Georgia Peaches.

Today was a great day. I was supposed to wake up and study a little more than I actually did this morning, but I feel good about the quiz I took today in Product Knowledge. Before the quiz, Chef Mattel lectured on stone fruit, berries, and citrus. This was a slightly confusing unit, with some fruits ripening only on the tree and others ripening post-harvest. Peaches can ripen after they have been picked, while cherries should only be picked ripe. I learned a few interesting things. For example, the greening on citrus is actually a regreening and a sign of maturity and ripeness. Citrus should be heavy for its size with a thin skin for maximum juicing. I learned all about citrus with my tangerine specification, which I received a perfect score on, by the way.

I took a much needed nap between classes. Before I headed to dinner, I reviewed a bit for my math quiz, and then I met Danielle at the East Wing Dining Room for Banquet. As I have mentioned before, the dishes are beginning to repeat, with this being our fourth rotation of students in this class cooking and serving us. Therefore, I requested the vegetarian option, and I am so glad I did. (I did not want meat, again!)
Appetizer: Carpaccio with Mache and something else (There is a first time for everything in that I cannot remember exactly what else was on the plate.)
Entree: Sauteed Vegetable Risotto with Peas
Dessert: A Rich Chocolate Custard with Hazelnut Cookies (not its exact name listed on the menu)

The math quiz was easy. Now, I only have a final worth thirty percent of my grade separating me from an A in Culinary Math. We had to scale two recipes, calculate the cost of each item, the food cost per portion, and the selling price. There were also a couple of other questions we had to answer, one dealing with cost comparison of two similar ingredients. Once I was finished, we could leave.

I met Danielle in her room and we watched Twilight: New Moon. Tomorrow, I am going with Alex and hopefully Danielle (and maybe Melissa) to see Eclipse in the theater in Hyde Park. (Do you know why they released Eclipse today? There was an actual eclipse last night. Thanks, Kevin, for telling me such information!) The Student Rec Center sells discounted tickets to CIA students for $5, and we are going to the late showing at the Roosevelt Movies tomorrow. I AM SO EXCITED. Team Jacob? Team Edward? I am so torn. I wish I was Bella/ I am glad I am not because I would not want a sparkly vampire and a cute-with-his-shirt-off werewolf fighting over me. Right? :) I will let you know my thoughts tomorrow.

I studied a bit in the library for my Food Safety quiz after Twilight. I am not worried about it at all! Then, insert some unnecessary drama and here I am, ready for bed. Goodnight!

EAT MY WORDS

*Happy Twilight, and Happy Birthday, Kevers. Congratulations on finally being 23! :)

Deutschland beats England.

In a way, the title says it all. On Sunday, Germany defeated England in the World Cup. Ich liebe Deutschland (even though Germans never use that phrase, really), and my last name is German. I win is what I am saying. After this block, I am taking the high road, and I am moving out of Room 204. I should not have to live with someone who threatens to make my life a living hell. There is only room in my heart for one Room 204, anyway, and that is in Athens, Georgia.

These past few days have been incredibly stressful, and I am thankful for my family and friends who have dealt with me through it all. It is not over yet but it will be soon enough, I guess. I have not been the easiest person to talk to or be around. I have been extremely frustrated. I have been sad and emotional; retelling multiple people what was happening, etc. was not easy. I have thought about leaving the CIA altogether. I have felt disrespected and abused. I have felt too like I was overreacting. It all comes down to the fact however that I have to live here, that this is my home away from home. No one should take away my dream. No one should make me feel the way she did, ever!

I have not felt much like blogging lately, and I apologize, faithful followers. I am not going to write/type about the specifics of my room change but know that I have spent a lot of my time dealing with it. Let us begin with Sunday. Sunday was the Block Party celebration for Stars and Stripes. I helped the student organization, SPICE, with their snow cone table. The Block Party included inflatable games, BBQ, snow cones, a dunking booth, sugar art, margaritas, smoothies, popcorn (chili and wasabi flavored), fried candy and oreos, cotton candy, etc. Danielle and I were partners in the balloon toss, we won, and each received a $5 gift card to Starbucks. It was a lot of fun, and I stayed down by the Hudson for several hours. After that, I came back to my room, freshened up, and had an altercation with you-know-who. Then, Danielle and I went to Dairy Queen, hoping that would make me feel better. I came back here and talked to several different staff people on duty. Danielle's roommate, Andrea, let me stay in her bed, and she bunked with her boyfriend, in a non-sketchy sort of way.

On Mondays, I have Product Knowledge in the morning, a break, and then math at night. Chef Mattel was back from Kansas City. (Yay, we missed him!) I am definitely glad that I have him for this class. The Professional Chef is a book that everyone here at the CIA receives at Orientation and uses throughout their time here. Rumor has it that he is responsible for much of the book. I helped Jae steward by organizing the herbs, apples, pears, and grapes at the front of the room before class. Do you know how many different herbs there are? Rosemary, curly leaf parsley, dill, chives, etc. The difference between herbs and spices is that herbs are the leaves and the spice can be anything else. We are only required to know a handful of the different varieties of apples and pears. Red Delicious and Granny Smith, as examples, and D'Anjou and Bartlett for the pears, along with a few others. We did not talk extensively about grapes. Did you know that the ambering at the stem in the flesh of grapes should actually be preferred?

I tried to come back to my room yesterday between classes to take a nap, but the butterflies in my stomach had other plans. I went to Banquet yesterday at about five. I sat at the most annoying table ever, with two Bachelor's students who criticized everything about the food. I was not that hungry anyway.
Monday Banquet
Appetizer: White Asparagus with Mushrooms
Entree: Beef Tenderloin with Haricots Verts and Potatoes
Dessert: Tiramisu

Yesterday was our last long day in math to make up for not having class last Friday. It was almost unbearable. We learned (or reviewed really) how to calculate cost per portion from a recipe, food cost percent, and the selling price per serving. Professor Nothnagel is very thorough but I feel like he could teach what he does in two hours in less than an hour. I was exhausted by the end of the class at about 8:15. I did not want to come back to my room at that point, and therefore, I went to the library to study and read. Melissa was nice enough to let me stay in her room last night.

I had a quiz first thing in Gastronomy this morning. I think I did well on it, but we shall see. I never know how I feel about things in Professor Raider's class. After the quiz, two groups gave their presentations, on Thomas Keller and Melissa Kelly. We are focusing now on Modern Haute Cuisine, which we will discuss more in class on Thursday. Keller and Kelly are chefs that many people recognize as being two of the top chefs today. Keller owns Per Se in New York City and his most famous restaurant, the French Laundry, in California. Maybe one day, I will be able to experience his detailed presentation and way of cooking at one of these restaurants. Melissa Kelly graduated as valedictorian of her class from the CIA and owns Primo in Maine (and two other locations). Kelly is the executive chef for her restaurant, which is in an old Victorian house. She also manages the two acres surrounding the restaurant, where she produces organic produce and raises pigs. Over sixty percent of what she uses in her restaurant comes from her farm.

Food Safety. SOOOO LONG. Professor Vergili lectured on food allergens, intolerances, Celiac's disease, physical/chemical contaminants, and industry hygiene. I enjoy this class for the most part, except for the length and the lag time, but I feel like the majority of the information is common sense. Do not come to work sick. Wash your hands with soap. Do not serve peanuts to someone with a peanut allergy. I guess this things should be reiterated, to make sure everyone here at the CIA is completely aware.

I went to Banquet around five again. My table was a lot of fun tonight. It would have been a perfect dinner if Megan (CT) had been told ahead of time that almond oil was used in the appetizer. She is allergic to nuts, and therefore, Trevor (PA) had to administer her EpiPen.
Tuesday Banquet
Special Drink: Blackberry Fizz
Appetizer: Mozzarella and Tomato Crostini with Arugula
Entree: Cornish Hen with Macaroni and Cheese Custard and Corn Salsa
Dessert: Panna Cotta with Grand Marnier and Mixed Berries

I have two quizzes tomorrow, in PK and Culinary Math. I better study. Oh, and I have to watch The Bachelorette from last night.

Love you all!

