Friday, November 17, 2006

Garde Manger

I started a new class on Monday called Garde Manger. The term literally means “keeping to eat” and dates back hundred of years when curing, preserving and storing food was a necessity for survival. Nobility and the Church would have Garde Manger kitchens where a steward would preserve and distribute food as needed. In modern times, the Garde Manger kitchen is not only responsible for cured meats, but also salads, cold soups and sauces, hors’dourves, pates and terrines.

The lab we are working in this six weeks is quite interesting. It’s the newest and most expensive lab on campus, yet it lacks some basic necessities. For starters, there isn’t a single garbage disposal in the lab. This means that you either spend hours scraping your dishes into the trash or cleaning the sink drain of accumulated food scraps. There’s also a lack of cooking and serving equipment which tends to be a problem when you are making food!

Because the lab is so nice a new, the end of the night cleaning procedures are more brutal (and time consuming) than we are used to. Normally we sweep and mop the floors. In this class, we sweep, scrub, squeegee, hose and mop the floors. Then, instead of just wiping down our prep tables with sanitizer, we douse them in hot soapy water and squeegee them. With a 40 thousand dollar tuition price tag, can’t the school afford to pay someone to clean?!?! I’d rather spend the time learning something valuable. When I was in college, the professors never had the class sweep and mop the classroom at the end of a lecture. Sheesh.

Fortunately, I am learning some new vocabulary in this class. Chef Instructor likes to use the words pepperika, dolly and gazpachio. I’m sure that what he really means is paprika, doily and gazpacho. But shit, I’m just a student. What do I know?

1 comment:

tony.unwin said...

Happy Christmas grl... been missing you the last few weeks...
hope you and the family are good..

wishes for the holidays..

T
:o)