureen and Uncle Ron helped us establish new traditions during our time there and I am soooooo looking forward to the butter poached lobster tail and filet mignon that follow the mountain of shrimp cocktail and directly precede the parade of butter cookies, cakes, candies and Niagara Ice Wine.
23. (Realizing I must make a point to buy gifts for the cats and pretending it's normal).
24. Although we have our new traditions, I will miss the ones I have with my family back in California. The one I will miss the most? My sister and I recounting the sleepless Christmas Eves where we spent hours drawing maps that would guide us to our stockings at the allowed time of 6:00 am. We lived in a ranch house in the shape of a T, so we were either severely directionally challenged or inherited our father's compulsion for always having a gameplan.
25. I'll miss the twinkle in my mom's eye that tells me how happy she is to have the family all together, however briefly.
26. I'll miss my dad's carefully orchestrated feast from pancakes to clam dip to turkey to pie. I probably won't miss the DVD of their photos from a second Alaskan cruise set to music...
27. I'll miss examining every ornament on the tree and each accompanying memory that it invokes.
28. I'll miss watching my beautiful nieces and nephew giddily opening their presents from Santa and watching the faces of my family as we all share in their glee.
29. (Shaking off the melancholy and returning to the present).
30. Clearly, I love the holidays. They remind me of a time filled with magic, excitement, sharing, and love. I love that this time of year has the power to soften the edges of the harsh reality of life with its bills and work weeks and depressing evening news. I love that it makes you nicer to the important people in your life and to the people you don't know at all. I love twinkle lights, the smell of pine and spice, greeting cards from old friends, holiday parties, and Christmas Vacation (both the movie and the time off). I know I'm oozing Christmas sap here and I know not everyone shares my warm fuzzy feeling for this time of year, but I hope that each and everyone of you recaptures some of the magic that December has to offer. If not, I will personally burn you a copy of Christmas with the Rat Pack and send you the makings of hot schnocolate. Cheers!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Grabbing Life by the Throat and Other Warped Analogies
I've often found myself thinking, wishing, and saying "I can't wait for the weekend" or "I wish it was Friday" or "If our vacation would just get here already" meanwhile completely ignoring the moment that I am standing in. I've had to train myself to stop and enjoy life instead of planning and scheduling the hell out of it and always looking forward to something better than whatever it is I am currently doing. It's been 6 months since we moved to New York and it's like I now want to make time stand still. If I could dig my heels into the earth and keep the seconds from ticking away so quickly I would. It's not because I am so present and conscious and joyful in each and every moment that I have transcended my former self and now live solely for today. I am nearly halfway done with school and I don't want it to be over. And even that statement is more complicated than it at first seems. I am really enjoying school. I am learning so much from my chefs and I'm getting everything I had hoped to out of this experience. But there are two reasons I want to put the brakes on the clock, the first being warm and fuzzy and the second born out of sheer terror. I'll start with the happy stuff. I am acutely aware of the fact that I am in the midst of an experience that will never again be duplicated in my life. I spend an inordinate amount of time with 22 other people, all at different stages of life, all with different personal histories that brought them to this point where our paths intersect and merge for this handful of months. Some of us have so little in common but school has bonded us in a way I didn't expect and am constantly grateful for. So, for that reason, I am not ready for school to end and for us all to go our separate ways and have different schedules that won't allow us to see each other all that often. I know we still have months to go and that when it's over, we will stay in touch, but right now, I am enjoying this moment and I don't want it to pass. The other, not so pretty reason, that I want to stop time is because I don't know what I am going to do after school. I know I am on the right path, I just have no clue where it is leading. I am interning at a restaurant, shadowing the sommelier/beverage director in addition to another unpaid position with a wine importer. None of these places are giving me that feeling of "YES! This is where I want to be and what I want to be doing every day!. I think both are good networking opportunities, but it feels like I still have a lot of doors to beat on before I open the right one. I sometimes have to remind myself that this is why I am here doing what I am doing, especially after working for free all day and going home tired and empty handed. Well, tonight I left with a beautiful bottle of Brunello, so not empty handed so much as empty pocketed. I am going to cook up something lovely for Mike to go with it to remind us of the anniversary we spent in Tuscany a few years back. (Secretly wishing for a time machine right now).
The source of all this yearning to bend the space-time continuum is that we have reached the six month mark as New Yorkers and it seems unreal. Time is zooming along and yet I feel like surely I have lived here longer than half of a year, right? So normally it would be time for another 30 things I've learned in 30 days, but since I am so mired in self reflection, I am just going to go with the 6 things I've learned in my 6 months here.
1. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I know that I will recognize it when I see it and I feel it lurking somewhere close by but it is still eluding me. Believe this: when I catch a glimpse of it, I am going to grab it by the throat and choke the hell out of it.
2. Uncertainty makes me aggressive. See above.
3. I have the best husband in the world. See any past blog referencing Mike and you will understand why I make this statement. It's not that I didn't know this before, it's just that he continues to demonstrate it at a whole new level here in New York as we work toward my personal career goals. He gives me the worlds longest leash to pursue what I want and do what I want and often times I get myself tangled up around a tree and my own leg and then look at him expectantly for help. And that will be the last time I ever create an analogy that likens me to a dog.
4. I walk nearly every where and at least every 3 blocks I get smacked in the face with one of the following three smells: dog doo, bum pee, or rotting garbage. Despite being suckerpunched by stench, I love walking for so many reasons. 1. My jeans fit better. 2. Walking forces you to pay attention to what is around you and you are usually rewarded with either a thing of beauty or a little bit of crazy. 3. The breaks in between the bad smells are usually crisp fall air that just feels good to take in to your lungs until an MTA bus rolls by coughing out exhaust. Whatever the reason, I like using my own two legs to get somewhere.
5. I will never ever root for the Yankees. Even living here surrounded by Yankee caps, I take joy in seeing fans just after a brutal loss. There is no part of my cold heart that feels anything but glee. I hope that they collapse in the Bronx over the next couple of nights in monumental fashion so every paper in the city demonizes the Yankees big budget, Girardi's micro-managing and the organization as a whole. I would rather have the Yankees lose than this city smell like an English garden after a fresh rain. Just sayin'.
6. New York really is the greatest city in the world. This doesn't mean I will live here forever or that I don't appreciate the other places I've lived and visited. It just means that there are so few places on earth that you can find the kind of energy, beauty, vibrancy and flavor that abound here. And for the time being I am going to cling to it and squeeze (or choke) the best out of it.
The source of all this yearning to bend the space-time continuum is that we have reached the six month mark as New Yorkers and it seems unreal. Time is zooming along and yet I feel like surely I have lived here longer than half of a year, right? So normally it would be time for another 30 things I've learned in 30 days, but since I am so mired in self reflection, I am just going to go with the 6 things I've learned in my 6 months here.
1. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I know that I will recognize it when I see it and I feel it lurking somewhere close by but it is still eluding me. Believe this: when I catch a glimpse of it, I am going to grab it by the throat and choke the hell out of it.
