"All the World's a Stage..."

Hello family and friends!!

"And All the Men and Women Merely Players..." I began my first culinary stage (actually, the French pronunciation rhymes with the English word of 'lodge' as opposed to a platform upon which actors bring forth life to tales) at the hotel Le Meurice on April 7, 2008. I absolutely adore the intense, demanding work schedule as well as the opportunity to learn from... quite honestly, the best.

“They have their exits and their entrances” I begin each day by entering the hotel through the back entrance and energetically greeting the welcoming security guards. Rather than having to figure out the French translation of ‘Open Sesame,’ I simply swipe my identification card and voila, the sliding doors part. After bounding down a spiral staircase, I greet fellow employees as I pass through the basement corridors and into the women’s locker room. I am so thankful that my cuisine uniforms are actually provided and washed at the hotel… in my flat, my washer has a three-hour wash cycle session and the non-existent dryer is powered by solar energy (glorious sunshine!) Believe me, the constant supply of pristine uniforms is an enormous convenience! After changing into my uniform, I enter into the kitchen and begin my work!

First of all, I must explain the concept of ‘team’ pertaining to the food industry. Essentially, I have been adopted into a new Parisian family. Whenever chefs enter or leave the kitchen, they make it a point to greet or bid au revoir to each member of the staff. Literally, everyone greets everyone! After giving my fellow chefs quick bisous (kisses on both cheeks), I tie my apron around my waist, tuck a hand cloth into my apron and place my tok on my head (yes my friends… no longer the little ‘trainee/flight attendant hat,’ as at LCB). Thus signals the beginning of the intensity. I imagined that as a stagiaire (essentially an intern) in a three-star Michelin restaurant, I would simply be peeling/turning vegetables in a corner for the duration of the day… right? I mean, that only makes sense. Oh how naive you were to the ways of the kitchen, little SB.

“And one man in his time plays many parts” Quite honestly, I had absolutely no idea as to what I was getting myself into… I had only seen a few restaurant kitchens before beginning work at Le Meurice. Furthermore, I had never witnessed 'service' (time in which the chefs are moving like fine-tuned machines in order to please the clientèle during lunch and dinner). Words do not do this routine justice. Intense. Rush. Speed. Perfection (ok, nothing is perfect, but as close to perfection as possible). Warm. Intricate in decoration. Bursting forth with a myriad of flavors. It is absolutely ridiculous… and I love it.

Before and after service, all of the chefs work with the mise en place – or prep work – so that during service, everything (and I mean absolutely everything) is organized and the reserve is plentiful. Since the plating and the dishes at the hotel are so intricate and complex, it is essential that everything can be prepared as fast as possible. For the first month at the hotel, the chefs actually placed their confidence in me in order to prepare the amuse buche and a small hors d'oeuvre. Let me explain an amuse buche. In French amuse is defined as ‘to amuse’ and buche is ‘a mouth.’ Thus, it is a small bite to begin the meal: something to tickle one’s palate and present a small foreshadowing of what the remainder of the meal will entail. During service, an order is first printed on a ticket. Each ticket includes the number of covers at the table and every item desired. When it is time to prepare an item from the entire order, a second ticket is printed with the specific item to be made a la minute (at that minute). For example… a couple from table seven orders from the menu degustation. This would include two amuse buches, two appetizers and two entrees. A ticket prints this information and the chefs yells the order (which is followed by a chorus of oui chef!! in order to signify that the others chefs know what is forthcoming). When it is time to prepare the amuse buche, a second ticket is printed and boom! I am off, working against the clock as quickly as my large hands can to recreate a mini-Picasso. After preparing the amuse buche, I pick up the trays and run/power walk into the second kitchen which has four small lifts. As I bring the prepared food to the elevators, I shout, “Deux amuse buche, table sept!” (meaning, “two amuse buche, table seven”) – to which Chef responds “oui” to acknowledge that the food is acceptably prepared and sent up to the clientèle. I then run back to my station and begin the routine again. Whenever the lift is upstairs, I cannot be lazy and simply wait for the elevator to mosey on down to the basement… rather, I skip stairs (with trays in hand) on a spiral staircase and run/speed walk the food up to the prep area just behind the main dining room (the same room to which the food on the lifts is directly delivered).
Because the menu changes every two months, I have already had an opportunity to prepare two different amuse buche. They consist of:

1) A small bowl – a small layer of fennel foam
A small spoonful of diced and sautéed fennel, black olives, onions
Several small pieces of calamari
A small piece of sautéed roquette
A few pine nuts

(I know that I reiterate ‘small’ often but because the food is so incredibly rich and fulfilling, the portions are quite umm… TINY, compared to those of American portions)

2) Two small pieces of ‘sushi’ - wrapped in blanched cabbage with a vinaigrette-seasoned julienne orange carrot and langoustine (type of shrimp).

One the plate, three dots of wasabi-mayo are placed in the shape of a triangle. On the head of the triangle, there is a piece of ‘sushi’ that is placed on its side (so that only the cabbage is seen). On top of that, another dot of wasabi-mayo. Placed on the mayo is a spiral of potato that is cut to resemble a fettuccine-noodle, then fried in the shape of a spiral. Inside of the fried potato-spiral are a few vinaigrette-seasoned green leaves and seaweed. On the left-hand side of the triangle is a piece of ‘sushi’ that is placed upright, in order to see the vibrant orange, yellow and green colors. On the right hand side of the triangle is the solitary wasabi-mayo dot. I attempted to diagram the absolutely delightful plate (though my “computer paint application” recreation would qualify as the ‘black sheep’ of diagrams) in order to at least give you a general idea of the plate. You have my permission to take a few minutes and heartily guffaw at my quite glorious drawing. Oh so lame.

Speaking of drawing!! I must take a moment and share with you an absolutely amazing painting by Robin Sturgeon, a former Brookside swim team member (go water buffalos!) painting:

While attending Miami University, my sorority had a formal at the Aquarium in Cincinnati, Ohio. I went with an incredible friend, Chris Rule (who, by the way, is on STINT in Rome and has a fascinating blog recounting his adventures [http://c-ruleinrome.blogspot.com.] Playing with the back-lighting from the aquatic tanks, we captured some “artistic-lighted” photos… does that make sense? Robin actually painted the photo and I feel compelled to share with you her unbelievable talent… I had to look twice at the painting, as I was convinced that it was the actual photo upon first glance… here are both the photo and painting:

photo:
Robin, you have an amazing talent and gift!! Keep up the great work! :)

Ok, back to Le Meurice. I have been recently working in the “hot kitchen” – sautéing vegetables and making sauces to accompany the veggie and ravioli dish. I cannot believe this opportunity - that I actually prepare food that is served to clientèle… I am so thankful for each and every single day. I am trying like crazy to improve my French and to soak up as much as possible! I am so impressed with the hard-working mentality of all of the chefs. They take true pride in their work and never rest. We usually eat for ten or fifteen minutes during lunch and dinner, but the remainder of the day is down-right hard work. There is no complaining. No whining. No crying. You do your work and you do it well. No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. I have the utmost respect for each of my new family members, as they are willing to put in the (literally) ‘blood, sweat and tears’ (yes to the two former, no to the latter). Although I have many strikes against me… I am a young, stagiaire, American woman who wears glitter… my fellow comrades have embraced me in and accepted me because I work with passion.

"Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."

Granted, I am by no means in any way, shape or form, in the last scene of life. Yes, I believe that Shakespeare was absolutely brilliant and I love his writings. I love how he ends this poem with referring to the human senses which are essential in the culinary world. Taste, accompaniment of flavors, artwork on the plate... the entire dining experience. However, I cannot bring myself to agree with “sans everything.” I have learned that in life, there is always hope. During my mom’s chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer, she was always so positive and encouraging to her husband, her children and her friends. And she remains confident and supportive to this day. I want to thank my mom for being such a positive role-model in my life – she constantly sends me emails of encouragement and hopeful words. It is true - in life, there is always someone whom you can help. Someone to encourage. Someone to share a smile or a kind word. You never know what is going on in the life of an individual. But because of my mom, I have witnessed first-hand, that a positive attitude and outlook on life help to change the world… one life at a time. So Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in the world!! And contrary to Shakespear’s “sans everything” – there is always hope.

All my love to each and every one of you from Paris,
SB =)