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Culinary Chronicles: Road through Culinary school, foods I like, recipes and more!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Road to culinary school

 

      It's just past 1 a.m, January 1, 2011 and I am sitting here writing my first entry for this blog (after attending a new years "send off" with my family), keeping the promise I had made to myself (and a few other people) that I would stop procrastinating and get on with it. My name is Leslie and I live in a state I like to call “the annoying sunshine state” yes, you guessed it Florida (a great place to visit, but I can't live here forever), I have two young children.
    
    I'd like to begin by telling you how it was I came to live here as I am originally and forever from Brooklyn, NY, wherever I may physically find myself at the time (just wanted to be clear on that), then ease you into the true nature of this blog, which is about my experiences in culinary school and beyond that sometimes.

    I was living in Brooklyns' China Town and had come to enjoy the dollar stores everywhere from which I'd acquire bathroom tissue at three for a dollar or trash bags or a roll of paper towels and so on, wow! Also the smell of Chinese food in the air, especially on the weekends when you could have about six or seven vendors with their little carts selling anything from roasted duck, to mei fun (thin noodles with meat and vegetables or meat or vegetables) to fried rice yum! The seafood and produce markets crowded with Chinese folks in a scurry to get the best produce, fish and meat for the week ahead and myself trying, forever trying to get snow crab legs or lobster at a good price (which I often did). The great thing about the whole experience was that I didn't have to speak Chinese or a Chinese dialect if you will, go figure. In spite of all this wonder I decided to leave Brooklyn, encouraged by the H1N1 scare, also from a strong desire to put distance between myself and my estranged husband whom announced he wanted to try again just when I decided I was leaving...

      I had come into some money and with it I hired a moving company (which I will never do again) and had them haul my stuff to Florida where my sister has lived for over twenty years. I moved here solely because I have family here not because I was in love with the place. Before I continue I have to say, I don't want to offend any Floridian when I say I hate it here it simply means I desire something different than what Florida has to offer (Personally, I can only take so much of the Florida sun). Once in Florida it was difficult at first, no car, no ride because everyone I knew worked and couldn't lug me around.  I found a place to live within a couple of weeks and was on my way (to what exactly? I didn't know).

       There was a commercial that often came on while I watched any given program,  a commercial for Lincoln culinary school.  It dawned on me that that was a desire I had in New York, to go to culinary school.  But I gave it up as it wasn't so accessible there.  I knew in an instant I would go to culinary school.

        I started school a couple of weeks later, proudly wearing my student chef uniform and neckerchief, I felt great, excited, nervous, after all things were changing in my house, I was now a student and would be working (eventually) and the idea of taking the time I spent with the kids away broke my heart. They were great about it, they encouraged me and were so proud to have a chef mommy, they examined my uniform, cracked jokes and told me not to worry. I knew things were going to be ok. 

        So again, here I sit, carrying out one of my resolutions writing a blog about, well, my life inside and outside of culinary school. I want to wish you all a very happy, healthy new year and years to follow and tomorrow January 2nd 2011 I truly begin taking you on my journey through culinary school and beyond. Take care!



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