#67 - (Not) Graduation and variations on a theme

The variations are not on a theme by Paganini.  It's more a theme by Le Cordon Bleu London - that is to say, hygiene.  Kind of.  Sort of.  What can I say, it's more laundry.  But as usual, I've begun in the middle so must loop back to the beginning.

Good bye Dinner
On Thursday night I had dinner with a friend of one of my brothers (they of the walk in the countryside and trip on canal boat fame) - she and her partner took me to a lovely restaurant called Alba near the Barbican - really good Italian food - definitely comfort food.  I took a photo of the dessert as research.  As delicious as my vegetable soup and slow cooked lamb were, they weren't something I might put in an exam.  Probably not the pear either, but it was good for taste, texture and potential ideas (the marscapone cream was really good - definitely on the list for a future dessert).  The Alba is a family owned and operated establishment and my hostess had been going there for years.  I must say that I will definitely go back - what's not to like?  Small but thoughtful menu with something available for the carnivore, the vegetarian and the pescatarian (they're the ones who eat fish but not meat, right?).  I was tempted to get the set menu which had a truffle dish on it, but couldn't go past the lamb.

Graduation Lunch
As of Friday, 16 December 2011, the term has officially ended for my fellows in Superior Cuisine and Patisserie - they are now chefs, some of them entitled to wear the toque at least for the last few minutes of the graduation ceremony.  Today was graduation day for most of those who began this long quest to learn how to cook, improve technique and to share our love of all things food.  The party was at the Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane.  Much better food than what I remember being served when we had our graduation from Basic.  This is the final graduating batch of Superior students from 114 Marylebone Lane.  From next year, students will be taking classes in Bloomsbury Square.

It was nice to see everyone dressed up and out of their school uniforms.  It appears that people dress up more for the Superior Graduation - not that I remember much from when I was in Basic (and I wasn't here for the Intermediate one) but I have to admit people cleaned up very well.

Everyone had put their best shod foot forward and you could feel the palpable air of relief, excitement and (possibly it's my imagination, but who knows?) the need to catch up on just a little more sleep after the marathon Patisserie exam a couple of days ago.  Some of people said that a few problems had occurred in one of the exams and sometimes it was little but important things which just went wrong on the day.  I think it's always frustrating when you have an element which normally is not a trouble maker all of a sudden causing problems on the day because it tends to throw you off your stride.

The Dorchester was very pretty - a little OTT perhaps, but then again, this was a big occasion for everyone - a culmination of a lot of work and in many cases, some blood, lots of sweat and a lot of tears.  Possibly also some grumpy moments, loss of sleep and monumental self control when something didn't go right in class and continued not to go right.  Yes, it is personal experience talking...

Having had so much time in class, I have to say I cast an eye over our lunch as though we were having it presented to us for tasting and judgment.  Maybe not Iron Chef - but definitely consideration on a couple of levels:  the first being, could I do this?  (Sometimes yes, sometimes maybe...) - and the second one being, what might the chefs say if this was a dish that we were presenting to them.

So I do not have a 3 Michelin star palate - even after al this time and the incredible ingredients we used in class, I still do not like foie gras (although today I hated it less than usual).  The toasted brioche was a nice touch although I observed a demonstration of someone's objection to it which is that you get this large slab of foie gras but only a little bit of bread and salad.

The menu said cannon of lamb.  I thought the cannon was part of the leg but this looked more like a steak-ish type of cut.  Also, it didn't taste particularly lamb-y, but maybe the tastebuds were confused by the foie gras and a piece of the toasted brioche (yummy, by the way) which had preceded it.  Again, left the sweetbreads behind.  I think they are considered a delicacy nowadays - certainly they seem to be trendy at the moment, both as part of the head-to-tail philosophy of using every part of the animal and as part of the offal-is-trendy-because-it-sounds-kind-of-weird-and-no-one-knows-what-it-is.

