end of three weeks

hi fam and friends!
there hasn't been an update in a while because we have be super busy here! Four days a week we have class, with Mondays usually being the most free, with only one lecture or special presentation. Today, we had a presentation at 7 am on "ingredient functionality". Today, at the end of three weeks, also marks the fact that new youngin's are coming in, and so my group is no longer the youngest group here. Yay!
So far, we have had four culinary fundamentals classes, or "skills" classes. These are the non-academic classes where we actually do some cooking. Every class, we make huge vats of stocks, chicken and beef, which are used throughout the school's restaurants. Then, we also turn in a "knife tray", which include many different vegetables which are meticulously cut, as in potatoes "julienned", aka 1/8th inch by 1/8th inch by 1 and 1/2 to two inches. And the chef will measure them! So you learn pretty quickly to be accurate. Then we also make something else, like last Friday we made French Onion Soup with gruyere and parmesan croutons. I am excited every day that I don't chop off my fingers, or totally mess up what I am supposed to make. So far, I have been doing very good on both these accounts.

Otherwise, school is very fun. Living in upstate New York is a far cry from living in the city, as there is no real "town" where we are, in order to go to somewhere more "townish" we have to drive to Poughkeepsie which is about ten minutes down the highway. There is a mall which is 20 minutes down the road or so. The train station isn't too far away either, which is good. On campus, we have a gym, and so far I have been going nearly every day which is good. Also, we have Zumba classes two nights a week that a couple of us attend, as well as some other events on campus every few weeks, such as a Clam Chowder cook-off which was fun, and a pizza making contest coming up next month, which a few of us will be competing in. I can't yet tell you our top-secret recipe (I'm pretty sure we don't even know it yet!)

the mighty hudson 

campus: there should be some geese, somewhere around there

first days at the culinary institiute of america

After moving in on Sunday night, the next day was a very informative tour of the Culinary Institute of America campus, which I had never seen before my arrival. The next few days we have spent going through many, many orientation sessions. What I can say about this part of upstate NY is that i is cold. However, this is my California attitude, as this whole winter has been unseasonably warm and everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am, as last winter there was at least 2 feet of snow at this time. Well. That's a good thing because I never did get around to buying those snow boots I really meant to, and I did bring my ski jacket that makes me look a little like the Michelin man...but i guess that's one of the benefits of no longer living in Los Angeles? Now I get to wear big, figure-eating chef pants that will (hopefully) hide the weight I will undoubtedly gain from being surrounded by terrific food.

Well, most of the food is terrific!
The fun part about being at a culinary school is that whenever you get fed, you automatically get to be really critical of what you are eating because other students have prepared it for you, and actually want your feedback, as opposed to a normal restaurant where you are a little worried that they will spit in your food. Your risotto came out cold? Tell someone! Underdone johnny cakes? tell anyone you want. Its a little addicting. I suppose next time I am in a normal restaurant I will have to watch myself.

Its actually very good food for the most part. My friends and I have been learning some tips along the way from the older students, aka: "Don't go to that kitchen for dinner. Those students are newer. If you eat a hamburger there it will DEFINITELY be raw". I mean I learned this after I had already picked up food from that kitchen, the good part being I don't eat meat, so I was not going to die from the undercooked johnny cake, but now I knew better.

Along with cooking classes, I will have to take "culinary math", catering principles, product identification, hospitality, and an introductory freshman class. These all start next week, but luckily we get our knives tomorrow. And, those smart folks at the CIA, they have already told us that we really should engrave our knives (engraver provided by school) which I think is very practical so that they don't get mixed up/stolen.

Throughout my time during orientation, I keep thinking back to when I started at UCLA four years ago. I really laughed during one info session talking about tutoring in the tutoring lab. At UCLA, this would usually mean writing, some high level math class, or organic chemistry (which I heard is nearly impossible to figure out on your own). However, in addition to writing and math help at the CIA, you can literally walk into the tutoring lab and ask for some potatoes or onions and have them help you practice your knife cuts/skills. I think of the high tech labs at UCLA being over run by small-dice carrots and kids at the computers crying as the air fills with onion fumes. Well, it made me laugh at least.

And now, some photos: