Welcome to "this waif cooks", a bit of an extention of my site http://www.nutritiousjunk.com/, but this is not about reviewing foods, this about my year in culinary school and all the stories from my life as a culinary student at the Le Cordon Bleu. I suppose most of you know me from my site, but i'll provide a wee bit more about me in this post so you'll understand future posts. Hmm....where should i start, i guess ill tell you briefly why i decided to attend culinary school in the first place. I've been a theater major at the University of California in Santa Barbara for the past two years. Since i can remember, i've always wanted to be an actress. Stranger, because i was always shy as a child and a little introverted in high school, but i suppose thats why the stage spoke to me, i could escape from "me" and be someone else. Anyhow, i hated Santa Barbara. i need a city to thrive and its a small city run by wealthy retirees and students. But the classes were also not very stimulating either, i wasnt even getting many acting oppertunities. So this summer, i took an acting class at UCLA while back at home (in LA) and fell in love with it. So i thought i would transfer, BUT, i can only audition in november for fall of 2008. The thought of returning to SB made me cringe, so i thought, what can i do for a year to make me happy? Because on a side note, although i may appear happy and energetic on my site, i've been rather depressed for quite some time. My mother died when i was thirteen, and its weird becaue i miss her more now than i ever did in high school. Plus, i feel a bit of a failure as an actress. I signed with a minor agency a year ago and only got like two gigs out of it. I know, i am not a failure deep down inside, but acting is a cruel business and i still need to learn about rejection and not let it bring me down. But besides acting, i love food and cooking. I dont know which i prefer, i suppose both equally but its something i really love. And i do try to be healthy, and i find it so silly when people go on "diets" can eat steamed veggies and poached chicken for dinner and say they are happy. Eating healthy doesn't have to be bland and taste less, infact, the truly best tasting dishes dont have much too them and are probably wholesome and healthy as they are. I do believe the obesity problems are due to poor lifestyles (relying on elevators, cars, and those stupid segways to replace good old fashion biking or walking), poor resturant portions, reliance on cheap, processed, and packaged foods, and ironically enought, our society's obsession with weight, period. Sorry about that rant.....anyhow, so i thought i'd turn a new leaf and start a serious culinary program.
i start October 1st, but my orientation s in about a week where i recieve my extensive tool kit (packing with all sorts of nifty gadgets like a silpat, knives, whisks, spatulas, piping bags, etc), my uniform, and i am not sure what else to be honest, but i guess i'll find out soon. I am nervous, i dont know what to expect out of the atmosphere. Will i make friends? will they even be close to my age? will this be more stressful than college? will i even have an appetite after all this food prep, and what the hell happens to all the left over food?! apparently, my advisor at the school told me that we can't give them away to the homeless (lawsuit fear) but i couldn't just toss good food. I'll eat some, but lord knows how much i'll be making. Sorry this welcome post turned out to be longer than i expected. Anyhow, thank you for visit, and come along on this culinary ride i am taking (man thats cheesy, but i needed to end on a sweet note)
P.S. feel free to comment and ask questions, i ll try to answer them in future posts
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2 comments:
Darling girl, I read your NJ site on a daily basis. Sometimes I am interested in your reviews and sometimes I am totally skeptical (since having an eating disorder, I always worry that my other girl peers are developing one--even though I've come to the conclusion that you don't have one!), but now I wish I could just give you a hug--make sure your friends around you do so! Of course you are feeling the loss of your mother, you are going through the years where having your mother as a confidante and guide is almost vital--and you are doing it yourself. I am in total admiration that you are following your heart and going to 'Le Cordon Bleu' and I'm almost positive your mother would have supported you in your cooking endeavours. Fuck Hollywood--the problem is that there are just too many young, gorgeous girls like yourself trying to make it. It is unfortunate that they overlooking you, but when you think of the drama and people involved in that whole mess of an industry you may be better off without it! You should try some theatrical productions as an outlet for your acting bug. Some of the most famous actors made it on the theatrical stage before they made it to the big time (eg Sarah Jessica Parker, Dame Judy Dench..the list goes on). Anyways, are you going to try to make the recipes that you learn at 'Le Cordon Bleu' health conscious? I imagine that the recipes that you will be learning are going to be laden with some unsavory, undiet ingredients such as BACON, BUTTER, and creme fraiche. Are you going to give straight recipes or doctor them up? I am sorry for the looonnnngggg post. I hope you have a lovely day! You deserve it!
on no, i dont mind long posts at all thanks a bunch! i ve been in a couple theatreical productions before college (at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute) but haven't joined a theater group since college. I know i am bound to deal with unhealthy things like lard and sugar, but i think learning about them will help me think of better subsitutes for them cause i'll know their compounds and consistency better. I am not that worried of actually trying these things because its not like i am downing pastries, and its not like i am eating the processed crap you find at the grocery store (little debbie snacks come to mind...). I ll see, maybe i wont even need to tweak recipes to make them healtier. but i appreciate your advice and interest in my life!
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