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

*Happy Birthday, Greenie! I wish I could have celebrated at the Yoguri with you today, but we will celebrate when I come back to Georgia!

Athens, I miss you.

I hope you did not read the title of this post and think that me missing Athens means I hate Hyde Park and New York; this is not the case. This is what I miss about Athens:
*Jess and Eliot
*that everyone talks like me
*my roommates (Jenny and the twins)
*my friends and WL Team
*Chickfila
*Zaxby's
*Doc Chey's
*Yoguri
*Kroger/ Publix (yes, I miss the grocery store)
*my queen bed (O.M.G. I miss it so.)
*more than my queen bed, I miss having a room to myself and not in a high maintenance kind of way
*my car
*the weather (I would rather KNOW that it is going to be hot and not have bipolar weather)
And this list could continue.

This is my attempt at a segway to the topic of my talk with my Residence Director, in that Athens equals no one such person. For those of you who know my room situation, you know that it is not the best case scenario. The rule stands that no guests can be in the room after 11pm. One point for Haley. A contract can be signed for all those living in the room, and if this is broken, disciplinary action can be taken. One point, if needed, for Haley. Basically, I am right; in all things about this situation, I am right and the other is wrong. I know I am being vague, but you can ask for details. Unfortunately, this is real life.

Yesterday, I only had one class at 11:30, Product Knowledge. Professor Mosher graded our quizzes, handed them back, and reviewed them. I did okay, not great, but I am still on the path to an A or A-. After talking about our quizzes, we started a new unit on tomatoes, peppers, and squash. Tomatoes are selected by the type of tomato, the color, the size, and the degree of ripeness. Mmm peppers. Peppers have capsaicin, an irritating element, and the more capsaicin that in a pepper means the hotter it is. In Scoville units, the measurement of the spiciness of a pepper, the Anaheim pepper is the mildest with 2000 units, and the Scotch Bonnet is the hottest with 350,000 units. Squash includes eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers, butternut squash, etc. Squashes are selected based on level of maturity; zucchini is picked immature, called a soft shell squash, and butternut squash is picked ripe, called a hard shell squash. Mosher gave us samples of the Padron pepper, two types of cucumbers (ew cucumbers, yum pickles), spaghetti squash, and the Chayote squash.

After PK, Alex, Jason, Emily, and I worked on our math project in the library and actually finished it. It is due on July 2. (I am turning over a new leaf and not procrastinating!) We were given a recipe and had to apply all we have learned in Culinary Math thus far to scale the recipe, figure out how much edible product we need, how much we need to purchase, and how much it will all cost. I enjoyed working on the first part but figuring out how much cilantro we needed chopped, the amount we should purchase in bunches, and the cost was a pain. Ten percent of that class done.

I went to Banquet last night. Danielle does not think we have to go every day, but it is part of our PK grade. I want to ensure I get all five points for participation because those are easy points.
SPECIAL DRINK (loved it): Lemonade with Vanilla Bean
Appetizer: Mushroom and Sausage Risotto
Entree: Salmon with Mashed Potatoes and Haricots Verts
Dessert: Cheesecake with a Berry Sauce and Berry Salsa

Today, I took the shuttle to the Mall to buy a few things. I am looking forward to having my car here, but until then, I am mastering public transportation and navigating places just fine. I ate fast food (glorious). I went to Target, and Old Navy, and the Loft, and DSW, and Gap, and other fabulous places. I did not buy too much. I got some things to celebrate the Fourth of July (shocking). I enjoyed myself.

Now, I am back at the CIA. I just finished the first part of Season One of Glee. Everyone told me that I, of all people, would love, love, love Glee. True story. Now, I must wait for Volume 2 to come out on DVD. How am I going to go to sleep now with nothing to fall asleep watching? I guess I will have to get hooked to another show. Is there rehab for an addiction to TV on DVD?

Tonight and tomorrow is the Stars and Stripes celebration here at the CIA. There will be a dance and fireworks at Anton Plaza (in front of Roth) tonight. Tomorrow, there is a block party behind Rosenthal Hall with games, music, BBQ. It should be fun.

Team USA lost. World Cup dreams over. Clemson lost in Omaha. South Carolina and UCLA in the College World Series finals. Hmm.

Less than two weeks, people. Get excited. Three weeks with no roommate! Yippee. Oh, and I get to see most of you; that is exciting too. :)

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

"You deserve to die.."

We, of course, walked into the classroom for Gastronomy, and Professor Raider handed us a pop quiz. I have mentioned that I like this class, before, but it is definitely not as easy for me as Culinary Math and Food Safety. The quiz was on foie gras. I tasted that a few weeks ago, remember? I hated it, and I hated taking a quiz on it. After our quiz, two groups presented on two chefs, whose impact on the culinary world we can actually see today. Learning about Alice Waters, I now want to eat at her restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkley. She changes the menu based on the local, organic, and sustainable products available. Craig Claiborne was born in Mississippi but was inspired by the cooking of Morocco, specifically with cous-cous. Each group prepared a dish, a fresh salad with a vinaigrette made with herbs ground in a mortar and pestle to represent Waters and an orzo salad from one of Craig Claiborne's cookbooks. Now, I know where the CIA Bookstore got its name, from Craig Claiborne, who donated part of his estate to the CIA. After the presentations, we reviewed the five questions (who, what, when, where, how) of nouvelle cuisine and cuisine monsieur.

In Food Safety, Vergili split us into groups of four or five, and he gave each group a recent food-borne outbreak. Of course, by mere coincidence, my assigned food of concern was the peanut outbreak of 2009 in Georgia. We had to answer five questions about our food. Here are three interesting facts about the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) outbreak; nine people died, with mostly the high-risk elderly population being affected; the PCA continued to operate, choosing to ignore twelve positive tests of Salmonella; and this outbreak resulted in the largest food recall in U.S. history. There needs to be more strict regulations for the processing of peanuts. PCA, in my opinion, is fully responsible for this outbreak. As future chefs and bakers, it is our responsibility to stay well-informed of the news concerning food illnesses and pathogens, and it is important for us to take immediate action, as our food and reputation depend on us doing so. We must only buy from reputable suppliers, who have the proper certifications or paperwork that meets certain standards of safety and quality. (Nestle refused to purchase ingredients from PCA after performing their own inspection of the PCA's plants in Georgia and Texas.)

The other five recent outbreaks have been linked to Banquet Turkey Pot Pies, Spinach, Beef Patties, Cookie Dough, and Hot Peppers, with the pathogens of concern being either E. coli or Salmonella. Professor Vergili pointed out that all of the outbreaks are from products manufactured by major food companies, such as ConAgra and Nestle. He is particularly passionate about the beef patties, called Chef Select Angus Beef Burgers. I would not get him started. He said today, "If you purchase this meat, then you deserve to die." It was a heated moment. Each beef patty can be ground from multiple different animals, up to eight cows per patty. Though I do not necessarily agree with his harsh statement, I will think again before pulling a patty out of the freezer to put on the grill. I do like a good black bean burger!

I enjoyed dinner tonight at Banquet. A new block started on Monday (except for me, as Block B is six weeks and not three), and the students in Banquets and Catering just began this class. They look scared to death. A few things on the menu are beginning to repeat, meaning I have already had them before prepared the same way. I do not mind so much, but I might start trying the vegetarian option just for fun.

Appetizer: Grouper Fingers with a Roumalade and Cole Slaw
Entree: Stuffed Sausage Pork Loin with a Stuffed Tomato and Fingerling Potatoes
Dessert: Chocolate Cake with Creme Anglaise and Raspberries

Tonight there is a mandatory hall meeting at 8:30. I am fairly confident that we are going to talk about the procedures for how we are supposed to leave our belongings when we go away for summer break. I already know that I have to take everything out of my chest of drawers because I am getting a new one. Other than that, I hope we do not have to do a lot of stuff before we leave and that the meeting does not take too long.

FYI, I am talking to my Residence Director tomorrow concerning my room situation, if you know what I mean. Wish me luck.

