Restaurant @ MindSay

When I first started working at the Broyhill, Danny told me to read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain after working there for at least a month. He told me how surprised I'd be when I read it again. On the drive to Virginia today, I opened the book again for the first time in around five years, and Danny was right. I was surprised.

 

If I could clear up some of the complications of working at the Broyhill, I would go back in a heartbeat. The work was hard, the hours were long, and I had to fight to get at least one weekend off a month, but Danny described it best as "a wonderful sickness". In Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain describes how he worked his way up from a dishwasher to an executive chef over the course of about thirty years. I like this book so much because, like my time at the Broyhill, "deglamourizes" what most people think of when they go to eat at restaurants. I've seen things, and done things to some extent, that definitely change the way I order in restaurants. The fresh catch isn't fresh on Mondays, menus sometimes lie, and never order meat well-done. And the cup of soup? Sometimes the same size as the bowl. I liked it, though. There was something about it that made me feel like I was making an honest living. There's a tiny scar on my left wrist I'm particularly proud of; it's from when I picked up a hot saute pan on the line one night. I think of it as my battle scar.

 

This isn't even mentioning the people who cook your food. Bourdain says he graduated from the CIA at Hyde Park "before it was a four year professional institution". He expresses his preference for dishwashers and line cooks who never went to culinary school, stating that grads have a tendancy to be egomaniacs and love to hear themselves talk about "how Pacific Rim cuisine turns them on". Typical line cooks, and to some extent even the sous chef, are uncouth and foul-mouthed. We swear, we yell, and we talk shit. We bitch about past customers, and occasionally save the worst cuts of meat and fish for people who order it well-done (see?). We yell at each other. Bourdain regards women line cooks with a certain respect. We're a rarity. James, another line cook, told me once that I was the first woman cook he'd worked with in over ten years. I talked as much shit as the guys. My whole perspective on restaurant cooking was changed. You're putting something together, not necessarily creating, but things need to be put together well. There were drugs, there was alcohol, and sometimes they were done while food was being prepared. Restaurants are sketchy places when they're closing down. Walking home was always slightly unnerving.

 

The day Bill hired me, he told me I would end up making sacrafices for my job, but he didn't explain what they'd be. My second day of work I pulled a ten hour shift in the dish pit. I came home sore, smelly, and exhausted. I called Walker and relaxed a little, and the next morning went into the kitchen again. The next Saturday, I pulled my first solo round on the pantry (the cold line... Desserts, salads, etc.). The next day, Danny reported to Bill how well I did for it being my first night alone. I began thriving in the kitchen, and I was convinced I could end up working my way through the ranks. Even Jim, who is the nicest person employed by Appalachian State, thought I'd be running the place by the time I graduated. There were scheduling conflicts, but I was able to work them out. I was able to make time to see my parents and Walker.

 

My roadblock came when Ralph died about a month after I was hired. Ralph was my mother's father, and although we knew that he was very sick, death is never an easy thing to deal with. The sacrafice they were asking me to make, leaving my family in their time of need, was not one I was willing to make. I began to resent my job. And I resented myself for resenting a job I had wanted for eight years. Walker and I had problems, which were complicated by me coming home ornery and exhausted. I probably gave him more shit than he deserved, and looking back on it, he was kind of what kept me sane throughout the whole ordeal. I slipped into my own stereotypical haze. And I didn't get out of it by the time the year ended and I quit working there. I watched Danny drive off my last night washing dishes, and I felt like somehow I wasn't done yet. Yes, I had left two carts and six racks of silverware left in the dishpit, but I like thinking it was something deeper and more meaningful. Now that the boredom of summer has set in, I really wouldn't mind going back.

 

It's nearly two thirty in the morning, and I'm watching Iron Chef America, which I've held a grudge of sorts against, being a staunch fan of the original Japanese one (not to mention my intense dislike of Bobby Flay). When I was 10, I wanted to be where Cat Cora is.  I wanted to be the Iron Chef. Realistically, I don't think I'm the type of person that could be a chef for a living. I talk a lot of shit, and that's all I am. Talk. It also ties in to the fact I feel like I'm in a different place in my life right now, one where I have to make a difference in this world because I have the priveledge of going to college. Maybe one day when I'm worn and weary from life I'll go back and work in restaurants. Maybe I'll go back to work at the Broyhill. Whatever I end up deciding to do with my life, I feel like I've been a part of something great.

Tonight Av asked if we could go out to dinner.  So we did.  We went to a major international chain restaurant.  I'm not going to name the restaurant by name, but let's just say that the first three letters of it's name are T.G.I.  We sit, we order, Av is all excited to order by himself.  He blurts out "Quesadilla! nothingonit!"  The waitress doesn't catch that, so I translate - "He would like plain quesadilla, just cheese, and please leave off the garnish and sides."  "You mean the double stuffed quesadilla?  I don't think they can do that.  They are pre-made."  Huh?

So she went back to the kitchen to ask if they can make them plain cheese.  She comes back and explains that they can't do it.  The double stuffed quesadillas are pre-made.  But we don't want the flour tortilla packed with sauteed chicken, sausage, bruschetta marinara, bacon and oozing with Monterey Jack cheese coated with Parmesan and pan-fried to a crispy golden brown then drizzled with balsamic glaze.  We want plain cheese quesadilla.  For our kid who only eats quesadilla at restaurants and not mac and cheese or grilled cheese.  The same ones that we had at that very restaurant about 2-1/2 weeks ago.  She offers to go talk to the manager about it.  She is confused.  We are confused.  Av is confused.  Shiny asks what makes them double stuffed and how are they "pre-made".  Waitress explains that they already have everything in them.  All that needs to be done is that they are heated, topped, and served.