Dessert was a mocha and something-or-other parfait, macadamia nut brittle, coconut ice cream (milk ice cream?) and sauce.  This one got particular scrutiny as there were several patisserie students at my table from all the levels as well as our head Patisserie chef.  The students looked at it from the view of a plated dessert and Chef JW looked at it, comparing it to what had been served during the tasting (when they chose the menu) as well as technical points.  The only really technical point is that a parfait is frozen, which these weren't.  I thought the mousse might have been a tad heavy on the gelatine, but that might just have been me.

There was some discussion as to how well the chocolate was tempered, some people at the table having had rather recent and harrowing experience with uncooperative chocolate.  Split verdict - I thought it was fine, someone else thought not and Chef JW did not weigh in with her opinion.  She did observe that there are two LCB graduates who worked in the pastry team of the Dorchester and at least one of them had worked on these desserts.  In any event, it tasted good and was quite pretty.  They stuck the tuile and chocolate in the dome though, so I'm not sure what Chef GB thought of that - he told us particularly not to do that to our plated desserts.

I also found out one of the girls who just completed Basic Patisserie has been reading this blog - rather a compliment.  I asked her how she had found it and she said it was because she had been searching for photos of the dishes we had been making in class.

Chefs!
Anyway - they made it and have the medals, papers (lots of papers) and the hats to show it.

Well done chefs!

As for my graduation, hopefully I will be able to time my finals with the next batch of graduating Superior students.  This was supposed to be a year of food, but it's turning out to be a bit longer.  It's been more of a year of building character - in which food played a large role.  I will know more once I hear back from the Academic committe but for now, there will be photos of practice sessions (once my hand is back in shape), possibly some bitching and moaning and now I have a great excuse to eat a lot of things at a lot of places.  After all, it's a chance to collect ideas for finals without trying to get too clever.  It wasn't far to find a very large silver lining (a break to reorganize, get warm at home for the holidays with family and friends and a chance to see the new school).

So until next time, happy holidays - may your year end as positively as mine bids to do.

#66 - Wallowing...

...5 minutes of discouragement
Good news:  my hand is healed, 3 weeks after the burn.  Bad news:  hand won't be ready for me to take finals for another 3 months.  Thus spake the Consultant (cosmetic/plastic surgeon at the burn unit) after I told him what tomorrow's Patisserie final entailed.  For the moment, homework is to moisturize my hands 4 times a day (just to get the burned part used to being touched again and to desensitize the nerves) then to do my hand exercises in a bowlful of uncooked pasta.  Yes, I have hand exercises...so I indulged in a few tears while I tried to figure out what next, then decided it won't do any good until I hear back from LCB administration about what to do for my finals.  For the moment, focus is to get hand working as quickly as possible.  Yes, yes, it takes time.

...in lots of good food and stimulating company
Luckily last week I had planned to go to a supper club thing run by one of the people from class at LCB.  Mrs J makes yummy food and I got to partake!  See this link:  https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/pages/Mrs-Js-Secret-Kitchen/141786465854903.  Also, really good conversation, I'm sorry I didn't have a notepad and pen.  We had some artists and an art dealer at my table so there was lots of talk about what is/not art, preferences, how it reflects the politics and economics of the day (what I needed paper for), etc. etc.  Hearing the artist's point of view, the dealer's point of view and the insurer's point of view in light of my own (shallow) layperson's view was educational and fascinating - that is to say, the other people were.

The artists were quite sweet.  They asked me if it was hard to eat "regular" food given what we had been learning at cooking school.  I don't know about others, but I told them that since I injured my hand, I have had a lot of beans (and cheese) on toast.  Before, I used to eat 2-minute noodles.  At the moment, I can't make them so that hasn't happened.

FYI - Important
Anyway, the point is this - sometimes you just want a quick and simple something to eat.  Also, just because we can cook something and make it look fancy doesn't mean that we don't appreciate something someone made, however simple they think it is.  There's a certain something that is added when a meal is prepared for you by someone else.  Technical skills are an added bonus, but really, maybe it just comes down to the thought put into it, even if it is a cup of tea and a piece of toast.  The fact that someone made the effort into making something just for you makes it absolutely amazing.