Oh, and Isner won today, after a first round match that took three days and over 11 hours, with a fifth set, 70-68. If a tennis match is going to go down in history as the longest tennis match ever and a former Bulldog is playing, then of course I am routing for my former player. However, Isner's competitor should be pretty proud of himself; I would take being the loser in the longest ever tennis match and be in the record books!

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

Goodbye, Chair.

Unfortunately, my big, fluffy chair in my room was taken today. The chair violated the fire code, but I already knew that it did. I asked the Residence Director when she came to our room one day a few weeks ago if it met the code; she helped me find the materials tag and decided that it was not. I have no car and therefore no place to put this chair. I was not going to throw it away and decided to take full advantage of its comfyness until they checked the room. My choice was to either ask them to store it or wait until they came to do a room check. No worries because I can get it back in a few weeks and there is no penalty.

I had the hardest time waking up this morning, but I had to study for Product Knowledge. After getting dressed, I headed to the library to study in the quiet area. How hard is it to be quiet in the quiet area? You see the sign and there are other parts of the library that can be used for group study (aka you can talk rooms). I studied for about an hour, learning about the quality factors for and products of cabbage, greens, tubers, onions, stalk vegetables, etc. Our quiz in PK was twenty multiple choice questions, like the first quiz, but there was also a practical portion with ten additional questions. We had to go to the front of the class and answer questions about specific products. For example, there were two varieties of mushrooms on the counter, and we had to write their as-purchased name and whether they were cultivated or wild mushrooms. I think I did okay, but I already know I missed a few.

Before we took the quiz, Professor Mosher lectured about pods and roots. Pods include green beans, haricots verts, sugar snap peas, edamame, and snow peas. Roots include beets, radishes, turnips, horseradish, and parsnips. We tasted parsnips and turnips, as well as edamame, or soybeans. Did you know that eating too much soy can have adverse long-term effects on the body, such as on the liver? Vegetarians and vegans should be aware of this. I guess I should stop eating so much tofu and drinking soy milk everyday. Yeah, right.

Danielle and I worked out today. I made it on the elliptical for twenty-five minutes, while Danielle lasted an extra five minutes. She wanted to do yoga. I have never done yoga in my entire life. I acted like I knew what I was doing, when I was really just stretching. The main thing I hate about working out, especially here, is that I have to look presentable again after. With dinner an hour and a half after I worked out, I had to look professional again after being all sweaty. Geez.

I went to Banquet again tonight. I must admit that, while it does get annoying having to go night after night, I did miss it. Knowing where I am eating for dinner versus figuring it out with all of the other students on campus is simpler and easier.

Appetizer: Pork and Grape Kabob with Carrot Salad
Entree: Braised Short Ribs with Broccoli and Rice
Dessert: Creme Brulee with Strawberries and Homemade Chocolate Almond Biscotti (I LOVE creme brulee but I hate the carmelized sugar, or burnt sugar really, on the top. The creaminess of the custard with the crunchy of the sugar does not go together to me. I think that I am in the minority on this one. Maybe, one I graduate, I can change the world?!)

Tonight, we had math for a little bit longer than usual. We went over our quiz (19/20!), talked about recipe costing, and worked through some examples. Nothnagel also gave us our project assignments, due in one week, which apply all that we have learned thus far to one specific recipe using Excel. Jason, Alex, and I (Bocuse team) are on a team, along with Emily, who I mentioned giving her presentation before us on Tuesday in Gastronomy. It should be easy; I enjoy working on our own when it comes to Culinary Math.

The new season of Top Chef started last week, and of course, as culinary students, we love watching that show. There are actually several contestants who graduated from the CIA and one woman even teaches here. It is fun being able to see what we are learning about here being cooked on TV. I have not picked a favorite yet, but GO CIA STEELS. (FYI, Stephanie brought vegan cupcakes for us to try while we were watching Top Chef. They were made with peanut butter that already had cayenne pepper mixed with it; I have never heard of cayenne peanut butter. She also added cocoa powder, chocolate chips, coffee, and mint extract. They actually were really delicious, but there was a lot going on in them.)

I love watching the news and keeping up-to-date with what is going on in the world of sports. Have y'all heard about the former Georgia Bulldog tennis player, Isner, at Wimbledon? They suspended play today due to darkness but it is tied 59-59 in the fifth set. Are you serious? This match has broken the record for the longest tennis match with over ten hours of play, over seven in the fifth set. WOW. GO DAWGS!

Two more days and then it is the weekend! YAY.

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

Block B Blah.

Gastronomy project, worth 25% of my grade. Check. Easiest Food Safety quiz ever. Check. Reading for Product Knowledge. Check. Reading for Math. Half Check. Studying for PK quiz. No check yet. Oops. After tomorrow, I will be done for the week really. I do not have any assignments or quizzes on Thursday or Friday. Praise the Lord.

In Gastronomy this morning, we began class with a lecture/review of Le Grand Cuisine and Classic Haute Cuisine. Studying the progression of cuisine over time, the culinary contributions and philosophies of specific chefs, and how world events and technology have changed the way we view food is interesting. It is not my favorite thing we have studied or talked about in this class, however. With an hour left in class, Stephanie and Emily presented on Point, the French chef who is credited with introducing nouvelle cuisine. For their presentation, we also tasted two of Point's recipes, a beet and carrot salad and madeleines (one with Emily's modern twist). After they presented, Alex, Jason, and I did our presentation on Paul Bocuse. I specifically talked about his restaurants, the Bocuse d'Or culinary competition, and the Institut Paul Bocuse. We showed a video and served beet salad. Beets, beets, beets; I hate them. Professor Raider raved that she has seen several presentations on Bocuse, but no one seems to get him. She thinks we understand him.

In Food Safety, we had a ten question quiz over everything we have covered in that class thus far. It was the easiest multiple choice quiz ever, and I know I aced it officially, after going over the answers after the quiz class. We continued talking about the Hep A virus and Professor Vergili also lectured on parasitism. Roundworms and tapeworms, etc. Gross.

I checked my mail after Food Safety. (Thanks, Mom, Jess, and Gam. I promise not to spend too much money.) I hung out in my room for a bit, and then I went to Roth for dinner. I ate at the Cuisines of Asia again tonight. My Mom was a bit confused as to why I chose to eat at this kitchen again. Well, I really like their food and I can eat there whenever I want. I have no clue as to what specifically it was that I ate tonight. Wonton soup. Fish. It tasted very Asian. I was running a little late and they were closing the kitchen; I did not read the menu but asked for whatever they had left to eat. Banquet again tomorrow. Get excited, people.

I am feeling more and more settled here each and every day. I think that is why I do not have much fascinating to share these days. I am just continuing to go to class, eat fabulous food, and count the days until Block B is over. When Block B is over, I can look forward to some time at home and to coming back in August to actually learn about baking and pastry. My four classes now are okay, but I am over them. On the upside, when I come back, I will change classes every three weeks, and I am sure I will have plenty to talk about when I start these new classes. Look forward to that.

I need to study for Product Knowledge. I do not know if I can tell a pearl onion from a shallot or bok choy from Swiss chard. I better get on that.

Miss you, Georgia.

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

First Day of Summer!

Today is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. When I woke this morning, I was not necessarily looking forward to it being a long day, school wise, but it proved to be a relatively easy day. I do not have anything too exciting to share, but I thought I would write a post anyway; some faithful followers (JESS) get agitated when I do not post every day! Happy First Day of Summer, Jess; consider this an early Christmas present.

I finished my product specification on tangerines this morning. If you ever need to order tangerines from a supplier, I am your girl. Tangerines come in 43 pound 4/5 bushel crates with a minimum count of 64. Tangerines should be firm, evenly shaped, brightly colored fruits, and they should be heavy for their size. No soft spots should be accepted, but thorn scratches are okay. Tangerines are closely related to mandarins and should be stored in cool, humid conditions. Riveting stuff, right?

