Counting the Days

I have been spending as much time as possible studying French. My high school French has vacated my brain and I am seeing the sad effect of aging on my memory. I long for my college brain that could retain even the most trivial details. My mom who is fluent in French has been a great help with my awful pronunciation.

I have also dusted off my Julia Child "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and tried a few of the recipes to acquaint myself with the French technique. I made her famous "boeuf Bourguignon" last week. Beth declared it my best stew ever! I'll take that compliment since Beth has a HIGHLY evolved palate. The timing of all of this is ironic given the current success of the movie "Julie & Julia". It seems that the rest of America is rediscovering Julia Child and her genius. The sale of her book "Mastering" is setting new sales records 48 years after its debut. I discovered Julia Child after reading her book "My life in France" two years ago. After reading the book I immediately went on ebay and found and bought a 1966 edition of her "Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume I". An interesting side note: Her first edition was published on the very day that I was born! Could be a sign!

Apartment Hunting in Paris

I have finally settled on a place. My Annapolis classmate Dave & his wife Randi came to my rescue with a great apartment recommendation. They suggested a place where they had stayed last year on their Paris vacation. I contacted the owner and secured the place for my trip. It's actually a 1BR with all of the amenities and is located in the desirable Marais district (Arrondissement #4). The only real downside will be my daily 45 minute metro ride to get to school. This is a picture of the building.

I wanted to answer some questions that have been asked regarding the school and the curriculum. Le Cordon Bleu offers many courses but the heart of their curriculum are the pastry and cuisine programs. I am in the Cuisine program. The cuisine program consists of 3 courses (Basic, Intermediate, and Superior). Each course is 2 1/2 months long. Upon completion of all three, a student is awarded the prestigious "Diplome de Cuisine". Twice a year the Basic and the Intermediate courses are offered as "intensive" courses which essentially cram the same 10 weeks of info into 5 weeks. In the intensive course, classes are held 5 days a week instead of the normal 3 or 4 days a week. This format is designed for people like me who don't have the luxury of time to saunter through the program. I am enrolled in the intensive Basic Cuisine!!! (not a lot of free time) The routine is the same every day. The first 3 hours are spent watching a chef demonstrate in French (translated to English by a translator) several recipes and/or techniques followed by a 3 hour practical session (French only, no translator) where the students go to a kitchen and perform what they have just been taught. The session ends with the student presenting his/her plated "product" to the chef for tasting and a grade. The grading is very subjective and takes into account use of technique, presentation, sanitation, uniform cleanliness, etc.. Each student gets to bring home what they have made. This could help with the food bill:) The course ends with a final exam where the students cook one of the 30 or so taught recipes from memory as well as demonstrate a technique (like filleting a fish, or a rabbit). I know my friends Allen and Leslie who are strict vegetarians and huge animal lovers will disapprove of me hacking a bunny rabbit. Sorry guys...C'est la vie en France.

That's a lot of info for one day. Thanks for tuning in.

Apartment Hunt

The search for a suitable place to stay in Paris has been VERY time consuming. Given my budget, my need for a washer (2 chef uniforms that will need to be washed continuously), a stove and oven, cool location, and metro friendly area, etc...I have had to spend lots of hours scouring rental agency, Vacation by Owner, and Craigs List sites. I have been amazed at how many of my friends have friends or relatives that own a place in Paris! I had originally found a cool place in the Latin Quarter on the left bank, but unfortunately, it fell through. I have secured a new place, not as cool or hip, but it will do. It's in the 1st arrondissement which is near the Louvre and Les Halles on the right bank. In the process of scouring the ads I have discovered many pitfalls, so if anyone needs help in the future let me know. As an example, one of the confusing things about French building nomenclature is the floor numbering system. All the ads refer to the "French 1st floor", or the "French 2nd floor". This one is on the French 4th floor which apparantly means the 5th floor in the U.S. System (I hope). As my prospective guests can see, there's not a lot of room here (hint), so my ability to accomodate is very limited:) 

preparing for Le Cordon Bleu Paris

This is my first venture into the world of blogging. I've always been a private person and reluctant to spill my thoughts to the public; however, at the urging of close friends, I've create this blog as a means to share my experiences with friends and family during my upcoming time at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. I have enrolled and am making preliminary preparations for my trip to France in November

I am 47, established in my career as an airline pilot, and perhaps too old by some standards to be running off to Paris on some misguided adventure. My friends are a little shocked yet very excited when they learn about my "sudden" trip.. A little background may shed some light on my motivation.

For those who know me well, it is no surprise that I love to cook. I find myself happiest when I am preparing a meal for friends and guests. I can remember as a young 22 year old, I was eager to impress a date. I consulted some of my older peers and was told that cooking a nice meal would impress her. They provided me with a foolproof recipe that was easy to prepare, yet would be sure to impress. Well, ashamedly, I don't remember much about her, but I do remember and can still smell the wonderful aroma of the Fettuccine Alfredo that I prepared that night! Thus began my interest in cooking. 

With age and experience came refinement in my cooking. As most cooking enthusiasts can attest, the more you learn about cooking, the more you realize how little you know about cooking. I find myself at a point in life where I am weighing the virtues of my career vs. quality of life and the pursuit of my passions. As I reflect on my accomplishments and experiences I "see" accomplishments that should make me feel satisfied, yet I feel a lack of fulfillment and boredom. I guess that may seem strange to some as they view my profession as an airline pilot as exciting. But, it's TRUE! We all need new challenges to grow. 

So, here I am inspired by the likes of Julia Child, and Kathleen Flinn and the many others who have embarked on new adventures later in life. I have enrolled in the Basic Cuisine Course at Le Cordon Bleu. I have taken a leave of absence from my airline job. I am cramming French every day. AND, I am excited beyond belief for my new adventure to begin.

Stay Tuned.......