trucs

Hey guys! So I know I haven't talked about the people! Well...so far everyone is just wonderful! I took a picture of two of my friends and I, who people say we look a like because all three of us are short, dark haired, american, and have dark glasses. So i had to just snap a shot! The one next to me is Kaili from Texas and the one on the end is Lauren from California. Both great people!

As far as my other friends, they come from all over! Very random places! But everyone is very friendly.



Overall school is great. It takes up a lot of time, but that's what I'm here for so I am really ok with that. I do have sundays to do what I want, but I like school...so that's what I want to be doing! I rarely have saturdays also, so when I get into the hang of things I am going to start travelling! But after this full week of school i have to say i am rather exhausted working in a kitchen all the time. My roomate said, which I didn't know, if you sweat in the kitchen too much you can get bad stomach cramps and also bad diarrhea. I've had the cramps...but nothing else. She said to drink a glass of salt water. It's cause you lose so much salt from sweating! eeks!



As far as Paris, I haven't had much time to explore yet...but I have plenty of time. I'm not worried. And going out, I am just getting into the swing of things so that will start ASAP! You will be updated. Men...eh...men! That's all i'm saying.



Any other questions? Just ask. Miss you all terribly! Come visit :) Au revoir!

Jan 12, 2007

Went to school. First I had a PD. We learned how to make lemond pound cake (my favorite), Fruit cake with rum (not my favorite) and madelines. Then for break me and 3 friends came to our cafe for espresso. Then came back at 12:30 to poach our chicken! I have to say I tresseled (thats where you tie up a chicken) my chicken very nicely! But once again my sauce didn't have enough salt!

Then after that I had one more demo. We learned spinach cannelloni! SO good! It's with tomato and mornay sauce. Just fabulous! If you ask me I will do my best to try and make it for you sometime...it was so good! Homemade pasta and all :) Then we learned a pissaladiere. It's kinda like a french pizza with no cheese. It has lots of onions and anchovies. So i got to try anchovies for the first time. Not bad. Kinda like tuna but fishier. After school i went out for a beer with my friends. Came home...ate my yummy chicken and rice (minus flavoring. ha!) Then sat in the bathtub where I could grab a miniscule amount of internet connection for an hr or so. Then went to bed cause I have school the next day!

Jan 11, 2007

Went to school at 8:30...usually if I don't say what time...it's 8:30...i RARELY go in later! it's ok...it's the first time in my life when i wake up at 6:30 and say to myself "i can't wait to go to school!" so I take advantage of that! anyway, i made my tart aux pommes. I cut my apples the wrong way, but it still turned out pretty and tasted damn good!!!

After school i ran tedious errands including got a mobile phone (email me if you want it), had lunch with Kaili (which wasn't tedious!), made an appt for internet, then came home to eat dinner, gabbed on my new cell, read and went to bed! the day was MUCH longer than it sounds...but trust me...you don't wanna hear the long and boring details!

Jan 10, 2007

I forgot to set my alarm today, but LUCKILY my body woke me up at 6:36! I get dressed so quickly because I am so paranoid about being late for school and nothing against the koreans, but they get to class at like 5 past the hour to sit in the front row and I also wanna sit in the front row so i have to get to school so early! Anyway, 1st demo was on poaching chicken, rice, thickening agents, and cheese souffles. If you haven't figured out yet, everything we watch in demo we DO NOT make in practical! Then I had a PD on tart tatin, tart normande, and tart aux pommes...pretty much my lunch! VERY tasty. They all had apples in it which i forgot to mention! Then FINALLY I had my practical on fish filleting! That did not go over so well, and I mean not well at all. I'm going to leave it at that. You can see the finished product...which doesn't say anything about what happened during the class :)

Chef Clerque said the sauce tasted fine but needed more butter (either more butter or salt they always say!) the fish was cooked correctly. Then at 6:30 i packed up, came home to once again no internet. Ate yummy fish, read and went to bed interneless!

Jan 9, 2007

Yah for pastry day! Finally! 8:30am PD we learned how to make 5 different kinds of sables (cookie doughs pretty much) we learned two new techniques (both of which i knew- toot toot) sablage and fraisage. At 11 am my friend Kaili (from texas) and I walked to my bank and they still didn't have my card!!!! we came back...had a cup of espresso and then made it back to school for 12:30 pratical on what we just learned! We made the diamantes pictured below.