Chef Mattel is in Kansas City this week with the Skills USA competition, and therefore, he will miss Product Knowledge all week. Chef Mosher is teaching us instead. Today we reviewed mushrooms and talked about tubers and onions. Tubers are the reproductive part of the plant underground that stores starch and water. Potatoes (tubers) are mostly different from one another based on their moisture. For example, russet (baking or Idaho) potatoes are low moisture and are a good choice for fried potatoes (aka French fries). Did you know that the sweet potato and the yam are the same thing? Well, they are. We tasted fingerling potatoes, jicama, and cipollini onions. Onions are separated based on if they are dry or green. Vidalias, or sweet onions, are dry onions, and leeks are green. Mosher talked about Vidalias being grown in a select area in Georgia, and only certain onions can be labeled as such. (The same thing goes for Champagne in France being called sparkling wine other places.)

Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays, I have a break from 1:30 to 5:30 if I have Banquet or 6:30 if I do not have Banquet. Today, I studied for my math quiz, and I read a little for Food Safety. With my presentation on Bocuse being tomorrow, I also reviewed for that. Today is a new block for most students and an entry date for new students; therefore, we did not have Banquet today (it is reserved for the newbies). At 6, I walked to Roth, went downstairs, and ordered the combo stir fry with pork and TANGERINE (go me!) chicken from the Cuisines of Asia kitchen. I enjoyed it.

Then, it was time for math. Blah. We had a quiz today, and it was more difficult than the first one. It almost took me the entire hour and twenty minutes to finish it, but I checked over it a few times. Some of the questions were confusing, and I changed a few answers a couple of times. I think I did well, though, hopefully.

My presentation on Bocuse, which is 25% of my grade in Gastronomy, is tomorrow morning. I also have a Food Safety quiz immediately following Gastronomy. On Wednesday, I have another Product Knowledge quiz, which requires me to identify any of the produce I have blogged about since day one. Ew. Tonight looks like it is going to be a study night, with distractions welcome!

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

*Welcome home, Karen Swann, from Europe. I hope you had a trip of a lifetime, little cousin!

"Lullaby" in the City.

Yesterday, I had a fabulous day in New York City. Like I have said, or written, before, I sometimes forget that I live in New York, just a quick train ride from Grand Central Terminal and one of the greatest cities in the entire world. With me being a "New Yorkian" now, I find myself going into the City to explore the City, as if I am a townie. My insistence on using the word "y'all" in every other sentence and my nickname here at the Culinary of Peaches begs to argue that I am indeed not a New Yorker but a true Southerner at heart. Why can I not be both, at least for two years?

Danielle knocked on my door a little before 9 and Melissa joined us a little later. We gathered all of our things, talked a bit, and headed to breakfast around 9:30. The next train that we could make did not leave until 10:30, and therefore, we went to McDonald's and Starbucks to start the day out right. We took the express train from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central, with minimal stops, but stopping at Yankees-153rd. I will admit that, though I do like sports, I am not a big baseball fan. The Mets and the Yankees played this weekend, a big weekend for New Yorkers. As the conductor (do I call him that or just "train guy?") announced the stop for Yankees stadium, he said that for those on the train not a Yankees fan then let's go Mets. It is like college football in Alabama. You might not attend either school, but you have an allegiance to one or the other. New Yorkers, whether they really care about the game or not, pick the Yankees or the Mets.

(Side note: Melissa had never been to NYC.) From Grand Central, we headed to Fifth Avenue to do a little shopping. I bought a few things, but I held myself back for the most part. I almost had a breakdown in one store (not really, but I was stressed) because it was so dang crowded. It is all the people, everywhere, that might eventually prevent me from ever living in the City. I needed to buy something from a department store and we headed to Macy's. When I go to Macy's, I always think about Thanksgiving, Miracle on 34th Street, and Christmas. (I think the movie connects those three things in my head.) Knowing I will still be at the CIA in November makes me excited slash nervous (see almost crowd breakdown above) about the possibility of coming to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We shall see.

We had almost shopped until we dropped at this point and we needed food, fast. There was a pizza place down Broadway called Pronto Pizza. Perfect. I ordered a big slice of cheese pizza and a Coke (not it is not pop or soda). Danielle, like me, was ready to chill for a little while and get away from all the people. We walked down Seventh to Central Park. We chilled on a rock for a bit, until I had to go meet Fallon at the Subway. Central Park amazes me; I find it strange and awesome all at the same time. Big City. Big green space in the middle. Perfect hideaway.

I walked to the Subway at Columbus Circle and rode the 1 to 110th Street. Fallon made me stand for like 10 minutes at the Westside Market as she was running late and waited to catch a train at 96th. Geez, Fuzzy. The 3 for $5 raspberries at this Market intrigued me and I told Fallon this. She wondered why I had not gone in to explore while I waited, as she shops here and thinks it is awesome. One day, I want to get a meal here to eat in the Park or to take back on the train. Fizzy, make it happen.

Fallon tried to kill me as we walked to the Hungarian pastry shop. (She does not always wait for the nice little walker man to light before she crosses the street.) We ordered a hazelnut pastry unlike anything I have ever tasted. Across the street from the pastry shop is the sculpture children made. I still do not understand it, but Fallon and I shared our dessert and chatted. Enter heart-to-heart here. After making friends with Mr. Squirrel and cute birdies, we strolled to her apartment. Fabulous apartment, where we watched a bit of So You Think You Can Dance (no, I do not think I can dance). We decided on a place to eat, Calle Ocho, and headed there on the train and by foot. The CIA has nothing on Calle Ocho (maybe the Chef went to the CIA?). The dip and bread they bring you when you sit down is indescribable. Black bean hummusish? Anyway, I ordered the spice-rubbed salmon with cucumber relish and lobster mash. I cannot even blog about it because it makes me what it again RIGHT NOW. Fallon had "duck two ways," and we split a hazelnut (I love hazelnuts, okay?), peanut butter chocolate crust, coffee ice cream dream dessert creation (maybe the Pastry Chef went to the CIA too?).

Danielle and Melissa met with friends and were down in the Lower East Side at this point. It would have taken me an hour to get there, and we decided to just meet back at GCT in two hours. Fallon and I walked through the Theodore Roosevelt (the Roosevelts and I are bffs these days) Park, near the Museum of Natural History, and to Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Fallon had never been; I tend to get lost every time I go but not this time (Thanks, Fuzz). It was interesting to go at night. I explained to Fallon about the Dakota, where John Lennon lived and was assassinated. At this point, I still had an hour until I needed to head back. Fallon and I sat on a bench between 71st and 72 on Amsterdam to kill time. Insert sounds of the City here, as we were in the middle of a cross section of the street. Fallon explained to me how to navigate my way on the Subway back to GCT and we parted ways.

By the time I got to GCT around midnight, the last train directly to Poughkeepsie was scheduled to leave in five minutes. Danielle, Melissa, and I decided to meet at 12:30, and I was early; therefore, we missed that train. The train we actually took was a train to Croton Harmon, with a connection to Poughkeepsie. It stopped at, I think, every stop on the Hudson Line to Croton Harmon, and then when we stopped at Croton Harmon, we had to change trains. Basically from now on, I hope to make the last train that goes directly to Poughkeepsie. By the time we made it back to the CIA, it was 3:30 AM, and I was exhausted.

Today, I slept in, did some laundry, and changed my sheets. (I finally got my duvet cover for my comforter. It is lovely.) I have a big week this week, with projects, quizzes, etc. I tried to organize everything for the week today; we will see how well I did come Friday. All-in-all, it was a good recovery day.

Jason, Alex, and I worked on our presentation tonight at Alex's house off campus. She even offered to cook us dinner, complete with lamb burgers, provolone, arugula salad with fennel, and homemade sweet potato fries. It was really, really good. It was nice to eat dinner in a home, instead of at Banquet, or in Farq, or out. We are making a beet salad for the class to try with Bocuse's influences, and Jason made it for us to try before making the one for the class tomorrow. I do not really like beets, but the pink color was pretty. We looked over our notes and completed a worksheet for our math quiz tomorrow. Now, it is 10:30, and I am exhausted.

Tomorrow, I have to wake at a reasonable hour to finish my product specification on tangerines. Remember me mentioning that? All I know right now is that tangerines should be heavy for their size. Interesting. It is going to be a good week. I just know it.

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

*Thanks, Fallon, for a wonderful night in the City, and for my sweet note. Love you, second sis!