It seems to be a common misconception that a chef will not appreciate something you make them because they can do it better.  I have been told by a chef in no uncertain terms that this is NOT the case, so if you are ever tempted to cook for someone but are intimidated, don't be.

But back to the food...
Mrs J, with KA assisting, made us a delicious dinner.  The amuse bouche turned out larger than planned so I just suggested we call it an extra starter instead of an amuse.  I don't know if that was actually done or not - I am a bit sleep deprived and not thinking too clearly at the moment, but I wanted to get this down while it was fresh in my mind.  Anyway - it was coddled scotch quail eggs (I think) - soft boiled quail eggs wrapped in sausage meat, crumbed...and really yummy.  This is from a person who doesn't eat runny egg yolks and doesn't eat pork.

Somehow they turned out 16 dishes in a tiny space.  Starter was a seared scallop with cauliflower puree (yum!), some kind of crunchy praline thing with a spice whose name I can't remember and some garnish.

Main was beef wellington with foie gras, vegetables, yummy sauce.  The beef wellingtons were individually sized - a nice touch.  Apparently they were sized that way because of the space constraints of the oven, but I didn't know that until later.  I thought I would want my beef more well done but I really enjoyed it this way - pink in the middle (something else I normally don't do!).  Apparently the logistics of doing individual sized portions was a nightmare and both of the chefs have vowed never to do that again.

We had a little beggar at the table - a very cute and friendly 15 year-old who tapped my hand when he felt that his share of attention was not being paid.  Unfortunately for the cutie pie, I am impervious to large eyes and furry coats and no foie gras was forthcoming his way from my plate.  Or scallop.  Or beef.  Or anything else, actually.  He eventually gave up on me.  Attention is all very nice but what he really wanted was the yummy food.

Then dessert - wow, just the way I like it.  A bitter chocolate tarte with a hint of orange peel in the tarte shell.  Mrs J wasn't satisfied with the tarte shell but I actually preferred it to the filling.  The ice cream wasn't my favorite, but I don't feel bad saying that since it was a stand-in for the one that had been planned (but which didn't work out).  It was really rich though, so I only had part of it which was plenty.  It was possible to eat a bit more of it because it wasn't too sweet (85% cocoa will do that).  They say there's caffeine in dark chocolate, but I am almost asleep so evidently it's not currently effective.

So here are some shots of the kitchen - staff food (chili con carne), mixed veggies, what happens to the sink, stove and kitchen when the dishwasher stops working (I think that's what someone said)...I'm amazed at what they did in the kitchen - it was a regular, domestic kitchen and somehow they managed to turn out a multi-course meal for 16 (?) plus staff food.  There was also a little outside area - I can't remember if they actually cooked outside or if they were just storing some things out of the way there while dinner service was going on.

Also, we had a bit of fun with the paying for the meal.  You make a donation for the cost of the meal (or whatever) and we messed around with her teapot.  Sorry HJ!

Community service warning - Hunter cars (or something like that)


So it was quite late and I wasn't going to take the tube.  We got a quote from a minicab company but when I told the driver my address (the same information we had given the dispatcher, by the way) he told me a different address.  Given we were in the middle of nowhere, it's really cold and I was exhausted, I wasn't inclined to argue.  However, it makes me really cranky when someone says one thing in order for you to choose them, then says something else when it's kind of too late (i.e. you're already in the car).  Maybe it's because I take giving my word seriously, but I take other people's words seriously too and I felt like they had lied.  I paid the driver but I told him he should sort things out with his dispatcher because what they had done wasn't cool.

My suggestion - I haven't tried it yet, but you can bet I'll try it on Friday for graduation - is to use a reputable company (even if they are bit more expensive).  I have a feeling you are less likely to have these last minute changes to fares with lame excuses ("it's 11 miles".  Um ok, except what changed from when I gave the same information to your dispatcher???)  I'll let you know how it turns out with using a larger car service.

So until next time, don't worry, be happy...

#65 - Jump to hyperspace / Warp 10 / [insert nerdy sci-fi reference here]

No photos in this one, but there is a little bit of bitching...

Let the nostalgia begin
Today was our last class ever.  A career lecture (different from the one last week for Patisserie which was more about writing a CV and a few other tips) - there was a man from a recruitment agency as well as our head pastry chef, Chef JW.  There was discussion about career progression and the amount of time one expected to see on CVs as careers developed.  So short and sweet, then I cleared out my locker.  Others still have their exam on Wednesday but I am pretty sure I will still not be deemed fit to work in a kitchen so a decision was made to start organizing.  Ok, I can't believe I was silly enough to think I could just pack up a couple of things on Thursday and Friday, then have movers here next week and be out of the flat.  Had to start a list (or rather, a list with 3 parts) so that I can keep track of what's where as I am going to store a few essentials (uniform, knife kit) here for when I return for exams.  Then there's a question of what do I send where so all in all, more in the way of logistics than I had anticipated.

Covent Garden - again
Tonight I took myself to see the opera.  Originally supposed to be a study break from preparing for exams, but then changed to a packing break from sorting stuff out - a much bigger and more stressful task (how is there so much junk after less than a year when I've been trying to be so careful about not buying stuff???).

La Traviata - Spoiler alert - don't read if you don't want to know the ending (although you will if you go to the opera and read the program and synopsis)
Boy sees girl, girl is a courtesan, they meet, they fall in love (after he declares himself a year after they meet and she thinks about it for about 10 seconds), boy's father convinces (dying) girl that she will ruin boy's life and his sister's because of her dirty past which can't be redeemed by their love, girl ditches boy (he doesn't know why, follows her to a party, insults her), boy and father show up just before girl  dies in boy's arms and you wonder if at some point he lives happily ever after.  Oh, and boy's father finally realizes that she actually was dying -  apparently she wasn't clear when she told him that she was going to die soon.

Analysis (Legally Blonde style) of above story
The boy and girl are happily living in the country and I'm guessing he hasn't been contributing to expenses.  This based on the fact that she has been supporting them both and he doesn't realize until she sells the horses and carriage.  Really?  How is it that men seem to be so clueless?  (Ok, I'll leave the gross over-generalizing out of this and move on.)  Like, how did he think they were financing their life out in the country?

I suppose you could also take it as commentary about the importance of having similar backgrounds as applicable today but that could just be the late hour talking so I'll stop there.  All I can say is, love isn't enough and it makes for much better theatre than "and they all live happily ever after" after the boy rescues the girl (from wicked stepmother / poverty / being a courtesan).
The music
So part of the reason why I went alone was so that I could be bitchy about the music in my head if necessary.  It wasn't.  Oh, there were a few little things [Violetta's high notes in the first act were a little thin and weak but she got stronger as the performance went on, some of her virtuoso bits were a bit mush, Gastone's voice was nice but very weak - he sounded like Alfredo when Alredo was singing in Violetta's dreams (i.e. behind the scenes), Alfredo's money notes were thin and weak] but the way the voices blended for all the duets was amazing as was the musicality of all the singers.  Side note re Gastone - he was part of some sort of exchange/young artist development thing so it may be that his voice will eventually sound stronger - it was only that he was singing with such full, strong, controlled voices that his sounded a like it needed to fill out a bit.  It sounded the way an adolescent boy looks before he fills out and grows into his hands and feet.

Orchestra was excellent.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but there is a noticeable lack of females in the pit, and those that I have seen are generally in the strings except for the lone female French horn player during Sleeping Beauty or Manon a few weeks ago.

In which love doesn't conquer all
Took precautions during the second interval of stocking up on napkins because I didn't have any tissues.  Good thing I did, spent most of the 3rd Act quietly snuffling into the tissues as poor dying Violetta's small voice projected itself into the back of the big theatre.  Amazing how many audience members were coughing while she was dying onstage of consumption.  However, all misunderstandings were cleared up, forgiveness was sought and obtained, a rapturous reconcilation duet then the death and curtain.