2. Uncertainty makes me aggressive. See above.
3. I have the best husband in the world. See any past blog referencing Mike and you will understand why I make this statement. It's not that I didn't know this before, it's just that he continues to demonstrate it at a whole new level here in New York as we work toward my personal career goals. He gives me the worlds longest leash to pursue what I want and do what I want and often times I get myself tangled up around a tree and my own leg and then look at him expectantly for help. And that will be the last time I ever create an analogy that likens me to a dog.
4. I walk nearly every where and at least every 3 blocks I get smacked in the face with one of the following three smells: dog doo, bum pee, or rotting garbage. Despite being suckerpunched by stench, I love walking for so many reasons. 1. My jeans fit better. 2. Walking forces you to pay attention to what is around you and you are usually rewarded with either a thing of beauty or a little bit of crazy. 3. The breaks in between the bad smells are usually crisp fall air that just feels good to take in to your lungs until an MTA bus rolls by coughing out exhaust. Whatever the reason, I like using my own two legs to get somewhere.
5. I will never ever root for the Yankees. Even living here surrounded by Yankee caps, I take joy in seeing fans just after a brutal loss. There is no part of my cold heart that feels anything but glee. I hope that they collapse in the Bronx over the next couple of nights in monumental fashion so every paper in the city demonizes the Yankees big budget, Girardi's micro-managing and the organization as a whole. I would rather have the Yankees lose than this city smell like an English garden after a fresh rain. Just sayin'.
6. New York really is the greatest city in the world. This doesn't mean I will live here forever or that I don't appreciate the other places I've lived and visited. It just means that there are so few places on earth that you can find the kind of energy, beauty, vibrancy and flavor that abound here. And for the time being I am going to cling to it and squeeze (or choke) the best out of it.
Friday, October 2, 2009
30 Days: Observations, Complaints, and Hope
Wow. Has it already been another month? We have 5 months under our belt (and a couple pounds of butter) and I can't decide if it feels like I just got to New York or if I've lived here forever. I am still amazed by it but totally accustomed to it, if that makes any sense. So in honor of our most recent 30 days, here are the 30 things that I've discovered.
1. No matter the temperature I will be sweaty. I thought it was the humidity in the summer, but it turns out when you walk 12 blocks in chilly weather and then up a few flights of stairs, by the time you get to the school locker room, you will be drenched in sweat.
2. Depending on my destination and required degree of looking good, I will take a cab to avoid being a sweaty mess with hair pasted across my forehead.
3. I just realized that this must be how the girls who wear stilettos all the time get around.
4. In an unrelated realization, when I wash dishes, it's usually cups and utensils, which made me realize I don't cook nearly enough at home anymore.
5. We've been eating too much takeout. It's way too convenient. And I am vowing to change that.
6. There are two things that happen ALL THE TIME here that I just don't get. The first is the failure to understand the basic concept of boarding a subway. Listen guy, we all know you want to get on the train and you want to be first, but when you block the entire car from getting off while you try to push your way in...do I need to finish this thought? What the hell? One of my pet peeves used to be people that got on an elevator before letting others exit. Now I have to watch this on a much larger scale at a much greater degree of inconvenience to everyone involved on a daily basis.
7. The second is the use of car horns. Again, WHAT THE HELL? I understand the warning toot when taxis roll through an intersection given the absolute refusal by pedestrians to acknowledge the DON'T WALK hand (myself included), but what is with the laying on the horn for a solid 30 seconds because the driver is mad that the other 20 cars in front of him aren't moving. Dude. Just stop. Please. It makes me feel like everyone driving is angry. And they probably are, but GEEZ.
8. My allergies are brutal here. Sniff.
9. I may have said this already, but I thought culinary school would make me a more confident cook, but with every class I realize how little I actually know.
10. I don't think I will be truly comfortable cooking French food until I've done it over and over and over.
11. Level 3 is all about repetition and perfecting dishes, so that's a start.
12. I keep taking my visitors to Jean Georges for lunch, because as I mentioned previously, it's an amazing deal and one of the best dining experiences you will ever have and I don't know that I could get tired of it.
13. Hollandaise sauce can be a bitch. It can't be too hot or too cold and you have to add the clarified butter very slowly or it will just turn into a gloppy broken mess. But I think I've got it down. Next up, eggs benedict for dinner this week so I can practice my hollandaise and perfectly poached eggs.
14. Not all chefs follow the kitchen dictatorship/hierarchy model. My new Level 3 instructors, Chefs Phil & Janet are more of the "We are all adults, let's act like it" school. It's refreshing to be treated like a grown up and just as effective. No disrespect to Chef Nic, it's just different. We can laugh openly while cooking without fear of being chastised for discussing anything other than the mise en place.
15. I love Fall. I have never welcomed cooler temperatures ever in my life, but after the general stankiness that was summer, it's nice to have some mildly crisp days.
16. Fall food is some of my favorite food. Without having a grill this summer, it wasn't half as much fun cooking up summer dishes. Now I can get excited about cooking at home, making stews, roasts, and apple cobblers. And the heavier recipes we prepare at school are a lot more palatable when it's 60 degrees as opposed to 95.
17. For the first time in several seasons of football, I had a moment where I questioned if it was really worth it. The Chargers looked like garbage for most of the game Sunday night and I just kept thinking "Are we really going to go through this again? Are they really going to dig a huge hole and make us bite our nails until they limp their way into the playoffs?" It's almost easier having a team that just plain sucks. Your expectations are low so it's tough to be truly disappointed. With the Bolts, you get a brilliant game (or at least a couple of wins), then they take a huge dump during a big game and you wonder if they will be able to make anything happen when it really counts. The ups and downs are brutal. I do wonder if I would be better off without this 5 months of highs and lows. Thank god for the bye week coming up, I need a break before I decide if I can continue with this dysfunctional relationship.
18. It's hard to get a cab in the rain.
19. No empty cabs in the rain means you can wait it out indoors somewhere indefinitely, wait on the street and get soaked trying to hail a cab as they all sail past you full of warm dry people, or walk in the direction of home, hoping you see one lit up and empty, which will unfailingly happen once you are three blocks from your apartment and totally drenched.
20. If I wear my rain boots on the days it's supposed to rain, it won't. If I wear my suede boots on the days it's not, it will downpour.
21. My favorite place to shop here is called the Market NYC on Mulberry & Prince in SoHo. It's basically a young designers market held in a church gym on the weekends, with table after table of unique accessories and clothing. I take everyone who visits me there because you can find great original stuff for reasonable prices. We took Mike's aunt and uncle from Buffalo there this weekend and as we walked through, Mike started mentally calculating the prices of all of the things he recognized that I owned from the market. It didn't help when a few of the vendors greeted me by name or with a hug. Whoops.
22. My best friend Jill, who happens to have fantastic taste and a style I often steal from, will be here on Friday, so you know I will be back there yet again. Sorry babe!
23. Speaking of style, New York is an inspiring place for anyone with even a tiny interest in fashion. I am constantly gawking at women passing me on the street to see how they are wearing something. It's an endless supply of ideas and really, anything goes here.
24. On one final fashion note, leggings are not pants. Cover your butt. And put on a bra. You know who you are.
25. I love watching the very talented a cappella group perform under the arch in Washington Square.
26. It's even better when you notice the passed out drunk laying just in front of them.
27. And still better when you realize that the people gathered to listen to the performers just step over said drunk, to get a better position.
28. I enjoy dog watching at the Washington Square dog park just as much as people watching. Try to do it without making up stories about what the dogs are saying to each other. Impossible.
29. On a serious note, it's really tough to be so far away from friends when you feel like they need you. In an update, to my previous post, Kali's treatment seems to be going well. But in an unimaginable twist of fate, Maya was also diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Both babies have a positive prognosis, but will be undergoing chemo over the next few months. Please keep them in your thoughts and if you know Melanie & Kris and would like to find out how you can help, please message me privately. You can also follow their treatment at this website.
30. While it's impossible to make sense of something so senseless, it has made me realize that I know just a few things for sure. Life can be wonderful and it can be terrible. When it's wonderful you have to enjoy it while it is and when it's not, you have to survive it. The easiest way to enjoy it and to survive it is with people that you love and that love you. I am so grateful to have so many of those people in my life. You know who you are and I love you.
1. No matter the temperature I will be sweaty. I thought it was the humidity in the summer, but it turns out when you walk 12 blocks in chilly weather and then up a few flights of stairs, by the time you get to the school locker room, you will be drenched in sweat.
2. Depending on my destination and required degree of looking good, I will take a cab to avoid being a sweaty mess with hair pasted across my forehead.
3. I just realized that this must be how the girls who wear stilettos all the time get around.
4. In an unrelated realization, when I wash dishes, it's usually cups and utensils, which made me realize I don't cook nearly enough at home anymore.
5. We've been eating too much takeout. It's way too convenient. And I am vowing to change that.
6. There are two things that happen ALL THE TIME here that I just don't get. The first is the failure to understand the basic concept of boarding a subway. Listen guy, we all know you want to get on the train and you want to be first, but when you block the entire car from getting off while you try to push your way in...do I need to finish this thought? What the hell? One of my pet peeves used to be people that got on an elevator before letting others exit. Now I have to watch this on a much larger scale at a much greater degree of inconvenience to everyone involved on a daily basis.
7. The second is the use of car horns. Again, WHAT THE HELL? I understand the warning toot when taxis roll through an intersection given the absolute refusal by pedestrians to acknowledge the DON'T WALK hand (myself included), but what is with the laying on the horn for a solid 30 seconds because the driver is mad that the other 20 cars in front of him aren't moving. Dude. Just stop. Please. It makes me feel like everyone driving is angry. And they probably are, but GEEZ.
8. My allergies are brutal here. Sniff.
9. I may have said this already, but I thought culinary school would make me a more confident cook, but with every class I realize how little I actually know.
10. I don't think I will be truly comfortable cooking French food until I've done it over and over and over.
11. Level 3 is all about repetition and perfecting dishes, so that's a start.
12. I keep taking my visitors to Jean Georges for lunch, because as I mentioned previously, it's an amazing deal and one of the best dining experiences you will ever have and I don't know that I could get tired of it.
13. Hollandaise sauce can be a bitch. It can't be too hot or too cold and you have to add the clarified butter very slowly or it will just turn into a gloppy broken mess. But I think I've got it down. Next up, eggs benedict for dinner this week so I can practice my hollandaise and perfectly poached eggs.
14. Not all chefs follow the kitchen dictatorship/hierarchy model. My new Level 3 instructors, Chefs Phil & Janet are more of the "We are all adults, let's act like it" school. It's refreshing to be treated like a grown up and just as effective. No disrespect to Chef Nic, it's just different. We can laugh openly while cooking without fear of being chastised for discussing anything other than the mise en place.
15. I love Fall. I have never welcomed cooler temperatures ever in my life, but after the general stankiness that was summer, it's nice to have some mildly crisp days.
16. Fall food is some of my favorite food. Without having a grill this summer, it wasn't half as much fun cooking up summer dishes. Now I can get excited about cooking at home, making stews, roasts, and apple cobblers. And the heavier recipes we prepare at school are a lot more palatable when it's 60 degrees as opposed to 95.
17. For the first time in several seasons of football, I had a moment where I questioned if it was really worth it. The Chargers looked like garbage for most of the game Sunday night and I just kept thinking "Are we really going to go through this again? Are they really going to dig a huge hole and make us bite our nails until they limp their way into the playoffs?" It's almost easier having a team that just plain sucks. Your expectations are low so it's tough to be truly disappointed. With the Bolts, you get a brilliant game (or at least a couple of wins), then they take a huge dump during a big game and you wonder if they will be able to make anything happen when it really counts. The ups and downs are brutal. I do wonder if I would be better off without this 5 months of highs and lows. Thank god for the bye week coming up, I need a break before I decide if I can continue with this dysfunctional relationship.
18. It's hard to get a cab in the rain.
19. No empty cabs in the rain means you can wait it out indoors somewhere indefinitely, wait on the street and get soaked trying to hail a cab as they all sail past you full of warm dry people, or walk in the direction of home, hoping you see one lit up and empty, which will unfailingly happen once you are three blocks from your apartment and totally drenched.
20. If I wear my rain boots on the days it's supposed to rain, it won't. If I wear my suede boots on the days it's not, it will downpour.
21. My favorite place to shop here is called the Market NYC on Mulberry & Prince in SoHo. It's basically a young designers market held in a church gym on the weekends, with table after table of unique accessories and clothing. I take everyone who visits me there because you can find great original stuff for reasonable prices. We took Mike's aunt and uncle from Buffalo there this weekend and as we walked through, Mike started mentally calculating the prices of all of the things he recognized that I owned from the market. It didn't help when a few of the vendors greeted me by name or with a hug. Whoops.
22. My best friend Jill, who happens to have fantastic taste and a style I often steal from, will be here on Friday, so you know I will be back there yet again. Sorry babe!
23. Speaking of style, New York is an inspiring place for anyone with even a tiny interest in fashion. I am constantly gawking at women passing me on the street to see how they are wearing something. It's an endless supply of ideas and really, anything goes here.
24. On one final fashion note, leggings are not pants. Cover your butt. And put on a bra. You know who you are.
25. I love watching the very talented a cappella group perform under the arch in Washington Square.
26. It's even better when you notice the passed out drunk laying just in front of them.
27. And still better when you realize that the people gathered to listen to the performers just step over said drunk, to get a better position.
28. I enjoy dog watching at the Washington Square dog park just as much as people watching. Try to do it without making up stories about what the dogs are saying to each other. Impossible.
29. On a serious note, it's really tough to be so far away from friends when you feel like they need you. In an update, to my previous post, Kali's treatment seems to be going well. But in an unimaginable twist of fate, Maya was also diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Both babies have a positive prognosis, but will be undergoing chemo over the next few months. Please keep them in your thoughts and if you know Melanie & Kris and would like to find out how you can help, please message me privately. You can also follow their treatment at this website.
30. While it's impossible to make sense of something so senseless, it has made me realize that I know just a few things for sure. Life can be wonderful and it can be terrible. When it's wonderful you have to enjoy it while it is and when it's not, you have to survive it. The easiest way to enjoy it and to survive it is with people that you love and that love you. I am so grateful to have so many of those people in my life. You know who you are and I love you.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Where Am I and What Day Is It?
