01 Cooking: I Swap the Pen for a Pan
Who’s sautéing your weenie? I’ve enrolled at a Culinary Academy that teaches the Cordon Bleu method in a nearby city—the catch is, this is at a local college, and the chef/teacher warned me I may be with “the sort of people you may not be used to—people just out of jail, and so forth.” Evidently I don’t give off street vibes.
I haven’t commuted in years, and this course required me to be downtown at 9AM (actually BEFORE that, as I’m required to change into my “whites”—cooking uniform—at school for sanitary reasons). I decided to try the ferry first—it’s crowded but fast. In the week I’ve been in school, I’ve already seen a few familiar faces on the boat, including “she who never shuts up.” Apparently, this woman commutes with friends or co-workers, and carries on a lively, very loud conversation every morning. She has a distinctive “New Yawk” accent. Since my brain is barely turning over and I’m trying to read, I’ve considered throwing a wadded-up newspaper at her to try to break her train of thought. However, that train continues, speeding down the rails and crushing all in its path. I may get wet standing outside, but the icy spray is soothing in comparison.
The book (it weighs eight pounds, yikes!), uniforms, and knives are pretty pricey, but I already feel professional. Whatever that means.