Death by opera
One of the nice things about Italian operas is that they tend to have beautiful melodies.  Of course when you read about debuts of the operas, sometimes they were canned at the time for being light and fluffy with little musical merit.  On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I've heard a lot of these melodies in movies (and I wonder if there was a ballet???  I know La Dame aux Camellias is a ballet, but I can't remember if it's Verdi's music) or elsewhere.  Also, the actual dying, at least tonight, was very quick and efficient (having a fatal illness from the beginning doesn't count).  This is in contrast to what I refer to as musical medicine - that is to say, Wagner, where it's the same tune (and not a pretty one) for 15 - 20 minutes where they say the same line for that entire time and when someone gets stabbed in the heart, he sings about it for another 15 minutes before finally (mercifully) expiring.  Yes, I really must learn how to have an opinion...

Anyway, I just wanted to share this amazing night with you because the singing was truly spectacular.  Boy's father was able to hold his own singing opposite Violetta, which is quite a feat because her voice just got stronger as the night went on.  Highly recommend going even if you think you won't like it.  Frankly I wasn't that enthused about La Traviata when I booked it but I am regretting not having gone to some other ones.

Had the thought earlier that it would be lovely to live here and go to the opera and ballet every few weeks, but that would entail having a job that finishes at predictable hours (instead of always having the possibility that an emergency might keep you back) or not having a job and having unlimited funds to enable such pursuits.  So amazing what people can do and the emotions they can elicit.

So until next time, I hope your dreams are filled with music and happily ever afters.

#64 - Baby steps

I have started to lose track of days because the main purpose of being in London (going to cooking school) has been abruptly curtailed as classes draw to a close and people struggle not to buckle under the marathon Patisserie session this week.

Unintended benefit of being injured and being unable to go to class - I actually have some time to organize myself - very necessary as I have to juggle logistics and try to guess when I will be back in London to take my exams (so planning clothes, potentially some equipment and of course, my uniform) to mention just a few things.

Am trundling along, doing what needs to be done - which includes a lot of rest and allowing about twice as much time to do everything.  You don't realize the little things you take for granted until you can't do them anymore - like tie your own shoes (I've been wearing boots with zippers), not poke out your eye when trying to put on some mascara (preparation for last night's Christmas dinner was...interesting) or tucking in those strings on the dress which you  need to keep it on the hanger (or you would cut the darn things off).

Food for amusement (yours)
Hopefully my little trials and tribulations will give you a giggle or three and thank heavens that you aren't as clumsy as I am.  I debated whether or not to put in this next little bit, but I did promise the good, the bad and the ugly.  I'm not sure where this falls on that list.

So the Christmas dinner - lots of fun, lots of interesting people and I even remembered names!  The preparations were a bit fraught (this is the bit I debated).  Ok - so not having a roommate meant there was a little bit of acrobatics needed as well as a lot of patience in order to get the hooks done up on the bra which needed to go with the dress.  If you are wondering what I did for the last couple of weeks, the answer is that I have a lot of dance tops and I just wore my regular t-shirts under my chef's jacket because the bandaged club at the end of my right wrist didn't fit through the sleeves of my long sleeved shirts.  So yes, it was all a bit chilly.

Then there was the matter of the hair - fairly simple...when you get a hair cut, they blow dry it for you so that was fine.  But the makeup...the 10-minutes normally allotted had to be stretched a bit in order to allow for very slow work.  I was in a hurry the other day and accidentally poked my eye with the mascara wand - not an experience that anyone wants to repeat, I am guessing.  Speaking for myself, definitely not.

Final bit of embarrassment...so I managed to get through dinner with the gimpy hand fine during the starters but hadn't thought through the main very well.  The burn unit says lots of protein to help with the healing so I chose steak.  So far so good.  Until, of course, it's time to eat the thing.  They supplied a steak knife and I managed to cut a small bite.  The only thing is my hand is achy - no idea what from, but I am guessing one of the culprits is the middle finger.  Anyway - a very nice guy sitting near me volunteered to cut the meat for me - until one of the waiters saw and came over to finish.

