This could be interesting

My new job is going well.  This week coming up is going to be interesting.

I'm part of the team that creates the Korean lunch meal.  The woman who is the head chef is Korean.  The man who assists her with the cooking is Korean.  The woman who cooks the evening meal is Korean.  The man in his 80s that comes in to help with the dinner service is Korean.

I'm not Korean.

The man in his 80s is taking the week off this week.  I can't work from 12:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  The Husband doesn't get home until 9 p.m. and my kids can't be on their own from after school until 9.

So, I'm going to work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the man who usually helps with the cooking of the lunch meal is going to work 12:30 to 8:30.

This means I will be actually cooking.  I'm excited and worried all at the same time.

It's not like I can't cook.  I can cook like a mofo.  Some of you have been lucky enough to eat food I've cooked.

I've been to culinary school.  I've been instructed in the French techniques.  I was either 1st or 2nd in my class, it was between me and Karla and I don't know who finished on top.  We were the only females in our class too!  HA!

Our instructor had the reputation around campus as a bad-ass.  That's because she is a bad-ass.  She wrote all her own tests.  We had kitchen math on every test and quiz.  We were not allowed open book exams.  We had to have it in our heads.  She has high standards.

When we had our practical exams, like a lab exam where we demonstrated we could execute what we had learned, we had to turn in a timeline of what we were going to be doing first to last.  The time we were allowed for our practical exams was always less than the other classes and we always had more to complete.

Honestly, my class regularly congratulated ourselves that we were getting a better education than the other classes.    While we were doing out internships, we all shared that our instructor was in the back of our heads, giving us the guidelines she gave us in class.

This week, I'm going to be going back to the solid advice my instructor gave me during my time in culinary school.

1)  Mise! Mise! Mise!  (pronounced MEEZ)  This is short for mise en place, or everything in place. Get everything ready before you begin your task.  Don't waste your time and energy running around for the stuff you need.

2)  Don't stand there and watch your food cook.  There are some things that need babysitting, like risotto and omelets.  But most things can be left to it's own device while you do something else.  Don't wander too far away, but you can do more than one thing at a time.

3) Start with whatever will take the longest amount of time.

4) Listen to your food.  It will tell you when it's ready to move, be stirred or whatever else it needs.

This week is going to be a challenge for me.  I read an article a few weeks ago stating that standing in Superman position for 2 minutes can lift your self-esteem and energy level.  I may try that.

I really don't want to let down the woman I work for.  I like her a great deal and

This job is going great.  I love being in a kitchen.  The hours are good and I have my weekends off to do fun stuff.  Working over so much steam has cleared out my pores and my skin is looking very good.

What I want to do this week, is prove myself and my abilities to everyone.  I want to show that I CAN cook. I'm like Yan!  I can cook!

I'll keep y'all posted.

Amanda's household tip of the day:  Vinegar and baking soda down the drains monthly, followed by a kettle of boiling water, can keep them from becoming clogged.