Here we are again. The end of another month in New York and it just dawned on me that it's about to be fall. My schedule is so focused on school and house guests that I almost never know the date, just if it's a school day or one to be spent preparing for the arrival of a good friend. Today is both as I have class tonight (on flans and custards) and my BFF Donna arrives at the crack of dawn tomorrow on a redeye from San Diego. Mike and I are equally excited about her arrival as she is like family, having lived in the apartment across from us for nearly 4 years in San Diego. We spent several nights a week preparing and eating dinner together and we can't wait to do more of the same here. I expect a fantastic weekend of eating well with a little karaoke in the mix. Mike's excitement level probably just dropped a notch. With that said, I will now share the gems unearthed and pearls of wisdom picked up in my most recent 30 days in New York.
1. My latest regular guilty food pleasure is a ham, cream cheese and mushroom crepe from the crepe window downstairs from our apartment. It has replaced the pain au chocolat from Amy's Bread, which replaced a daily salt bagel toasted with cream cheese from pretty much anywhere.
2. The steps to our apartment are brutal, but at least it allows me to have guilty food pleasures. (Just now realizing I would probably be a size smaller if I didn't allow myself guilty food pleasures. Nah, not worth it!)
3. Pastry has been fun in class, but the measuring and precision are so not my style. I like to be able to fix things if I mess them up by adding a little seasoning (or a stick of butter). With pastry, if you mess up, it goes in the trash and you start over.
4. We learned how to make puff pastry dough in class on Wednesday (my first attempt ended in the compost bin with a sticky thud), which we froze and will use in class on Monday. I am interested to see how it turns out and if the difference between the commercially prepared stuff is considerable. Roll, turn, roll, turn, rest, roll, turn, roll, turn, rest, roll, turn, roll, turn. No thanks.
5. French pastries have too many egg yolks. Our ladyfingers tasted like eggs, our eclairs tasted like eggs, and quite frankly, I don't like it. To be fair, once you soak them in Marsala or fill them with pastry cream it works, but I say dial it down a notch on the egg yolks already.
6. Lunch at Jean Georges is seriously the best fine dining deal in the city. Well given that I've been to probably .05% of New York's restaurants, I am basing this on what I know so far. I've been twice now with guests and am planning on taking Donna there this week as well. It's a perfect, perfect, perfect dining experience.
7. On a completely different scale of what makes a good deal, Mamoun's falafel is my new favorite bargain. $2.50 gets you a pita stuffed with lettuce, tomato, tahini sauce and the most perfect falafel I have ever tasted. If you've had the crusty, dried out variety and think you don't like falafel, you've got to try these. They are perfectly crispy on the outside, moist and tender inside, and flawlessly seasoned and spiced. YUM.
8. We stumbled on a food cart in Washington Square last weekend that is a revelation and I am thrilled that it is 2 blocks from our apartment. $6 gets you a dosa, a delicate, lacy crepe made of rice and lentils then filled with spicy potatoes and veggies. I will be visiting the Dosa Man now regularly and it just might take my cream cheese laden crepe's spot on the regular guilty food pleasure list although it would be minus the guilt.
9. The Union Square Greenmarket is THE BEST! I am kicking myself for not getting there sooner because it is huge and full of the seasonal deliciousness that gets Mike & I all excited about home cooking. I am definitely taking Donna there this weekend to inspire us for whatever meal we decide to make as "a family".
10. The most consistent thing about the weather here is that it is totally inconsistent. This is an adjustment coming from the land of perpetual sunshine.
11. The brutality of high heat humidity seems to have waned for the time being leaving me to wonder how long the nice weather will last before it either becomes unbearably hot or unseasonably cold. These are new emotions and I would prefer not to have them.
12. I love thunderstorms. They happen so frequently here but I am not tired of them yet. We like to sit on our window ledge together and watch the show. One of my friends here put it beautifully saying that it's one of the few things that make NYC feel small.
13. I have become a night owl. Between not getting out of class til 11pm and needing 2 or 3 hours to wind down and the post class camraderie, my schedule is out of wack. I sleep late then stay up late and can't figure out how to break the cycle or even if I really need to.
14. I just figured out that instead of spending an hour handwriting recipes on index cards for class, I could shrink them at a copy shop and glue them to the cards. Thank you Korean Spiccoli for saving me 84 hours of wasted time over the next several months. I am a moron for not doing this sooner.
15. I miss my nieces and nephews so much. My eldest niece started kindergarten this week and I am so sad that they are growing up 3,000 miles away. Luckily, we will see two of them over Labor Day on our visit to Buffalo. Sigh.
16. Mike found Charger fans here in Manhattan and we are so excited about it! I don't know what this says about me, but one of the things I knew I would miss most in San Diego was Football Sunday, either going to the games or watching them with our fanatic friends. Mike found a spot where 40 or so fans get together to watch the games every weekend, complete with Charger banners and custom beer pong table. YAY!
17. The Patriots still get the prize for most annoying fans with the biggest mouths, which is not something new that I have experienced while living here I just wanted to take a moment to share my deep abiding hatred for New England and the droves of donkeys that it produces. Monique, you are not included, we both know that this is directed at Chris. That is if he ever stopped starring at the poster of Tom Brady over his bed to read my blog.
18. Being busy is taking it's toll. I'm either too fried to come up with 30 things that I've learned this past month or I am getting dumber and less clever. I am going to go with fried and called it a day at 18. Plus, Donna has arrived (flash forward 24 hours) and we have lots of things to see and people to annoy. If you've ever spent time with us, you know why some people might find us annoying or just childishly silly (tap dancing in circles).
Happy Weekend!
1. My latest regular guilty food pleasure is a ham, cream cheese and mushroom crepe from the crepe window downstairs from our apartment. It has replaced the pain au chocolat from Amy's Bread, which replaced a daily salt bagel toasted with cream cheese from pretty much anywhere.
2. The steps to our apartment are brutal, but at least it allows me to have guilty food pleasures. (Just now realizing I would probably be a size smaller if I didn't allow myself guilty food pleasures. Nah, not worth it!)
3. Pastry has been fun in class, but the measuring and precision are so not my style. I like to be able to fix things if I mess them up by adding a little seasoning (or a stick of butter). With pastry, if you mess up, it goes in the trash and you start over.
4. We learned how to make puff pastry dough in class on Wednesday (my first attempt ended in the compost bin with a sticky thud), which we froze and will use in class on Monday. I am interested to see how it turns out and if the difference between the commercially prepared stuff is considerable. Roll, turn, roll, turn, rest, roll, turn, roll, turn, rest, roll, turn, roll, turn. No thanks.
5. French pastries have too many egg yolks. Our ladyfingers tasted like eggs, our eclairs tasted like eggs, and quite frankly, I don't like it. To be fair, once you soak them in Marsala or fill them with pastry cream it works, but I say dial it down a notch on the egg yolks already.
6. Lunch at Jean Georges is seriously the best fine dining deal in the city. Well given that I've been to probably .05% of New York's restaurants, I am basing this on what I know so far. I've been twice now with guests and am planning on taking Donna there this week as well. It's a perfect, perfect, perfect dining experience.