I am guessing it's going to be a no go for the Patisserie final (even if I were able to do it in terms of the recipes) given the current state of the hand.

Must admit to inspecting the dessert and tasting it in pieces, then together (how they taste our things at school).

More learning!
Anyway, dinner over (in which conversational topics ranged from accents, words and misunderstandings, to Exceptional Men, to Christmas parties past and future, travels, movies, etc.) it was time for more education.  Previous  experiences with casinos have been limited to getting lost in one (Crown, in Melbourne) and going to a wedding (Star City in Sydney).

In terms of betting, I had no clue.  Luckily there were some sharks in our midst...I got a crash course in roulette, or at least this casino's one.  No photos were allowed so unfortunately there aren't any shots of people playing and having a good time.  It was actually more entertaining watching the people in our group playing that I think betting might have been.

Today was a whole day of nothing.  A little bit of organization to try to prepare for packing and vacating the flat but otherwise, a lot of sleep.  I'm not used to being up so late...

Class tomorrow morning - luckily they pushed it to 9am.  After this weekend, that's going to feel pretty early.  This is our last class - who knows, we may all wax nostalgic.

Anyway, must go and rest.  So until next time - may you also feel little stress from the silly season.

#63 - In which the Grinch fails to make an appearance

The Whos in Whoville (aka students at LCB) are beginning to breathe sighs of relief as the unrelenting pressure of finals end with the exclamation of "finished!"  Well - that's true for everyone else who happen to be taking their exams.  The Who writing this post is bummed she's not partaking of the final dash and the commiserations/celebrations which follow as the Sword of LCB finals still hangs over her head.  In some ways, much more painful than the Sword of Damocles will ever be.

Last Superior Cuisine Demo ever at 114 Marylebone Lane
Anywho...ok, that was bad.  However, you'll live.  We had our final Cuisine demo on Friday - and here's a photo of some of the happy Superior Cuisine students.  What's not to like?  Delicious food cooked by an amazing chef and since some people didn't show up, extra for everyone.  I have to admit, it was a really good dinner:  Coulibiac de Saumon (salmon in a brioche crust with dill sauce) and Grilled rack of lamb with pepper sauce and pressed tomato/chevre/cream cheese mix.  Those of us who were still there after everyone had had their first smidgen of a taste went back for more - it's the whole good manners thing.  You can't take a whole lamb cutlet from the rack until everyone has had some, but once they have (and the photos have been taken) it's pretty much a free for all.  Since I can't cook at home (more on that later) it was really nice to have a meal that wasn't cold pizza or some random takeout.

Bread Street Kitchen again
Then tonight I had dinner with UP down at Bread Street Kitchen.  Yes, again.  And I had the same thing as last time so I didn't bother to take photos (still yummy).  UP had the mutton with potatoes which turned out to be Shepherd's pie so he was very happy because he loves Shepherd's pie.  Dinner was fun - there was a couple not looking very happy at the table next to us, so we spent a little time speculating as to what the reason might be.  This naturally turned our attention to several other tables - in front of us, a table of 4 girls + 1 guy.  Speculation that it was friends out for dinner, not work colleagues (I wonder if the guy was an honorary girl?) although hard to say - at one point after the fellow had left, all 4 of the girls were on their phones at the same time.  I think my objection to phones at the dinner table are well founded (subject to certain exceptions - like family emergency, the dog ate someone's homework, etc. etc.)  Behind us was a table of 5 guys - speculation that they were work colleagues and given the area, most likely in the finance sector.

Night photography
UP had a bit of amusement while I tried to get some pretty photos.  These don't do the actual view justice - partly because I'm not even an amateur photographer (there's a reason why these things are called point-and-shoot) and partly because I probably need a more technical camera to get good shots.  But - it was too pretty to pass up an attempt at the dome of St Paul's cathedral and the lights around.  The clouds were blowing around so the shot of the moon by St Paul's didn't come out well at all (hence not being included in this post).