Since they can't make the plain quesadillas, we got up to leave.  I'm sorry to disappoint my child, but we were not about to pay to eat dinner in a restaurant that was not going to be able to serve my kid.  So we explained to Av that we had to leave because they couldn't make his quesadilla.  To say the kid was upset is an understatement.  Lip pouted out, tears welled up, sobbing started!  We got Av out the front door pretty quick, but it was hard not to notice us.  I sat him down on the bench in the vestibule and again explained why we weren't eating there.  Not my fault.  Cook's fault.

Shiny went to talk to the manager about the whole thing.  Apparently most of the food the serve is pre-made nowadays and they change their menu every three months now.  He could probably try to do some plain cheese quesadillas, but they would have been made with the small tortillas they use for their new fish soft tacos.  We have been eating at this restaurant for years - YEARS!  We were loyal points collectors for some time.  However, over the past five years or so, our frequency dwindled.  They changed the menu and most of our faves were no longer being served.  Service always seemed to be slow, even in the middle of the week.  Shiny gave up on them some time ago, but I still liked their fries, and being a meat eater, I always had more options.  But no more quesadillas was now the deal breaker.

I got Av calmed down while Shiny talked to the manager.  Av put on his thinking cap and came up with a new place that we could go eat.  We ended up going down the street to a local diner.  They didn't have quesadilla either, but they did have french toast on their kids menu.  We were by years - the youngest people there.  But the atmosphere was cozy and the food good.  The kid was happy even if we weren't at the other place.

We talked about what to do, after all we have been getting more and more dissatisfied with the other place.  Most likely we'll write a letter to corporate.  We don't expect the world and we don't expect every place to be accommodating, but overall it was the disappointment of the entire situation.

Went to the orphanage again to receive my "spiritual enlightenment". It was fun, considering that I love the kids there. It was also weird as well, since out of the 6 people who went, I was the only guy going, but I was fine with that, since one of the people in the orphanage said to the kids "Go play with the older sisters!"

... Guess I'll pretend I'm female for a sec, since Sop-Ah said I had beautiful long and thin fingers. Weird compliment for a guy, but I'll accept it nevertheless :P There were only 8 kids in the orphanage when we went, because most of the kids went on a field trip, and many of the kids kept on crying cause Almighty Sushi and the rest of the gang kept freaking out the kids. I managed to get one of the kids to like me though, and it was nice to see the kids on field trip coming back, cause I got to lift Yue Yue up and down again, lol.

Lots happened this past week, and one of them was a break down in relationship between me and Linc_31. Looking back, whatever happened in History class on Tuesday seems so fuzzy, but I was seriously ticked off that day and remained silent unless I had to talk, which in the process freaked two teachers and a few friends out. Not a bad tally, but that wasn't the point, cause the point was, this was the first time that I ever became this angry. Took me the remainder of the week to recover, and during that time period I did not speak to Lincoln at all, ignoring his questions, comments, or conversations starters. Think it was my talk with MC on email that helped me finally see through this incident, as the negative emotions eventually evolved into me feeling constantly depressed and frustrated for no reason, and becoming not myself. I'll see how things work out naturally.

We lost 1-0 yesterday in Soccer, and although it was a huge improvement considering we lost 6-1 last Saturday to TEDA International School(Tianjin Economic Development Area) and 7-1 to Harrow on Wednesday (wasn't goalkeeper that game, it was Rob's turn), I still felt disappointed, as to some extent I let my defence down since they were doing such a marvelous job. It was a great game nevertheless, as I was constantly encouraging my team mates and organising my defence through shouting and talking throughout the game, and making some fine saves during the process.

I'm certainly having fun messing around with a new program I downloaded off Windows, which is called "Windows Live Mail", where I can manage all my e-mail accounts into one program. I still have to figure out how to send e-mails through the program, as both occasions it kept send me the error message, but now I can receive a message from msn and Windows Live Mail when I get mail from any of my e-mail accounts, so its pretty sweet.

Its a little bit late, and I guess I'll have to go to sleep soon, but I have to add one more thing, and that is, Arsenal beat AC Milan 2-0 at San Siro and PSV beat Tottenham Hotspurs 1-0 at White Heart Lane. Not a bad soccer week considering that both of the football clubs that I support won at the European football stage :P

News You Can Lose

NYC eatery offers $25,000 dessert

NEW YORK - This is one rich cup of haute chocolate: A New York eatery is offering a $25,000 dessert bulging with top-grade cocoa, edible gold and shavings of a luxury truffle.

The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate was declared the most expensive dessert in the world on Wednesday by Guinness World Records.

The dessert is a frozen, slushy mix of cocoas from 14 countries, milk and 5 grams of 24-carat gold topped with whip cream and shavings from a La Madeline au Truffle.

It is served in a goblet with a band of gold decorated with 1 carat of diamonds and served with a golden spoon diners can take home.

The dessert was created by Serendipity 3, a restaurant popular with tourists and once featured in a John Cusack movie.

Is this what follows a $100,000 Diamond encrusted Prime Rib dinner washed down with a $250,000 bottle of wine ?
If you have that much money to throw away, throw it my way !
I would be more inclined to put it in a bank safe deposit box if I could find one that would preserve frozen dessert.
I also think they reported the restaurant name wrong. Shouldn't it be Serendippy ?