While this blog is intended to share my day-by-day adventures in culinary school, I will fill the space today with something besides Culinary Arts Level One Day Two… because Culinary Arts Level One Day Two focused on Sanitation and Food Safety, a rather unexciting topic. For more information, please visit: http://www.servsafe.com/foodsafety/. The ServSafe exam is the last day of Level Two, the same day as the Level Two exam and lab practical…. Wonderful.
Let’s revisit taillage, Culinary Arts Level One Day One, and my ongoing failure to cut straight tranches, or appropriate sized julienne or jardinière. I spent six hours this weekend studying and practicing taillage, or cutting uniformly for even cooking and attractive presentation. I cut several huge carrots practicing julienne and onions emincer and ciseler. By Saturday night Michael was sick of eating carrots and smelling onions. Sunday night they appeared on his dinner plate... carrots l'anglaise with swordfish and a caramelized onion, Gorgonzola, and basil pizza (my first ever real yeast pizza). My finger tips and nails turned orange.
Anyway, the truth is that I am a good study. I remember all of the names and lengths of the cuts – julienne (6-7 cm by 1-2 mm), jardinière (4-5 cm by 5 mm), etc– but producing the cuts I know to be right is something entirely different. Another hour during Day Two and things are improving, but I cannot say that it is getting easier or prettier. Chef asked “Great success, or horrible disaster?” I’d say half and half, but Chef says I don’t get to choose which julienne or jardinière to present…
On Googling “taillage” to ensure correct spelling and proper use, I find that I am not the only FCI student to have this experience (http://mykitchenstudio.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/lunch-bunch-pickled-veggies-and-bibimbap-style-rice-bowls/). It seems I am one of many. And my cut on Friday night? Nothing in comparison to the guy who sat down next to me on the 6 Train last night! A Level Four, has a kitchen job, and one nasty knife cut on his right hand… from cutting fruit. Is it awful that I felt much better after seeing him bleed all over the 6 Train and wrap his thumb in his apron? This is something that Professor Shaw, my Leadership professor at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University taught.... he called it “downward comparison”. When you are feeling bad about yourself, check out the guy or gal who is far worse off and you’ll feel better. I always thought it was a terrible trick.
Who knew Culinary Arts Level One Day One would bring me to “downward comparison”?
One of my fondest memories of my 20s was a friend of mine calling me at 10pm on a weeknight saying "Quick, come over, I just julienned the most perfect carrots and I must share them with someone now!" He, too, attended FCI and had so much passion for his endeavor. Enjoy every moment!
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