Horses!
After a delicious dinner and yakking away about Christmas parties, travels and a few other things, it was time to go home.  Then a bit more amusement for UP:  the police horses who were wearing blinky lights which makes sense safety wise - but also had tail lights!  I had to get a photo of those although I'm not sure if the lights are just flashy safety ones (like on bicycles) or if they serve an additional purpose.  In any event, I missed the first pair of horses who went past the bar under the restaurant before I had a chance to get the camera out of my bag, but managed to get the zoom to work for this shot.  They may have this in other places, but for me, this is only in London.

No taxis were to be had at that hour in that part of town (slackers!) so I hopped on a bus headed my general direction then hurriedly pressed the stop button when I no longer knew where it was going after Oxford Circus.  Possibly in my general direction, but possibly not.  So then a walk home from Oxford Street - not too late so there was plenty of foot traffic.  A bit too many tourists for my taste, but I finally had my camera with me so I took some photos and did as the tourists did.

There are pretty lights in quite a few places - all along the high street outside my window, up and down Regent Street and Bond Street - they're quite pretty.  The Oxford Street ones are nice as well, and some of the ones for the department stores are very pretty (John Lewis and House of Fraser are in the photo above).  I have to admit there's one I'm not a huge fan of but I've forgotten which store it is.  The lights are rainbow colored but not put together in an attractive package - I say this both as a slightly snotty, but also as an aesthetic observation.  What looks right on Rainbow Drive-Inn's sign just looks wrong next to the pretty lights along Oxford Street.  And I finally got a shot of the moon!

Remote and distant
It's strange - I love the moonlight on water and on snow but here, where there's neither (unless it rains, in which case no one's looking anyway) the moon seems to be a lot further away and colder.  The nimbus, which  looks like a rainbow when we look at it in Honolulu only looks like a distant halo around the moon when I look at it from Marylebone High Street.  The halo can be obscured by the clouds but is nevertheless present.  I suppose the thought of being homeward bound at this time in 2 weeks is making me start to think of all the things I am looking forward to seeing, doing and experiencing upon my return.

So until next time may your inner Grinch be mollified or banished by all the pretty, twinkling lights.

#62 - Always look on the bright side of life...

Yippee!
Bulky bandages on hand are off.  Of course this is because they want me to start using it.  Actually, it hurts more now than it did when I burned it because the burned area contracted so I have to keep it from contracting more.  Apparently there's no guarantee that the skin will stretch out so now it's a discussion of when the hand will be back to being able to do what it needs to do (2 more weeks - just in time for Christmas and just in time to require a return visit to London to finish the practical exams - time TBC with school). 

So - using the hand kind of sucks, but the pain is a reminder of being alive - and being grateful that it wasn't worse.  I saw a toddler today leaving the burn unit.  She had put both hands on the oven door just before her mother was about to put her in her high chair for dinner.  Bandages over both hands almost to the elbows - how can anyone feel sorry for themselves when faced with that sight?

The bright side
I would never have gone out to Roehampton if it hadn't been for the burn unit.  To get there, I get on a bus from Hammersmith and you go over the Hammersmith Bridge.  It's blue - looks a bit like the one out of Bridget Jones's Diary.  Due to the hour of my appointments, I get to see the sun shining on the Thames, turning it into a brighter version of what I call the moon path (the silver path you get on the ocean under a bright moon on a still night).  Even better, the mornings have generally been sunny.  If there is rain or if it is overcast, that tends to roll in later in the day so there has been an opportunity to get at least a couple of minutes of sunlight most days.  Hope to remember to take more photos when I go back to the hospital next week.

Also, since I can't cook (and going to class is torture because I want to cook so I don't go unless there is something specific I am trying to learn/review) there's time to do some of the things I haven't had time to do.  Like get a haircut!  And more laundry. I got behind because I was always washing my uniform, but now there's time to do regular stuff too.  (I miss my dryer!)

