Day 34: Week Seven Drain

Today wraps up seven weeks of classes. I'm starting to feel my energy lag. There are frustrating days, (today was one) and good days. There's a lot of talent in our class so the energy is high, but day after day, week after week of churning out food is pretty draining. 

We only produce 4 or 5 dishes a day, but we are totally in the dark about what exactly we're making until it starts to come together. Usually we only get a list of ingredients, but no instructions on how it goes together. Sometimes we're shown, sometimes we're only told what to do. It's very easy to stumble and fall if you don't do your readings, listen carefully and keep your logic and wits about you. 

This week I watched a classmate struggle with a weak partner and I felt her frustration mixed with my own trepidation as I haven't been partnered with that person yet, but probably will be at some point. How will I cope? Some weeks I feel strong, but other weeks I feel like I'm running in place. Up and down like a roller coaster. 

And just as I'm coming off a down week, I write an exam and score 96%.  Whoosh! Back up again!

We celebrated this week by meeting at the local watering-hole for a few beers after class where I learned things about my classmates outside of class. One classmate just broke up with his fiancee, an overseas student loves Canada because there's no history to depress him, a student gambled at a casino last night and lost $400, another is in love with Miami.

This next week will be the most challenging yet. It's mid-term exam week. More written exams and the dreaded practical exam, where we'll be given a list of items to prepare and a two-hour time limit to get them all done and presented at the table for the Chefs to critique. The Chefs mark hard, and Thursday is already reserved for make-up exams.

This weekend will be full of review; quiche, profiteroles, crepes and velouté sauce followed by baguettes, hollandaise sauce, knife cuts and chicken and fish processing. 
But first things first - I'm sleeping in tomorrow!