Life changing pasta

What a lovely note. Thanks Marg. I can truly relate to not having

a pal in the kitchen who understands and has the ability to offer thoughtful critique and useful commentary. I took a job with a small restaurant just so I could cook with their chef. She was definitely the type to throw you in the pool to see if you could swim kind of gal. But I learned so much in such a short amount of time. Evenings, I'd pour over recipes trying to figure out what I could do better/differently (We had no menu and I was in charge of 8 hot dishes--4 mains and 4 sides + 3 soups every day.) She was invaluable because I would copy a recipe that looked promising, scale it up, and then taste. If it was off or not quite right, I'd watch her fix the seasoning. We'd taste maybe once or twice and voila! "Put it on the line."

While I'm thinking about that experience, I'll share this. We definitely approached cooking from two different perspectives. At the time, I leaned toward Asian and was just beginning to explore Mexican sauces. She had her roots firmly planted in the south. She saw I leaned on low-sodium soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil. One day I came to work, and she had removed all of them from her kitchen! I was at a loss. "It's time you expanded your repetoir. No more Asian ingredients." She was fond of corriander, Italian seasoning, and Thai curry paste in the yellow tub (which tastes like lemon). Light and bright flavors that gave typical heavier dishes a lift.

I made $10/hr. Only worked 3-4 hours a day. And she had a fierce temper born out of frustration, which she sometimes took out on me (throwing the cordless phone and breaking it, etc.) But it was worth it and I learned a lot.

I'll always wonder how much better I'd be I had someone to cook for. What I am lacking is repetition.

 
I'm beginning to think the Universe is trying to tell me something. smileys/smile.gif I've always dreamed of

packing a backpack and traveling the world. My cat died this summer so I no longer have any responsibilities or ties of that nature. And my foot should be healed up in 8 weeks. Let's see...I know a chef in Croatia, and Italy, and... smileys/smile.gif

 
My major regrets have been what I didn't do and not what I did.

I didn't take a scholarship to study in the So of France and I didn't accept a job at the UN in Geneva. There is a theme here. Travel adventure was always so important to me and if I were younger and in this situation, I think I'd be thinking what you're thinking.

There is a couple from Toronto who travelled around the world writing only about breads. They published a major comprehensive volume on it and it is a fun read. There's another idea for you. Pick a topic. Travel and report back. A vicarious adventure for us.

The chef in Italy sounds like a really good start.

I'm so sorry to hear about Kitty. Our little charges are so important in our lives and I understand how the care of them can be restricting.

And now, this sounds like a lot more fun than room and board with cooking.

 
Oh Traca, what a bummer

The foot requires patience and time and it will be sore for a while after healing so be nice to yourself. I can't imagine living with people who are so hostile to food. What is wrong with them!!!! Reminds me of my late ex who would panic when the fridge was full of food, it truly would freak him out. I have been to acquaintance's homes where they didn't like to cook because it would "mess up the kitchen".

Cooking for yourself is a necessity and a joy and then sharing that community is so important. I think some people forget about dining together. The McMansion people should have given you a shelf or a drawer or something in the fridge and their rules are ridiculous, especially if you are paying them a lot for the rental.

I hope you start to feel better soon and can get out where people can cook for you. Have you thought about Mealtrain for yourself, it's were people can organize and bring you food while you are healing up.

many many hugs.

 
Traca, have you ever thought of getting a position with a wealthy family aboard their yacht?

I have read several books about chefs who do this for a living. They source local foods from each port they stop at and, to me, it seems like a fabulous experience. They are the master of their kitchen and it seems the owners give them a good budget. My favorite book on the subject is Mediterranean Summer...a good read and may give you some ideas.

 
ooh ooh. Great idea. I love planning Traca's life. We had friends who had a yacht in the Med with

about 4 staff on board, one of whom was a cook. They sailed around the Mediterranean all summer. Now there's a life.

Imagine stopping at ports and visiting the local markets for seasonal ingredients.

 
It's funny you mentioned this. One of the very first cooking classes I ever too, the woman

worked as a chef on yachts. It made such an impact on me. I thought, "Man, if I could *ever* be that good!" Maybe, at long last, it's worth a short. Thanks for adding fuel to the dream! xoxo

 
Terrible. smileys/frown.gif The mom declining the cooking lessons for her son is just awful.

I wish we had more than a couch to offer--you could teach M. to cook and bake, any day!

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top