Last demo/practical
This afternoon was the last demo with an associated practical class (exams don't count).  It was also the last one with Chef FJ.  It's debatable whether he will miss us - certainly he won't miss us annoying him on a Friday afternoon, but perhaps he'll miss other aspects.  Hard to tell - note to self:  follow up when I come back to take the final exams.

The demo involved monkfish - not one of the most attractive fish out there and definitely not one I like to prepare as much as some of the others we've done in the past.  However, it was delicious so I will be thinking whether I can try this dish with substitutes.  I think it would be really nice with some of the local fish we get at home.  It kind of has teeth and it's kind of slimy looking.  You get a very nice not-fishy taste from it though, which is good if you are introducing someone to fish or if you are cooking for someone who's not fond of fish.  Generally I stay away from salmon or other oily fish unless I know that the person I'm cooking for likes it.

Finals
Written exams are over and a collective sigh of relief mingled with depair have wafted down the streets of Marylebone.  There will be some rejoicing as of Thursday, then more buckling down as people prepare for the 6-hour marathon that is thePatisserie final.  I think it terrifies people more because unlike cuisine, generally you can't fix something if it goes wrong because you usually find out too late (i.e. the sugar sculpture broke and you have half an hour left (we budget about 75 minutes for it) or your cake sponge was too dense or whatever.  Of course this depends, as some things are easier to fix than others.

And yes, I still have to discuss the schedule with school but I intend to return to London to take the final exams. It was too much work to let go without at least attempting the exams (although it will be beyond a bummer if I fail, the possibility of which is always present). Graduation will be a chance to see everyone and say goodbye, but my group will finish without me. Watch this space for photos of newly minted chefs with their tall hats and a couple of medals.

Must go - things that used to take just a little bit of time can now take up to 3 times as long.

So until next time, may the bright side of life be easy to find.

#61 - Good news...

Burn update
Well I won't be ready in time for my Cuisine final and mostlikely for the Patisserie final.  Can't discuss dates with school yet for the exam as hand has begun to heal but still has a way to go (some skin has started to grow back - cause for much rejoicing on Friday).  This has resulted in having fewer dressings applied so that I can do my exercises.  Tradeoff for being unable to do schoolwork:  homework assigned by the PT/OT.  And a joke by one of the nurses when I asked how often I should do the exercises ("oh, every half hour or so").  I couldn't see her face when she said it, so it took half a sec to figure out she was having a little fun.  Also, I hadn't had my coffee yet.

Hand is much better although we had had to make arrangements for my theory exams - both (written) exams are tomorrow and the hand is still somewhat out of action.

Have had some entertaining classes.  Chef FJ occasionally "lets" people assist him during demos (i.e. shelling shrimp) or sometimes has people do something not necessarily related to his demo but related to things we had in class that people may have trouble with.  On Friday it was more of an assistance - and possibly just to speed things up a bit.  PB was drafted to heat a couple of things and to cook a couple of things in preparation for Chef's plating and service.  I was too slow to get him in full flight, but he reheated a couple of different veggies, sauteed the spinach and cooked the duck breasts while the rest of us watched (and possibly silently judged).  He did a very nice job on everything.

Other happenings
One of my girlfriends from Sydney, EN, is in town.  We happened to miss each other due to various reasons, so managed dinner and a movie (The Tower Heist - relatively entertaining with Ben Stiller at his unobnoxious best and a rather good cast) in Leicester Square last night.

Today was an exhibit called the Heart of the Great Alone, a part of the Royal Collection and held in Buckingham Palace.  It was about various Antactic expeditions by UK explorers about 100 years ago.  I thought it would just be photoraphs.  On the surface it was, but it was put together extremely well and I was unexpectedly touched while listening to the audio-guides.  Of course I am a sucker for good music and Elgar's Nimrod Overture was used very effectively during some of the commentary.

Must run - time to study a bit more and try to focus.  So until next time, may your distractions be few but welcome.