Monday's Plate- Dishing Up The Good Times

"I want it that waaaaayyyyyyy!"  

If you were around for any part of the 1990's then I am pretty sure you heard that song line echoing from some teenage girls honda accord sound system.  In my case I had a mix tape that included this particular song, along with the other pop star princes and princess royalties of the time like Britney Spears, N'Sync, and the crooners of the chorus I just sited- The Back Street Boys.  My little sister had made the tape for me when I got married and moved away from my humble hometown.  I didn't really like the music all that much but when I listened to it I felt her presence on my long commute to and from work, and I still have the tape, though I have no way of playing it anymore.

The class was really having some fun today in the clean-up portion of World Cuisine Class!  Ryan, Leah and Jared were jamming on the dishes at the triple sink, they being the source of our musical entertainment, complete with break out dance moves and bursts of dramatic harmonies from all of our favorite mid nineties teen pop hit songs.  The rest of the class moved in and out from that station delivering the clean sauce pans, plates and spatulas to their appropriate storage spaces in and throughout the kitchen.  Someone pushed a broom, while another student next to the stoves dissolved with a cleaning towel all traces of our earlier stirring and incorporations we attempted while learning.  Every so often a teasing remark would fly from someone or another and get the whole group to fill the room with a gasp of cheerful laughter.

Our chef teacher would walk in every so often from the hall to inspect our progress and to also join in on some of our fun.  As classmates we are all so diverse.  We each come from such various backgrounds of skills, age and experiences~  All but for this one moment that we rub elbows during clean up mode.  This is the kitchen qualification that does not necessarily crave attention to our ability.  Its the time of  day when we don't have to be anxious about what we are creating.  Most of us already know how to sweep a floor or wash a dish, because we have done it a thousand times.

All that being said, our culinary abilities and skills are catching up.  As chef promised us, the more we rehearse and commit our minds and bodies to our kitchen practice, the easier it will all become.  Already there are times when we can multitask our way through production with a class partner by adding conversations about our exterior lives, and telling a joke, or singing in or out of tune to the beat of our mincing knife.  I really like when that balance can be achieved because it softens a focal edge for me and makes me stay present and sensibly aware.

I have really enjoyed my classes this semester!  It is hard to believe that in less than two weeks my first year of culinary school will be completed.  The friends I have made, the dishes we have created together and the teachers who have guided us to the discovery of our potential have all made this experience amazing.  I know that I will always regard this time in my life as something truly wonderful.

In class today with my friends I noticed that I felt a brilliant warmth in my heart and soul.  I have such a huge amount of respect for all of these people and the opportunity to work with them has been beyond enjoyable- it is truly a complete riot!  I am so thankful for that.