Je suis le vertige!

Loosely translated...I am dizzy! Now I know why the Cordon Blue application asked whether there were any learning disabilities! (And I clearly answered incorrectly)



What a day! Exciting, tiring, slightly overwhelming. Since I did not fall asleep until almost 1am, the 6am alarm was unwelcome. But I was excited to get started. I walked by the school yesterday, just to check things out and Le Cordon Bleu was as amazing as I'd imagined, although slightly understated and in a very quiet neighborhood. The instructors are very nice and extremely helpful. However, two things not to be tolerated: a messy work station and talking while the instructor is giving instructions. (Fortunately, one area was not a problem for me.) there are 18 students and we are divided into two groups. My classmates are a real mix of nationalities, personalities, and backgrounds. We have a Canadian, a German, an Australian, a woman from Thailand, a man from Singapore (born in Canada), and a woman from Dubai. Half are men and half speak French fluently (as well as 4-5 other languages). Then there's me...and I am still struggling to pronounce garçon! I am teacher's pet, however, simply because he wants to use my iPad2.


The main focus today was Classic and Modern Sauces, which we will also focus on tomorrow. We learned and created four dishes with the accompanying sauces, beginning with the base for most
sauces, white chicken stock. 1) Blancs de volaille sauce supreme aux morilles (chicken
breasts with morel mushroom sauce), filet de boeuf poele, sauce Bordelaise (pan-fried beef
tenderloin with a bordelaise sauce), Magret duck breast with sauces a l'orange, and a fumet
(fish stock) made into a wonderful sauce using tumeric, which was used on panned cooked shrimp and lobster. We were sent home with containers of all Of the meals, so my apartment smells wonderful right now. But since I also smell like the kitchen, all the ingredients, and a 3 mile walk getting to class and back, it is time for a shower! It is nearly 6:30pm here and I feel like it should be midnight.