Baker's Choice- Gold.

I thought I would post a few pictures from my hourish long adventure yesterday with JCon. This picture was taken of the Hudson from the Vanderbilt Mansion. We had to cross a sketchy one-way bridge and drive from Route 9 back on the property to the Hudson. The Hyde Park Trail goes all around the city of Hyde Park, but one part stretches from the FDR Estate to the Vanderbilt Mansion (3 miles), starting (or ending) here. My goal is to hike the entire trail before I graduate.
This is the Vanderbilt mansion, one of many. I believe, from my reading, that this was used for several weeks in the Fall and Winter and for an occasional weekend in the Winter, when the Vanderbilts were not living on Fifth Avenue or vacationing, of course. I am excited about going inside one day.
This is the Stone Cottage of Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of FDR, at Valkill, her residence. To the right of where I took this picture is the swimming pool, which is not usable now. I want to take a tour of Valkill and the FDR Estate to better understand all about the Roosevelts and their properties and why there are so many. Did you know that FDR's cousin was Theodore Roosevelt, who was Eleanor Roosevelt's uncle? Think about that for a second. Eleanor lived here from FDR's death in '45 (I think) to her death in the '60s.
This is what is known as Valkill and is the main house on the Eleanor Roosevelt's property. It is relatively close to the Stone Cottage, which was the original house on the property. The fence on the right encloses a beautiful garden. To the left of where I am standing is what is left of the tennis court and beyond that is the Valkill Pond (or Lake?). JCon and I were surprised by the upkeep of the property, thinking it would look better than it does. In our exploring, we found many places that would make a great backdrop for a wedding or other big events.
I did not intend to cut my head off in this picture, but I actually like it. Here I am, in my chef whites, the whole reason I wanted to become a chef. (Can you see my Apalachee shirt I am wearing underneath? That is totally against dress code, but GO PANTHERS!) Okay, the comfortable pajama-like pants are not the only reason I am here at the CIA, but they are an added plus. The gold inscription of my name is recognizable of baking and pastry students. Culinary students have green lettering. I had the option of including my middle initial: good choice? The outfit is not complete without houndstooth pants, a neckerchief, a toque, black shoes, and an apron. One word: HOT! I will post the whole get-up one day soon.

JCon let me stay with her in the hotel to get away from the roommate life. I woke up around 10 to get ready for the day. JCon drove me to the CIA, I dropped my things off at my room, and we walked to the fountain in front of Roth Hall. We asked for someone to take our picture, our one and only picture of her visit, where I am not looking my best. Oh well. We said our goodbyes, and I walked to class.

Today in Product Knowledge, we talked about fungi (mushrooms) and stalk vegetables. I think you can gather from my previous blogs about this class that there are a lot of variety in produce. Who knew there were so many types of mushrooms? Wild or cultivated. Dried or frozen. Open veil or closed veil. Chef Mattel offered different types for us to try. I have always liked mushrooms but the shiitake we tried today were some of the best I have ever had (and they were dried). A fellow student brought truffles for us to try, as they are the underground portion of the fungus. Some truffles can sell for $3000 per pound. (Waste of money, in my humble opinion.) We talked about immature stalk vegetables, such as asparagus and celery. We tried fennel and rhubarb. No to the fennel. Yes to the rhubarb, which I have never tasted. As a baker, I guess I must try the rhubarb pie now.

This week has been exhausting. I mean, it was my first full week of classes here at the CIA. Therefore, after PK, I came back and took a nap. Glorious. Since it is graduation Friday, we did not have Banquet last night or tonight. (We also do not have it on Monday with new students arriving and eating there for Orientation.) So, Danielle and I went to the Cuisines of Asia tonight, where they were serving Indian food. We both ordered the eggplant curry, and it was delicious. People say that I will get sick of the food over time, but I do not see how.

Math tonight did not last too long. We reviewed calculations with as-purchased values, edible portions, and percent yields for our quiz on Monday. After we went over a few problems together as a class and finished the remainder of our worksheet with our group, we were free to go. Professor Nothnagel will not be in town next Friday, and therefore we will not have class but will have class for two hours next Wednesday and the following Monday, instead of the hour and twenty minutes. I feel like its going to be a win on Friday and a lose-lose on Wednesday and Monday.

Now, sitting here, I am just being lazy, and that is okay with me. Sometimes, it is frustrating not to have a car, but I only have to really live without the Acura for another three weeks. Then, I will fly home in early July and drive back to New York in August. I do not feel like I even live in NY most of the time; if I had my car, then I could just drive a few hours to Georgia, right? I wish, especially this week/weekend.

EAT MY WORDS
XOXO

Haley

*Thank you, JCon, for coming to visit. I had a blast, and I hope you enjoyed exploring Hyde Park/Poughkeepsie. I cannot wait for you to come visit again sometime, and I promise, we will go to NYC and see a Broadway show TOGETHER.

Did I move to Seattle?

Here is a newsflash for you, weather; it is June 17. I have lived in the Hudson Valley now for almost three weeks. For the majority of my time here, it has been chilly and rainy. I just talked to my sister on the phone walking back to Angell, and while she is driving to sunny (not oily yet) Destin, Florida, I am freezing to death here in New York. Does anyone feel sorry for me?

Yesterday, I had Product Knowledge in the morning and math last night. In PK, he handed back our quizzes (19/20), and we began a new unit on the cabbage family. When I think of cabbage, I think egg rolls and sauerkraut. Just so you know, there are many different vegetables in Mr. Cabbage's family: bok choy, Tuscan kale, collard greens, red cabbage, etc. We sampled a few of the cabbages, including kimchi, a pickled cabbage, mostly used in Korean cuisine. On later tests, we are going to be asked to recognize a specific product by its as-purchased name. I need to start visiting the storeroom in Roth, because a leafy green looks like a leafy green to me. "Oh, yes, that is standard kale." No, I am not that good, yet.

After PK, I tried to come back to my room to take a nap, as I was not feeling the greatest. I could not sleep, and therefore, I tried to get started on some school assignments. At about this time, I received a phone call, and I guess I will just leave it at that. (I am sure I will blog more about it later some time.) Before I knew it, it was time for dinner. I went to Banquet, for one of my favorite meals I have had in the East Wing in a while now:
Appetizer- Pasta Puttanesca (with Capers!) and Fettuccine with Ricotta and Spinach
Entree- Salmon (my favorite) with a Sweet Glaze, Leek Pilaf, and Green Beans
Dessert- Carrot Cake

From Banquet, I headed straight to math, where we learned how to use percent yields to calculate the as-purchased amounts and edible portions. In a recipe, if ingredients are designated in weights or volumes, the yield percent is used. If the ingredients are in counts (such as a whole onion or bunch of thyme), then no percent yield is needed. We went over several examples, and then, we answered questions on a handout. I do not find this math hard, and even though I am only in class for a little over an hour, I find it hard to stay engaged in what we are doing.

JCON IS HERE. We had to play hide-and-seek with campus markers before I actually saw her. She was driving around, and I did not know where she was. Anyway, she parked, and we walked to my room, to pack a few things. After walking around campus for a little bit, we drove to Target and then to Coldstone (Marble Slab, you are still my #1!) to chat for a little while, before heading back to the hotel. We watched the season premiere of Top Chef, and as JCon went to bed (she drove a looooong way), I watched the second half of an episode of Law and Order: SVU (my other guilty pleasure, right Fizzy?). Even though I have spent the past two summers without TV, I still find it weird (but also refreshing) to live without it.

This morning, JCon and I headed back to the CIA. We had a little bit of time to kill before my class at 11:30, and I showed her around a bit. We ordered some breakfast at the Apple Pie Bakery (croissant and coffee for JCon and NUTELLA DANISH for me), and we talked specifics about the CIA and my program. I have not eaten at the Apple Pie Bakery since I moved here; it is relatively expensive and I already pay for meals with my tuition. It was delicious, and I cannot wait to work there, as that is my last two blocks here at the CIA.

I've been in class all day today. In Gastronomy, we took a quiz. Then, we talked a little about cuisine, the definition of cuisine, how to define it with questions, and the timeline of cuisine. Remember all the talk about my Gastro project on Paul Bocuse? Well, over the next two and a half weeks, each person in the class will present with their group a specific type of cuisine of a well-known chef. Today, two presentations were given on Careme, credited with Le Grande Cuisine, and Escoffier, credited with Classic Haute Cuisine. Alex, Jason, and I give our presentation on Tuesday.

In Food Safety, guess what we talked about? Yes, we continued with food-borne illnesses, specifically food-borne intoxications and infections, along with food-borne toxin-mediated infections. A food-borne intoxication is an illness that occurs from ingesting a toxin; the effects of the intoxication is felt almost immediately, like eating/drinking poison. A food-borne infection occurs when bacteria grows inside the body and onset is ususally 24-72 hours. InFection= Fever (see the F?). Food-borne toxin-mediated infections happen when bacteria produce toxins inside the body after being ingested. Want to eat now?

JCon knows more about Hyde Park and the CIA now than I do. While I was in class, she walked the pedestrian bridge (the world's longest) over the Hudson River. She visited the FDR Estate, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and the city of Poughkeepsie. JCon called after her campus tour. She was so excited to tell me about her awesome day. The Hudson Valley is a beautiful area with so many awesome things to do and see. I cannot wait to have my car to go exploring and hiking. We drove from the CIA to the Vanderbilt Mansion, and then, with a little time before our dinner reservation, we drove to Eleanor Roosevelt's house, Valkill. I have loved FDR ever since I did a presentation on him in the 5th grade (dressed like him, sitting in a wheelchair, giving a fireside chat). With what JCon has told me and with the little I saw today, I am not afraid to admit that I am excited about visiting Springwood, his home on the Hudson, and his Presidential Library.

JCon and I ate at the Ristorante Caterina de' Medici in the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine at the CIA. The menu was confusing, with antipasta, salads, first courses, main courses, etc. We, unashamed, asked the waiter what to do; he is getting a grade for this class and did not mind answering our questions. I ordered an asparagus, frisee, mustard salad and a chocolate martini for a cocktail. JCon and I shared a "pizza" tart with mushroom and peas. For my main meal, I ordered the homemade pasta with fish. For dessert, I had warm chocolate cake with a strawberry sauce. JCon had a salad, ravioli (with walnut sauce), and a selection of three homemade ice creams. It was delicious. I can now check off two of the five restaurants!

One more day of school. Almost halfway through Block B. NYC this weekend. Georgia in three weeks. Phew.

EAT MY WORDS.

Haley

*Thank you, JCon, for going to breakfast with me this morning; my life will never be the same knowing the Apple Pie has Nutella danishes.

*Thank you, Carlton, our waiter at Caterina, for being so precious. You did not mind me yelling your name across the restaurant (though I think JCon did), and you kept our water glasses full the whole meal. If only you did not hate on pastry students AND were not graduating three weeks after summer break..

Famous Chef?

(In reformatting my blog, this post was lost in translation, as far as font style, and I cannot figure out how to change it to look like the rest. It is driving me crazy!)

Gastronomy may prove to be my hardest class this block, but I enjoy every second of it. We continued talking about taste and flavor in today's class. Professor Raider thinks that developing one's palette is just as important as knife skills. Never before have I thought so much about the foods I am putting in my mouth as I do now. Does that mushroom have so much depth as to weigh on my palette? What areas of my mouth are sensitive to the tastes of salty, sweet, bitter, and sour? Considering I am in culinary school, I guess it is expected that I learn about taste, flavor, and texture. Raider suggests trying things three times (prepared three different ways if possible) before deciding like or dislike. If you try something three times, your taste will adapt to that food, and the initial response will decrease or change.

In Gastronomy and Product Knowledge, we usually spend the last thirty minutes of class tasting different foods. Today, in Gastro, we tasted seven different chocolates. It was a little different than tasting chocolates in Chocolate Science at UGA. We had three samples for each type, and with each sample, we were told to score the taste from 0-10 (such as SWEET 7, SALTY 2). I scored each sample for the third chocolate somewhere on the bitter, sour scale. The sixth chocolate was incredibly bitter, almost like chalk. Immediately after the sixth, we sampled the seventh. I scored the seventh on the sweet, salty scale. The third and the seventh samples were the same. Our mouth is an incredible organ, if you will, that successively contrasts, compensates, and adapts. Lastly, Raider explained the difference between caramelization and the Maillard Reaction (go UGA Food Chemistry!) and gave us a "caramel" to try, which was actually not heated to the proper caramelization temperature, meaning it was a "Maillard."

In Food Safety today, we talked more about pH and water activity. As far as food-borne pathogens and illnesses, foods less than 4.6 on the pH scale (called high-acid foods) are not considered TCS (time-temperature control for safety foods). Foods with a water activity lower than 0.85 are also not considered TCS foods. Therefore, foods with a pH above 4.6 and with a water activity between 0.85 and 1 are considered TCS foods, foods of concern for microbial growth. Vergili also lectured about Bacillus cereus and Clostridium botulinum, and the foods of concern with these microorganisms (starches for B. cereus and canned foods for C. botulinum). I am usually ready for that class to end after two hours.

I have about an hour between Food Safety and Banquet. I do not have a television in my room and therefore cannot watch some of my favorite shows when they actually air. So, I came back and watched the first hour of The Bachelorette. You can judge me, if you want; I admit that series is one of my guilty pleasures. Yay Chris from Cape Cod and Roberto.

Instead of typing useless words, I am going to eliminate some information regarding dinner and other meals. I feel like I write a paragraph and type "for dinner" or "for dessert" every blog. You get sick of reading it, and I am sick of typing it. Let's simplify life; it is too precious to waste time.

Dinner at Banquet:
Appetizer- Potato and Leek Soup with Mushrooms
Entree- Provolone and Spinach Stuffed Flank Steak, Polenta Fries (AH-mazing!), Zucchini
Dessert- Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Creme Anglaise

Straight in front of me at dinner, at an opposite table, sat this guy that looked so familiar. I could not figure out for the life or me who he was, but I knew I recognized him from somewhere, not the CIA. I came back after dinner to figure it out before it drove me crazy. It was Stephen Asprinio from Top Chef (Season 1, I think). I just knew I had seen him on TV, but I do not know anything specific about him. There you go, my first famousish chef sighting.

Tonight, I am going to a Chefs for Community Service meeting. I have been exploring multiple clubs over the past three weeks. Everyone here has a common passion, food, and the clubs are rather interesting in bringing that passion together outside of class. Plus, with people facilitating on and off campus every three weeks, it is always a plus to get involved and meet new people.

Tomorrow, JCon is coming to visit me for a few days, and I am so excited. She is my first visitor technically (besides my sis, Fallon, and Morgan who helped me move), but hopefully she will not be my last. Come to Hyde Park. I promise you will want to come now rather than in a few months, if you know what I mean.

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

First grade: 100!

Nothing interesting, really, happened yesterday. Therefore, I did not blog about it. I slept and studied. You would not want to read about that.

Today, I woke at 3:30 am, I mean 9:30, to the sounds of people, I mean birds. I wanted to review my notes for Product Knowledge before the test at 11:30. Fortunately or unfortunately, Chef Mattel lectured more about lettuce, salad greens, and cooking greens for about an hour and a half before we took our exam. Lettuce, for example iceberg and romaine, salad greens, such as arugula and endive, and cooking greens, mustard greens and spinach, differ based on their flavor profiles. The salad greens are the most bitter, or alkaline, a characteristic of plants meant to defend themselves (hence why most people do not like bitter). We were able to try many, many of these different leafy vegetables (and there are a lot). My new favorite is Swiss Chard; sauteed, it is delicious. I feel like I am cheating on the Collard Greens, but, no worries, they are in the cabbage family, a whole separate category of veggies. We took the test, which I felt went okay, and then we were dismissed for the day.