7. On a completely different scale of what makes a good deal, Mamoun's falafel is my new favorite bargain. $2.50 gets you a pita stuffed with lettuce, tomato, tahini sauce and the most perfect falafel I have ever tasted. If you've had the crusty, dried out variety and think you don't like falafel, you've got to try these. They are perfectly crispy on the outside, moist and tender inside, and flawlessly seasoned and spiced. YUM.
8. We stumbled on a food cart in Washington Square last weekend that is a revelation and I am thrilled that it is 2 blocks from our apartment. $6 gets you a dosa, a delicate, lacy crepe made of rice and lentils then filled with spicy potatoes and veggies. I will be visiting the Dosa Man now regularly and it just might take my cream cheese laden crepe's spot on the regular guilty food pleasure list although it would be minus the guilt.
9. The Union Square Greenmarket is THE BEST! I am kicking myself for not getting there sooner because it is huge and full of the seasonal deliciousness that gets Mike & I all excited about home cooking. I am definitely taking Donna there this weekend to inspire us for whatever meal we decide to make as "a family".
10. The most consistent thing about the weather here is that it is totally inconsistent. This is an adjustment coming from the land of perpetual sunshine.
11. The brutality of high heat humidity seems to have waned for the time being leaving me to wonder how long the nice weather will last before it either becomes unbearably hot or unseasonably cold. These are new emotions and I would prefer not to have them.
12. I love thunderstorms. They happen so frequently here but I am not tired of them yet. We like to sit on our window ledge together and watch the show. One of my friends here put it beautifully saying that it's one of the few things that make NYC feel small.
13. I have become a night owl. Between not getting out of class til 11pm and needing 2 or 3 hours to wind down and the post class camraderie, my schedule is out of wack. I sleep late then stay up late and can't figure out how to break the cycle or even if I really need to.
14. I just figured out that instead of spending an hour handwriting recipes on index cards for class, I could shrink them at a copy shop and glue them to the cards. Thank you Korean Spiccoli for saving me 84 hours of wasted time over the next several months. I am a moron for not doing this sooner.
15. I miss my nieces and nephews so much. My eldest niece started kindergarten this week and I am so sad that they are growing up 3,000 miles away. Luckily, we will see two of them over Labor Day on our visit to Buffalo. Sigh.
16. Mike found Charger fans here in Manhattan and we are so excited about it! I don't know what this says about me, but one of the things I knew I would miss most in San Diego was Football Sunday, either going to the games or watching them with our fanatic friends. Mike found a spot where 40 or so fans get together to watch the games every weekend, complete with Charger banners and custom beer pong table. YAY!
17. The Patriots still get the prize for most annoying fans with the biggest mouths, which is not something new that I have experienced while living here I just wanted to take a moment to share my deep abiding hatred for New England and the droves of donkeys that it produces. Monique, you are not included, we both know that this is directed at Chris. That is if he ever stopped starring at the poster of Tom Brady over his bed to read my blog.
18. Being busy is taking it's toll. I'm either too fried to come up with 30 things that I've learned this past month or I am getting dumber and less clever. I am going to go with fried and called it a day at 18. Plus, Donna has arrived (flash forward 24 hours) and we have lots of things to see and people to annoy. If you've ever spent time with us, you know why some people might find us annoying or just childishly silly (tap dancing in circles).
Happy Weekend!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Another (Really Sweaty, Often Butter Laden) 30
I am just sitting down to blog (and take a cleansing breath) after what has been an insanely active couple of weeks. I don't really like going this long between blogs because then I don't know where to begin or how to edit myself. I mentioned previously I am much better at detailing the minutiae than I am at summarizing our weekly activities. I think my best shot at keeping this from being a 50,000 word entry will be to bullet point and since it's been another 30 days, I am going with the previously used 30 in 30 format. So without further disclaimer, here are the things that I have learned, done and discovered in our third month as New Yorkers.
1. Brunch is big here. Especially fixed price brunches that include unlimited Bellini's, mimosa's, bloody's and screwdriver's. You know, all the drinks that make people feel like it's okay to booze it up before noon. A word to the wise: don't plan on having any other plans after meeting friends for brunch. And if at all possible, do brunch at like 2. The exception would be if you are the person whose first thought upon waking up is "How can I completely waste this gift that is today?".
2. I have moved on from a daily bagel to a near daily chocolate croissant (pain au chocolat) from Amy's Bread. OMG. They also have a cheese biscuit that is TDF. I don't know if that is an actual text acronym, but it stands for "to die for". If it's not, I am trademarking it.
3. I have become proficient at making use of every scrap in my fridge and pantry and wasting very little. It's drilled into our heads in class to waste nothing lest we want to put our future employers out of business for trimming too much off a carrot. I also have to give credit to our old roommates (& benefactors) Emmy & Curtis. They had a regular "Clean Out The Cabinet" night, as they called it. It's exactly what it sounds like and usually ended up being incredibly delicious, if not interesting.
4. I am regularly practicing my knife skills on unsuspecting carrots, turnips and potatoes at home. Classical French cuts generate massive amounts of waste in the form of trimmings. We currently have a stockpile of what I like to call Clean Out the Fridge Soup in our freezer. And I have a batch simmering now, although this one has Parmesan rinds and mushroom stems for variety. Although it sounds like garbage, it's actually quite delicious.
5. I can only fit so much more soup in the freezer. I have got to get more creative.
6. People weren't kidding when they told me the city is disgusting in the heat of the summer. I've been to humid places before, but there is usually an ocean or a pool nearby to help you deal with the oppressive wet heat. And you usually go from an air conditioned car to an air conditioned building, you don't walk every where always carrying a load of something. If you have never experienced a Manhattan summer, let me paint you a picture. Imagine walking out the door of your AC chilled apartment, freshly showered and dressed. By the time you are down one flight of stairs you have a sweat mustache and a halo of moisture beads. By the time you hit the street, sweat is running in streams down any part of your body that forms a natural canyon. It is pooling at the small of your back and soaking your undergarments. By the time you reach the lower platform of the subway you are pretty sure you know what it feels like to be inside someones mouth. A layer of frizzies form simultaneously with the disappearance of the efforts of your curling iron, all synchronized with carefully applied makeup sliding off your face. And then you feel it. The beginnings of a breeze. You throw your arms wide, close your eyes and relish the wind generated by the subway powering into the station, cooling the moisture on your skin. This moment is the sad equivalent to jumping in the pool at my old place in San Diego each night to cool down. I can't tell if a tear just rolled down my cheek or if it was sweat.
7. Two of our favorite people, Nate & Melissa spent a week here recently and we had a great time, see pictures below. We also learned a few things, see #'s 8 - 11.
Playing "7's" at Brooklyn Brewery
Checking out the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Heights
7. Positioning of the sofa bed just a few inches to the left can result in nearly being trapped in our bedroom and unable to reach the restroom in the middle of the night, save for a creative sideways shimmy. A few inches to the right, no problem.
8. Near trapping incident led me to imagine inventing giant suction cup shoes and walking on the walls to the bathroom. I concluded that I did not have the agility or coordination to make suction shoes work.