When i post pictures they will ALWAYS be of what I make...not of what the chef makes...cause why do you wanna see that? Also, when I say what my finished product was...meaning how it came out, it's not what I personally think, it's the criticism the chef gave me...so don't think i'm being hard on myself...cause i'm eating it all :) So, mine were over cooked which was the chefs fault because i put mine in the oven first and as basic students we dont have control over the ovens and we all took them out at the same time. So they were a little dark. Also they were on the large side. But i said i was american :) We like our food large! Then we practiced pipping forever! I needed it though. I got better as i practiced. He said again mine was too large, but not bad. Listen, I'm not expecting to be better than everyone else in pastry, i just really want to learn and get better at what I love to do (and to get on the chef's good side!- so far I'm doing well at that!) Then i came home, dropped off my stuff) went to the pharmecie and boulangerie for a baguette. Then came home to eat some of my roomies guiney fowl...pretty good but rich! Then I read and complained cause i had no internet...what's new :)

Jan 8, 2007

School. At 8:30 I had my first CD. We learned how to make veal stock, fish stock, fillet a fish and then we made a fish dish with a butter and wine sauce. I've forgotten the name of the dish! I'll find the name somewhere later. Then I had a 4+ hr break so I walked to Montparnasse to deposit my american money which I still had a week since i've been here! Then walked back. Had a cup of tea with my friend Alex, he is in charge of the uniforms at school, and he helped me fill out my paper work for a metro pass which will all in french. Since he is fluent in french i needed his help! Yah for frenchies! Then I came back to school and marked my knives with tape! I'd rather get them engraved...but I don't have the time to wait for them or money right now. Then I checked my email at school, g-chatted for a while and then got dressed for next class. At 3:30 I had another demo but it was a basic one about every pot and pan in the kitchen as well as utensil etc. As well as the kitchen hierarchy. Helpful, but boring! Then I left and came home and ate the rest of the food I had bought for lunch. Then i realized the internet i was stealing was no longer existant!!! I was from then on miserable. I talked on the phone for a bit, then read a little then went to bed.

un cafe

Bonjour...So as you know I don't have internet yet...but I'm sitting at the cafe I go to everyday for my daily espresso...and it comes with two biscuits (mini cookies) and a chocolat (for free!) yummy :) so I'm having a cafe creme (coffee with cream) and blogging before my class on a saturday (just one today so it's all good!). So enjoy and I'll hopefully do this again before I get my internet Sat the 20th. Miss you all. a bientot

Sorry

I apologize to my blog readers, but my internet is not working. I am at school writing this. As soon as my internet is working again you will have updates!!!! i have been keeping a journal so no one will miss out on any of my work days or pictures. Til then... au revoir :)

Le Tour Eiffel

Today was definately a GREAT day! It was dedicated to my best friend Sara. She bought me these things called City Walks. They are cards that give you descriptive walks of where to go and how to walk them exactly and stops to make on the way. In otherwords, for morons like me, you can't get lost! So today I had the day completely off and after doing the wash (they dont use driers here!) I left at 1:30 to do the Eiffel Tower walk! However I didn't follow the card exactly because it's so close to my house that I didnt need to take the metro to get to the first destination on the card! Anyway, I get there and I met a VERY nice family from Connecticut. It was a mom, dad, son and then the other son stayed downstairs. We chatted the entire 3 flights up and it was nice to be with other people and not have to be alone! But I got to see everything I wanted. All 3 flights :) And you will see below a plethera of pictures! After that, I walked through the Trocadero which Sara said is her favorite place! The card said to eat at the restuarant Cafe du Trocadero, so I did! It was beautiful. I had a great salad and a Kir (champagne with cassis syrup in it-mine also had something else in it but those are basic ones) anyway...for one person it was so expensive...22 euros! (tip included) Anyway, then I left and went to a Boulangerie to get some bread and pastries! Came home and showered and here i am :) Today was a great day because i had a realization that I'm in France, by myself, studying something i love, in a beautiful city...what could be better than that? So to all of you asking if I like Paris...the answer is yes...i love it and i am very happy. things will be great i know they will! And to Sara...thanx for the gift...I hope you get here soon so we can enjoy it together (as well as Disneyland Paris!!!!!) Enjoy my pictures!