One of the neatest things is the people I’m surrounded with.

There are 21 people, including me, in my class.  This is considered a relatively large class here, but I don’t much mind as my classmates are interesting.

We were talking today about motivations to cook.  There is a kid in my class who was born here, raised in Mexico, then moved back and has landed in school with me.  Talking to him for 30 seconds will tell you he has the work ethic of an OX, and a hilarious personality.  His response today-  “you eat, I eat.”  That was his reason for respecting the food, respecting the kitchen, and serving you the best he could.

There is also a kid in my class who is completely deaf.  He has interpreters every day who sign everything to him, and his responses to the Chef.  Damn.  He’s taught me some sign, his name and a few others… when I asked him why he was here, he signed “It’s my passion.”  Double Damn.  Though many people don’t talk to him, he’s always cheerful and participates through his interpreter in class.

I won’t get into the sanitation stuff we’re learning as it will freak most of you out, especially my lovely risk manager.  But we are also learning about taste.  Not only the five flavors you taste, but how they molecularly affect you.  –Salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami (savory).

Salt, interestingly enough, can be detected by all flavor receptors (as opposed to sour things only being sensed by sour receptors).

BUT Umami is the grand-daddy cool one.  It doesn’t have a particular flavor, instead it allows your pallet to pick up all the other flavors in a massive flavor boost!  (technically, the glutamate flavor booster effect..  think MSG).

Things that naturally contain umami?  Soy sauce, parmesan cheese, walnuts, tomato seeds..  which is why they make us sooooo massively, droolingly, happy.  I know every one of you reading this is addicted to at least one of these things.  Don’t look away in shame.  I am there with you.

The only thing to contain all 5 flavors?  Ketchup.  Which is why it’s close to the nectar of the Gods.

For the geeks out there- sweet (sugar), salty (salt), tomato & vinegar (sour), tomato seeds (both bitter & umami).  It took them 57 tries to nail this combination.  Hence, Heinz 57.

Mmmmm and knife skills.  AWESOME.  Here this is how you chop things, and here are a shit ton of free potatoes to practice on.  Ever seen an OCD person learning knife skills?  It’s like watching a pregnant woman find lint in her belly button.  I’d image both are very amusing to watch 😉

Oh, and a shit ton of French vocabulary.

As most of our French definitions translate literally into other things, I can now tell someone to light themselves on fire, that they are a delightful small stick, and chop themselves finely.