9. I am considering issuing a travel warning (like the ones by the US Department of State) to all of our upcoming visitors (and there are many) describing the conditions they can expect during their stay. It would include key phrases such as "lacks space and range of motion", "packing light is advised", "hospitable and welcoming hosts", "outdoor rat sightings likely", "home cooked meals probable". Nate & Melissa were stellar house guests and seemed appreciative to not pay $300 a night for a 150 square foot hotel room, rather than worry about the lack of amenities. I write this not to deter guests in any way, we LOVE hosting friends and love even more that they want to visit, I just want to make sure the expectation is set and no one feels like they got a bait and switch. 500 square feet people, 500.
10. We did so many great things with Nate & Melissa: we ate well (Telepan, Jean Georges, Chinatown dumplings), we drank well (Brooklyn Brewery, Rattle N' Hum, BrookVin, Clover Club) and we covered a lot of ground (from Central Park all the way to the World Trade Center and pretty much everything in between, with a few days in Brooklyn. Nate & Mike even took the train to Westchester for a brewery trip, shocking, I know). Basically, we had a wonderful time and it only made us miss them more.
11. There are a few things that we had to see when we moved here because they are New York icons that actually have little redeeming value other than checking them off your list. Now that we have seen them, I am going to start a list of places that I could never go back to and be thrilled about: 1. Times Square. 2. I can't think of anything else at this point, but will let you know when I do.
12. We just returned from LA/Santa Barbara for our pals Jen & Dustin's wedding. We got to see most of our LA friends and some of our San Diego friends (and a whole slew of people that I haven't seen in 15 years from my hometown). This trip was a double edged sword for me. But I have to interrupt myself and wonder how well a knight does in battle with a single edged sword. And wouldn't that just be called a knife? Anyway, visiting California and spending time with our friends made me miss it for the first time and them even more. It feels like home, but I love New York City. I have to either figure out how to make enough cash to be bi-coastal or convince a significant portion of my friends to move here.
13. J & D's wedding was spectacular. They had one of those no detail left unattended to kind of events that was beautiful, fun and touching all at once. The highlights for me were: the location (Santa Barbara Zoo with mountains as a backdrop and Pacific Ocean below, paper lanterns and lights strung over the tables and dance floor), seeing friends (especially wine tasting time with J-Mo, Jenn Mora to the non softballers), and the feeling that everything was so them (the music & dancing, the next day softball game, the long winded speeches that are characteristic of D and his side of the family). It was perfect!
San Diego Softballers: Burnsy, Funk, Mike, Dustin, Jen, Half of My Head, Scott, J-Mo
14. We also spent an evening with our LA friends and the best way I can describe it is like having the most amazing chocolate cake put in front of you and having a few bites and then having it taken away. I miss my Jill ferociously and seeing her was divine and saying goodbye was awful. I know it will be the same when I see Donna later this month. It's the same sort of feeling with many of my girlfriends that are scattered across the country. There is so something to be said for good girlfriends in your life and I will count myself blessed to have people who I miss and miss me. Sniffle.
15. Speaking of girlfriends and friendships in general, we are making friends here. I love my classmates - they are a seriously fun bunch and there are a few who I feel like I've known for a lot longer than 6 weeks. One of them is the New Jersey version of me (complete with Italian name and Jersey accent) and we might be trouble together.
16. I finish Level 1 of my program at the end of the week, complete with big test and practical exam. I will no longer be a newbie, but I still get to keep Chef Nic (and his constant reminders that he doesn't want to see any mooshy wegetables) for one more level.
17. Chef Nic loves butter, duck fat, cream and a sprig of thyme. I am thinking for my menu project later in the program that I will deep fry sprigs of thyme in duck fat and serve it with a cream and butter sauce. It will go over like gangbusters. And I will be carrying a defibrillator instead of handbag.
18. I am finding French technique to be invaluable in truly understanding food and preparing it.
19. I am finding French technique overly fussy (and fattening) and am developing a better sense of what kind of a cook I am.
20. I am a cook who likes fresh, clean flavors with simple, straightforward preparations.
21. I am convinced my arteries are getting smaller every day.
22. Rats on the subway tracks are cool to see, rats on the street are creepy.
23. Cockroaches anyplace = BLLECCCHHH
24. I always thought that I would take extreme heat over cold any day of the week. I am now questioning that sentiment. Time will tell.
25. Maintaining a pedicure in this city is no easy feet (pun intended, hardee har). Walk, sweat, grime, repeat.
26. If anyone can answer this for me, I will send you a prize (that will most likely be something doused in butter). Why would someone fashion a bike helmet out of plastic grocery bags instead of just wearing the real thing? I mean, it looks just as dumb but it serves no purpose. Especially when that someone is a rather large woman with balance issues likely induced by the flask of Jim Beam nestled in her cleavage. And said woman has a habit of falling in slow motion off her bike in Washington Square. I am not kidding, I picked up this woman's "helmet" after witnessing what must have been one of many spills that day, judging by her condition, and realized that it was actually a replica made from grocery bags. And a damn good one. If you have enough money to get drunk, you can afford a helmet. And you probably need one more than the sober bike riders out there. And if you are talented enough to make art out of garbage then you should do that instead of getting drunk in the afternoon. Unless you are at brunch, then it's perfectly acceptable.
27. Creepy people aren't as creepy when there are a hundred other people that look normal in your vicinity.
28. Making eye contact with a normal person and doing the head shake/half smile/shoulder shrug (as if to say "Who KNOWS what's up with that guy?!") when a creepy person does something creepy happens at least twice a day.
29. Creepy people = bonds with strangers.
30. I am considering eating leftover veal in cream sauce at 2am because I am still wired from class and now a little hungry. (Trying to picture my arteries closing). Hopefully that fends off another meal of fat cooked with a bit of meat and more fat. I'll return soon with a more digestible and coherent blog. But it will be covered in butter and heavy cream.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Second 30
I am officially a grown up. I've been denying it for a while now. I have a tendency to think I am still in my twenties although I don't know many twenty somethings who secretly pump their fist when they get carded. Mike and I have even managed to shirk the typical responsibilities of adulthood. We've never owned a home. We purposefully do not have children. We think caring for a pet would be too much of an anchor to our whims. Come to think of it, we've never even kept a plant alive for a decent stretch. But, it's become quite clear that despite my efforts, some things cannot be avoided. I have thought and said things lately that I used to roll my eyes over when I heard my mom, dad or even an unknown adult say.
To the person next to me at the bus stop "Geez, it's really coming down out here!". I used to think it was way cooler to ignore people but now I like to commiserate over the weather with strangers.
To the NYU kids partying all up and down my street and below my window at all hours "Some people are TRYING to sleep!!". I USED to be one of those kids.
And finally, "Where has the time gone?". Could I be a little more cliche? But seriously, time is flying. It's already been another 30 days of life as a New Yorker. And before I continue, I would like to thank anyone reading for allowing me to be so self-indulgent with this blog. It has become sort of a confidante for me. I can come here and sort out my thoughts and emotions and make better sense of this whole experience and for that I am grateful. So without further ado, here is what I have learned in my second month of this endeavor.
1. This much rain at this time of year is NOT normal according to every New Yorker I so much as make eye contact with. Although I can't say it has been all bad. With the daily intermittent rain, I am guaranteed to look like a drowned rat, so I save about 45 minutes of careful blow drying and flat ironing or curling. I mean, I still looked like a drowned rat, but one with a little more free time.
2. It can be exhausting living here. There are always 6000 things to do and on any given weekend, we want to do 20 of them. By Sunday, we are so wiped out and ready for some downtime that school and work actually feel like a break.
3. It can be exhilarating living here. See above.
4. I hate IKEA and their stupid Allen wrenches, but I love the free water taxi that they provide to take you there. It goes right past the Statue of Liberty and drops you off in Red Hook. I have already decided to use it as my primary mode of transportation whenever I need to be in Red Hook.
5. I need to be in Red Hook at least every other week because I am addicted to the chocolate granola that we get there.
6. When you install a much needed AC in your living room window, it will cool of considerably within 2 hours and downpour.
7. If I apply self tanner to my pasty legs, it will, without question, rain on me, which causes me to look like I have a nasty skin fungus that presents in the form of pale blotches. Sexy.
8. I am a drowned rat with a skin fungus.
9. I feel like I live here now. It happened gradually and I still don't feel like a true New Yorker per se, but it's really starting to feel like home.
10. If you are with the person you love, anywhere can feel like home.
11. I thought it was totally unnecessary at first when Mike insisted, but now it's my favorite part of school days: I love coming out of class at 11pm, sweaty and exhausted and seeing him waiting across the street. Since it's the only time we see each other on school days, it's nice to have those 15 minutes to walk home together and catch up. Plus, he carries my bag and that thing is a beast.
12. I love everything about food. This is nothing new really, but is reaffirmed for me daily here. The markets, the street vendors, the coffee, I could go on and on and I haven't even touched on school yet!
13. School is pretty amazing. I love being immersed in the process of learning how to cook properly. I love the organization of the french kitchen, the emphasis on technique and the standard of perfection. It is a challenge but I am up for it.
14. I have a lot more experience in the kitchen than I previously gave myself credit for and it has made me more confident in my abilities in class.
15. I love having what feels like infinite possibilities for my culinary future.
16. I attended a demonstration this week by Chef Nils Noren (he's a VP at my school and also can be seen on Top Chef Masters this month on Bravo) and I had no idea how fascinated I would be by molecular gastronomy. Chilling champagne glasses with liquid nitrogen. Binding strips of scallops and veal together so they look like pieces of bacon (and the cleverly calling them veal scallopine). Infusing an onion with apple juice so it tastes like an appley-onion...all very cool. Who knows what's next?
17. I am hoping that I may literally sweat off several pounds. Between the humidity, hauling that giant school duffel around and the pressure cooker that is my classroom, I must sweat like 3 liters a day (I am officially converted to metric system).
18. I am a drowned rat with a skin fungus that sweats profusely. So glam.
19. Speaking of rats, Mike is starting to get skittish about them. Apparently, whenever he walks to school at night to meet me, one will dart out in front of him from a pile of garbage. Whenever we pass shrubs or the next day's trash pickup, he gives them a wide berth.
20. I think it's impressive that I have adapted to sleeping so well given the liveliness of our street, but compared to the guy that sells used books, old pots and pans and pretty much whatever he can set up on the sidewalk around the corner, that's nothing to blog about. He had a finch sitting on his face the other day while he was napping.
21. A set of earplugs and an eye mask are as good as an Ambien for me. I have a Pavlovian response whenever I use them. Zzzzzzzz.....
22. Soul food in Harlem = delicious. Soul food buffet in Harlem priced by the pound = lack of restraint = regret and discomfort.
23. If we ate a different restaurant every night of the week, we would probably not run out of new places to try for a decade.
24. I will absolutely be returning to Arturo's on Houston for thin-crust brick-oven pizza, Grom on Bleecker for true Italian gelato (their original store is in Rome, which we visited on our trip 2 years ago), Blind Tiger for craft beer (it is our new Hamilton's, which was our San Diego version of Cheers, where everyone knows your name...except no one knows our name yet but is starting to recognize our faces).
25. Mussels are the easiest, most delicious thing to prepare at home that seemed intimidating previously - thank you Erica for helping me see the light!
26. I love my tiny kitchen. I missed having all of my kitchen gear and gadgets and still love cooking at home despite all the fabulous food at our fingertips.
27. I can do 500 square feet no problem. It's actually made me neater because there is no room for clutter. (see a few apartment pics below)
28. Having pictures of friends and family on our walls only makes me miss them more. Especially the little ones because I know in two more months they will look even more grown up and I am missing seeing it happen. Thank god for skype!
29. A 60 square foot room does not need surround sound, ahem...Mike.
30. Life is good. Really good.
For more pics, you can go to this link.
To the person next to me at the bus stop "Geez, it's really coming down out here!". I used to think it was way cooler to ignore people but now I like to commiserate over the weather with strangers.
To the NYU kids partying all up and down my street and below my window at all hours "Some people are TRYING to sleep!!". I USED to be one of those kids.
And finally, "Where has the time gone?". Could I be a little more cliche? But seriously, time is flying. It's already been another 30 days of life as a New Yorker. And before I continue, I would like to thank anyone reading for allowing me to be so self-indulgent with this blog. It has become sort of a confidante for me. I can come here and sort out my thoughts and emotions and make better sense of this whole experience and for that I am grateful. So without further ado, here is what I have learned in my second month of this endeavor.
1. This much rain at this time of year is NOT normal according to every New Yorker I so much as make eye contact with. Although I can't say it has been all bad. With the daily intermittent rain, I am guaranteed to look like a drowned rat, so I save about 45 minutes of careful blow drying and flat ironing or curling. I mean, I still looked like a drowned rat, but one with a little more free time.
2. It can be exhausting living here. There are always 6000 things to do and on any given weekend, we want to do 20 of them. By Sunday, we are so wiped out and ready for some downtime that school and work actually feel like a break.
3. It can be exhilarating living here. See above.
4. I hate IKEA and their stupid Allen wrenches, but I love the free water taxi that they provide to take you there. It goes right past the Statue of Liberty and drops you off in Red Hook. I have already decided to use it as my primary mode of transportation whenever I need to be in Red Hook.
5. I need to be in Red Hook at least every other week because I am addicted to the chocolate granola that we get there.
6. When you install a much needed AC in your living room window, it will cool of considerably within 2 hours and downpour.
7. If I apply self tanner to my pasty legs, it will, without question, rain on me, which causes me to look like I have a nasty skin fungus that presents in the form of pale blotches. Sexy.
8. I am a drowned rat with a skin fungus.
9. I feel like I live here now. It happened gradually and I still don't feel like a true New Yorker per se, but it's really starting to feel like home.
10. If you are with the person you love, anywhere can feel like home.
11. I thought it was totally unnecessary at first when Mike insisted, but now it's my favorite part of school days: I love coming out of class at 11pm, sweaty and exhausted and seeing him waiting across the street. Since it's the only time we see each other on school days, it's nice to have those 15 minutes to walk home together and catch up. Plus, he carries my bag and that thing is a beast.
12. I love everything about food. This is nothing new really, but is reaffirmed for me daily here. The markets, the street vendors, the coffee, I could go on and on and I haven't even touched on school yet!