I went downstairs to check my mail, one of my favorite parts of the day (hint, hint), and I had three packages and one letter. I feel loved, guys, and I appreciate it. Seriously, with technology these days, sending letters has become a lost art, and I think that this fact is sad, very sad. There is something so personal and meaningful about the simple art of writing a letter (or sending a package), putting a stamp on it, and either putting it in the mailbox (the little red flag is fun enough, as it is) or taking it to the post office. I was telling someone the other day that one of my ideal jobs on campus would be to work in the mail room. Dork alert.

I came back to my room, an empty room (PTL), opened all my goodies, and tried to catch up on some things. By the time 4 rolled around, I walked to the softball field to watch a game, but I ended up chatting with a few friends on the phone (Hi Lauren and Alice) and pretty much missed the game entirely. Time flew and, I had to eventually head to Banquet. Banquet came be annoying, being expected to eat at the same place at the same time for three courses day after day, and with class at 6:30, it came also be stressful. (Why am I complaining, right?) Tonight we had a salad (which my table dissected to determine the leaves in the salad) with bleu cheese (yuck), candied nuts, pancetta, and pears. For an main course, we had pork loin with carrots, spatzle (a with an umlaut, as it is a German dish), and sauerkraut. A Grand Marnier pastry cream in a cookie-like biscuit with strawberries was served for dessert.

I went to math after dinner. I MADE A 100 ON MY TEST. Therefore, I am not quitting culinary school. Twenty percent of my grade down, and I am doing well. We learned about as-purchased amounts (AP), edible portions (EP), and yield percents (Y%) today. Emily, Alex, Jason, and I were Team 4, and as an exercise, we cut and peeled carrots, weighing them before and after to determine AP, EP, and Y%. Our yield percent of 76.72% was the second highest in the class. You would be surprised at the amount of money lost at a large food establishment based on yield percents. The Culinary buys 850 pounds of carrots per week, and if the percent is low (based on poor trimming of the raw material to the edible portion), thousands of dollars can be lost per year on just carrots alone.

Exciting news: my diplomas arrived in the mail at my house in Thomasville. It is official that I have two degrees. I was scared when only ONE came on Saturday. Again, no worries, the other arrived today. Thank you, UGA.

EAT MY WORDS

Haley

*Thank you Mom, Jess, Morgan, and Katy for my sweet mail.

*Jess, please be more patient with my blogging. I need time to write (or type) my brilliance.

The South.

I cannot think of anything I would rather be doing right now then sitting in my room being lazy. No seriously. It is storming outside; it reminds me of a Southern thunderstorm. (Do those even exist? I would like to think that they do and that I hear about snow in this area and storms/flooding in the South. So, we will go with it.)

Speaking of the South, I can hardly understand when professors and chefs say my name. Hey-Lee. How hard is that to pronounce? Instead, I get the Hal-Lee. I do not know if I have mentioned this yet, but attendance at the CIA is mandatory. With most classes being only three weeks, missing one day is missing a lot. Even if you are sick, with a fever, and diarrhea, you still should come to class for then to witness you being sick, only for them to send you home AND take points off of your final grade. Most students here graduate with a perfect attendance seal on their diploma. It would be helpful, people, if I could understand that you are saying my name when you call roll in each class.

Yesterday, before class, I went to the Bookstore to buy some postcards and to see if they had CIA note cards, to write Dr. Ryan a thank-you note. (Suck up? Of course not.) The CIA thinks highly of a lot of things, including their postcards apparently. In Europe, I can buy five for a dollar. I say all of this to say that if you get a postcard from me, consider yourself truly lucky. After spending moolah on my postcards made of gold, I went to Farq Hall to get a salad before class. A spinach with garbanzo beans, green peppers, cauliflower, mushrooms, and vinaigrette salad was perfect before PK, where we learned about lettuce, salad greens, and cooking greens (yes, there are differences).

In Product Knowledge, we spent half the class talking about product specifications. It is important in the industry to ensure you receive the best, in quality and type, most reasonably priced, and seasonable products and ingredients as possible. When you order tomatoes, for example, the type needs to be specified, the degree of ripeness, appropriate post-harvest conditions, etc. Your restaurant and reputation are the end results of these products and ingredients. We have an assignment to write a sample product specification. Hal-Lee's product is tangerines. I will let you know the appropriate specs for tangerines.

I checked my mail after PK and then I napped. PRAISE THE LORD for naps. I did not sleep for long, because I had some work to finish. I had to study a little for my math quiz. I needed to work on my Gastro. project. I read a little. I love being a college student. Not. I came to culinary school to work in the kitchen, not to spend time in the classroom.

Dinner last night was a little different than usual. In the Garde Manger kitchen class, they learn fancy plating techniques for unique dishes. Our appetizers were already on the table when we sat down, and each person at the table had a different dish. My dish was foie gras, goose (or duck) liver, produced and cooked in a specific way, a delicacy in most places. I have tried fois gras, and I will never try it again. No thank you. Gross. Inhuman. Disgusting. A waste of A LOT of money. No gracias. (Side note, going on the Southern title of this post: I tend to order "sweet tea" at dinner. They bring me "iced tea" with simple syrup. Conform, North, please!) For our entree, we had chicken with spinach, mushrooms, and a twice-baked potato (with pancetta, Gruyere, and other specialty cheeses). Finally for dessert, we were served an orange pastry cream, slightly toasted on top to look like marshmallows, in a single-serving chocolate pie shell with a fruit sauce.

Immediately following dinner, I have Culinary Math, where we learn about conversions and recipe scaling. We took a quiz, or a test really, that is worth 20% of my total grade. If I did not score a 100, I might quit culinary school. Okay, I will not quit, but it was relatively easy. I am hoping to start out my first block at the Culinary with a decent GPA.

Last night, Melissa (TX/DC), Danielle, and I went to Crossroads Pizza and Pub. We ordered garlic knots, upon Danielle's roommate's suggestion, ate them, and ordered a second garlic knots. Seriously, they are similar to Mellow Mushroom's pretzels but maybe a little better. Mark, a local guy who works at Price Choppers (where I am Advantage member, remember?), asked us to play pool while he waited for his girlfriend. He agreed to be my partner, which was unfortunate for him, as I am awful at pool, if you can imagine. His girlfriend arrived and relieved me of my need to play to make the teams equal. I would rather sit, drink, and eat garlic knots anyway.

Today was a crazy day. This morning I woke up to "run" a 5K. Three laps around the entire campus with free pizza after crossing the finish line. That seems counterproductive, I know, but the pizza had wheat crust. After pizza, Danielle and I freshened up and went to the mall. The mall in Poughkeepsie is decent, actually, minus the fact that it does not have a Great American Cookie Company (or, obviously, a Chickfila), and I was craving a blue raspberry icee and slice of cookie cake. I guess I will survive. Danielle's phone was stolen from the H&M dressing room. Seriously? We drove to a corporate Verizon location to file her insurance and get her a new phone. Thank you, Jimmy, local Verizon guy, for being helpful in a crappy situation. We were starving by the time we figured everything out. Chili's. Yummy.

USA-1, England-1. The World Cup is no Olympics, but it is fun to follow anyway.

Lots of school work to do tomorrow. Product Knowledge quiz Monday. Must. Study.

And the winning sign-off, thanks to Fallon Conger (aka Fizzy), is EAT MY WORDS.

Haley

*Congratulations to Teena Nass and Jacob Bain on their recent engagement. I am so excited for the two of you, and I cannot wait for the Big Day.

*I must make a special shout-out to my Mom, for being so great in helping me move to New York, by sending me packages of things I need that would/could not fit in my suitcase flying here. Love and miss you, Mizzom.

Mail!

I was expecting my gift from the President to be something like a $5 gift card to the Apple Pie Bakery. I went to the mail room after class today, and I had three packages and a sweet card. Thank you, Kitchen Family, Mary Catherine, Dr. Ryan, and J. Crew. Dr. Ryan's was wrapped in fruit paper with a note attached. When I opened it, I pulled this out of a box. It is a wood box of Roth Hall. Someone suggested it is a recipe box. Cool. You might not care, but I thought I would post a picture, anyway. I apologize that it is not so clear.