13. School is pretty amazing. I love being immersed in the process of learning how to cook properly. I love the organization of the french kitchen, the emphasis on technique and the standard of perfection. It is a challenge but I am up for it.
14. I have a lot more experience in the kitchen than I previously gave myself credit for and it has made me more confident in my abilities in class.
15. I love having what feels like infinite possibilities for my culinary future.
16. I attended a demonstration this week by Chef Nils Noren (he's a VP at my school and also can be seen on Top Chef Masters this month on Bravo) and I had no idea how fascinated I would be by molecular gastronomy. Chilling champagne glasses with liquid nitrogen. Binding strips of scallops and veal together so they look like pieces of bacon (and the cleverly calling them veal scallopine). Infusing an onion with apple juice so it tastes like an appley-onion...all very cool. Who knows what's next?
17. I am hoping that I may literally sweat off several pounds. Between the humidity, hauling that giant school duffel around and the pressure cooker that is my classroom, I must sweat like 3 liters a day (I am officially converted to metric system).
18. I am a drowned rat with a skin fungus that sweats profusely. So glam.
19. Speaking of rats, Mike is starting to get skittish about them. Apparently, whenever he walks to school at night to meet me, one will dart out in front of him from a pile of garbage. Whenever we pass shrubs or the next day's trash pickup, he gives them a wide berth.
20. I think it's impressive that I have adapted to sleeping so well given the liveliness of our street, but compared to the guy that sells used books, old pots and pans and pretty much whatever he can set up on the sidewalk around the corner, that's nothing to blog about. He had a finch sitting on his face the other day while he was napping.
21. A set of earplugs and an eye mask are as good as an Ambien for me. I have a Pavlovian response whenever I use them. Zzzzzzzz.....
22. Soul food in Harlem = delicious. Soul food buffet in Harlem priced by the pound = lack of restraint = regret and discomfort.
23. If we ate a different restaurant every night of the week, we would probably not run out of new places to try for a decade.
24. I will absolutely be returning to Arturo's on Houston for thin-crust brick-oven pizza, Grom on Bleecker for true Italian gelato (their original store is in Rome, which we visited on our trip 2 years ago), Blind Tiger for craft beer (it is our new Hamilton's, which was our San Diego version of Cheers, where everyone knows your name...except no one knows our name yet but is starting to recognize our faces).
25. Mussels are the easiest, most delicious thing to prepare at home that seemed intimidating previously - thank you Erica for helping me see the light!
26. I love my tiny kitchen. I missed having all of my kitchen gear and gadgets and still love cooking at home despite all the fabulous food at our fingertips.
27. I can do 500 square feet no problem. It's actually made me neater because there is no room for clutter. (see a few apartment pics below)
28. Having pictures of friends and family on our walls only makes me miss them more. Especially the little ones because I know in two more months they will look even more grown up and I am missing seeing it happen. Thank god for skype!
29. A 60 square foot room does not need surround sound, ahem...Mike.
30. Life is good. Really good.
For more pics, you can go to this link.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The First 30
It's been 30 days since we moved to New York and this is what I have learned:
1. My feet hurt at the end of every day.
2. If you get onto a packed subway and you spot two open seats when several people are standing, you did not totally score. There is a reason why no one is sitting in them. And that reason is the man surrounded by 3,000 plastic grocery bags filled with who knows what. If the scene I am describing were in a comic strip, the man and his bags would have squiggly lines emanating from them.
3. I love impromptu subway performances in the form of drum circles or cello solos. But not the ones that involve a man clipping his nails for 15 minutes. I am not joking, he clicked away at them for 15 minutes. How do you even have nails left to clip after that duration? Gross.
4. I need to buy small bottles of hand sanitizer in large quantities because I use it compulsively when I have no choice but to touch something on the subway and I am burning through the stuff.
5. Despite the subway tales above, I love not having a car.
6. Having a finite amount of space forces you to simplify your life and pare down to the necessities. Whether it's what you can carry home from the store or what you can fit into a 400 square foot apartment, you have to decide what is most important to you.
7. It turns out that what is important to me is shoes, wine, and cheese, in no particular order.
8. There really are rats the size of house cats.
9. For the price of a beer at the SoHo Grand you can do any of the following (all of which are better ways to spend your money): eat about 30 dumplings in Chinatown, take a cab home to Brooklyn, or buy 6 Gray's Papaya hot dogs. The only downside is that none of them come with the entertainment value of watching all the cool kids and scenesters squeal when the cat sized rat ran through the VIP area.
10. For an insanely expensive city there are endless really cool, free and cheap things to do.
11. I had no idea how much the art and culture would move and inspire me. It's tough not to be awed by the creativity, diversity, and originality that abounds here.
12. Talking about how much you pay in rent is not declasse.
13. It rains every other day.
14. I didn't know I was moving to Seattle.
15. I could eat a bagel every single day.
16. The effects of walking several miles a day are countered by a daily bagel.
17. The sheer volume of men in skinny jeans has caused Mike to run out of ways to make fun of men wearing skinny jeans.
18. I am willing to push people out of the way to get a seat on the subway as long as they are able bodied and over age 10. Watch your back 5th graders, you are fair game.
19. The Upper East Side portrayed on Gossip Girl exists. Except in real life it is disturbing. But the clothes are just as good. Example: While walking down Lexington, I got cut off by an 8 year old boy who was wearing a prep school blazer, carrying a Starbucks, and was simultaneously talking on his cell phone and whining to his Dominican nanny.
20. I still hate the Yankees.
21. I'm not sold on knish. It's mashed potatoes in a pastry crust, so what's not to love? But my reaction was "Hmmm....meh."
22. I am totally sold on 4 dumplings for $1 in Chinatown.
23. There are more delicious cheese shops than my fromage loving mouth knows what to do with. Oh wait, I know exactly what to do with it.
24. I delight in other people's indignities. Well not categorically. But there was this obnoxious gaggle of wannabe socialites in front of me in line at a shoe store the other day discussing what hot spot they were headed to later. The conversation went something like this: Blond #1 - "Ewww...no way am I going there. You know Katie Wyatt will be there and she so wants to be me." (All her minions voice their agreement that said place is lame and Katie Wyatt is a stalker.) When Blond #1 went to pay, her credit card was declined. This filled me with an inordinate amount of glee and led me to speculate that Katie Wyatt's card wouldn't have been declined.
25. Walking through Times Square makes me want to indiscriminately trip people.
26. Walking around the Village makes me feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
27. I love the Sweet & Salty Brownies from Baked, Liquid Gold from Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., and the wine deals at Red, White & Bubbly.
28. I don't really like cats. (I know this doesn't have much to do with New York, but we are cat sitting at our sublet and I'm over it. I'm over the hair, the litter box, and the irritating meow from Camille when she is hungry, wants to be pet, wants to sit on my lap or laptop. I don't like being yelled at by a cat. Reeeeehhh. Reeeeeehhh. REEEEEEHHHHHH! You know what, scratch that, I don't mind cats, I just don't like Camille.)
29. I am going to have to live without a dishwasher and laundry. Again. And I swore I never would.
30. This city wouldn't be half as much fun if I didn't have Mike to share, experience and explore it with.
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