Last night, karaoke was canceled because of the rain. No singing in the rain? :) Instead, I paid five dollars to go to the Bacchus Wine Society. We sampled seven different wines from Madrid, two whites and five reds, and we learned about wine-making in Madrid and Spain, in general. Needless to say, I was feeling good by the time bed time came around. Maybe I should join the wine society?!

My day started today around 9. I woke up and read an assignment for Gastro. In Gastronomy, I have a project on Paul Bocuse, the famous French chef, to present on June 22, along with two other people, both culinary students. We met at 10 at the Library to talk over some things and to decide what we want to do to make our presentation distinctive. At around 11, we headed to the Cuisine of the Americas kitchen for lunch. I had jerk chicken with plantains and rice and chocolate mousse with a hint of amaretto for dessert.

Today, in Gastronomy, we learned the difference between taste and flavor. Food can taste salty, sweet, sour, or bitter (and umami?). When you plug your nose and eat, you are tasting the food. The flavor is connected to the olfactory system, the feel, the aroma, etc. Flavor is everything other than taste. We tasted several different liquids and had to distinguish between salty, sweet, bitter, and sour. After sampling, she told us what each thing was. At the end of class, she asked us to chew a mint leaf, Altoids, tic tacs, then eat a pepper, followed by sparkling water, swishing three times. Interesting, right? I thought I ate a green pepper, but it was a jalapeno. Amazing. I love this class.

In Food Safety, we elaborated on the food hazards and factors. We talked about the misuse and cross-contamination of the hand towel (the towel on the apron of most chefs). One word: disgusting. Then, he lectured about pH and water activity, two other Food Science terms. Professor Vergili usually asks me questions that I cannot answer, but today, I was the only one who knew the chemistry behind pH.

Dinner tonight was one of the best I have eaten here yet. For the appetizer, we ate an arugula salad with cured beef and artichokes. The main entree was strip loin, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Best meal ever. Remember the cheesecake I had last week? Well, it was served again. Yes, please.

Math quiz tomorrow. Should I study now?

Oh, and yes, Mom, my nose is still pierced.

Make cupcakes, not war?

Haley

I am getting old.

I am getting too old for this college scene. Don't get me wrong, as I had an incredible college experience at UGA. Too much drama surrounds college, not that I myself know from personal experience here at the CIA; I am just pointing out mere observations. If you would like me to elaborate, you should ask me. I have a few great stories. It begins with the fact that I did not get much sleep last night.

My alarm buzzed at about 8:45 yesterday, and I got dressed in my professional attire. I walked to the library to finish an assignment for my Gastronomy class. I printed my assignment and headed to Roth for class. Even though I am in this class for two hours, the time passes so quickly. Today we talked about aversions, preferences, taboo, and fears. Aversions are foods we dislike. Preferences are foods we like. We like/dislike foods for many different reasons: convenience, cost, memory, quality, taste/flavor, texture, etc. Generally, the reasons we like food are the same for why we do not like certain food. Taboo foods are foods that we do not consume based on religion, social acceptance, health/diet, etc. Fear foods are foods that we do not consume because we think they will physically harm us, with an illness or even death. She gave us three small products to taste and then asked us to go to labeled places around the room (aversions, preferences, taboo, or fear). We then had to explain why we chose to stand wherever we were standing. She then told us what we had actually just eaten, to bring her point around about our perception of foods.

Food Safety immediately follows Gastronomy. I do not mind Food Safety; I studied most of what we talk about in Food Science. Professor Vergili mostly lectured about food-borne outbreaks, why they happen, and why they are still relevant today. We talked for a significant period of time about E. coli O157:H7 and the practices that caused this strain to arise. There are three hazards, physical, biological, and chemical, in food safety and three factors, cross-contamination, time-temperature abuse, and poor personal hygiene. Food safety certifications are necessary in all food establishments!

I was supposed to eat Banquet for dinner, but, once again, the dining room was full by the time I got there (on time, mind you). I signed in for credit and walked to Roth to explore my dinner options. I have only eaten in the main K-16 kitchen, outside of going to Banquet and to town, since I got here a little over a week ago. There are many, many other options, such as the Cuisines of the Americas, Asia, and Mediterranean kitchens. I perused the menus for each of these kitchens. I was sold on the Cuisine of the Americas kitchen when I read that they were serving Southern foods. (If I cannot try the new spicy Chickfila sandwich, this must be the next best thing. Thanks, Chickfila, for introducing this new sandwich literally days after I move to the freaking North, where there are no Chickfilas for MILES.) I ordered the Carolina BBQ sandwich plate, with hushpuppies, pickles, and coleslaw. My only complaint was that they did not offer sweet tea to accompany my entree. For dessert, I tried this chocolate, lime, raisin creation, but I hated it.

I like to sleep. When I do not get enough sleep, I do not do as well in school, I get sick, and I am not the most chipper person to be around. This morning, I woke completely exhausted and mad, really. Life is unfair, I guess. I got dressed and went to the library to print an assignment for Product Knowledge (PK). Product Knowledge might be my favorite class this block. Today, we talked about organic, sustainable, and local produce. We also learned the difference between key terms in relation to produce: mature, ripe, climacteric, etc. In reference to specific produce, Chef Mattel asked if there was anyone from the South. I raised my hand, and he asked what state. I said Georgia, and he responded that Georgia is practically a Yankee state now. I shook my head, and he laughed saying that he made me angry. Do not worry about me conforming to Northern ways!

I came back to my room after PK, watched a little television on my computer, and took a nap. Before I knew it, my nap was over, and it was time to head to Banquet. For dinner, we had a mozzarella carpaccio with cured ham, Cornish hen with asparagus and macaroni and cheese custard (unbelievable), and poached pears. Unfortunately, after dinner, I had to go to math class. I like my professor, but, honestly, the hour and twenty minutes could be better spent doing other things. It is relatively simple math, and I like math; therefore, I do not mind too much.

So, do you remember me writing about getting a present for singing the Alma Mater from Dr. Ryan? Well, I received an email today from his secretary, and our gift is in our mailbox. By the time I went to check it, it was around 6:30, and the mail room was closed. The anticipation is killing me. I will let you know, first thing, when I found out.

Karaoke tonight? I should get some work done before then, I guess.

Treat ya later?

Haley

This is the CIA.

This is Roth Hall, the main building. Three of the five restaurants (again, including Apple Pie Bakery) are located in this building, along with many classrooms, kitchens (Cuisines of the Americas, Meditteranean, and Asia), the bookstore, the mail room, health services, many offices (including the office of my friend, the President), etc. Farquharson Hall, the student dining facility, is also located in this building. The detail on the ground at the bottom of the picture is a running fountain during the day. FYI, three of my four classes are in this building for this Block.
This is Angell Hall, and I live here in Room 204. Room 204 sound familiar to anyone? My room here at the CIA does not remind me that much of Room 204 at the Holiday Inn Express in Athens, where I have tailgated for the past 23 years of my life; the people are just not the same. :)
The glass walkway on the right in this picture is the "hamster cage," which connects Roth Hall to most of the baking and pastry kitchens/classrooms. I will spend most of my time here at the CIA in this building. If you are walking around campus, the smell as you walk in this direction from the front of Roth Hall is amazing. Come visit; some bakeries give free samples to visitors.
This is the Hilton Library, one of the largest libraries in the country. No, you will not find most books, such as To Kill a Mockingbird or any of the Twilight books, but you will find a large (and I mean large) collection of cookbooks, videos on food, and other books on foods, of course, with some dating back hundreds of years. If you walk through the library, there are many, many imprinted hands of famous chefs, and it is quite interesting to see these names of people who were known for the craft they created with these hands.
The Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine is home to Ristorante Caterina de' Medici, an award-winning restaurant on campus. If you were to continue walking on the pedestrian crosswalk to Colavita, you would enter the herb garden, where students gather fresh herbs for use in the kitchen. I could pick these herbs, and even the roses, if I wanted them for personal use.

*These pictures were taken with my small digital camera as the sun was setting. I apologize for the poor angle shots. I promised pictures and here are a few. (Blogger would only let me post five. Therefore, I chose the most prominent buildings on campus.)

I tinkle sprinkles? (Inappropriate, Katy Capers)

Haley