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| My Christmas gift from my sister: fleecy pajama bottoms with inspirational messages in the waistband. |
I wonder what life would be like if we did that, if we agreed with our imaginations. A world full of dreamers?
Today, I received my grade on the written final I took on Saturday for culinary school. It was an 84. It's not an A. But it's very, very okay with me. Our final was 17 pages long. It included essay questions, true and false, short definitions, and fill in the blanks. We also had to write two recipes and include techniques, cooking temperatures and times. It was brutal. We had 3 hours; I took 2 hours to finish it.
I knew I passed, but I wasn't sure how much over a passing grade I received.
So next up: graduation. And when I think about that, I look back to when I dreamed about culinary school. For people who love food, who love to cook, culinary school is often a dreamy, lofty goal. Culinary school isn't like other schools. Yes, it's academic and it's structured and there are tests and projects and credits to be earned. But ... you get to be in a kitchen for a lot of that time, learning how to perfect your craft. There are lectures and seminars and moments that are really dull. But then you get to gut a fish or make brioche or make veal stock. For me, culinary school was a dream come true. It was 'agreeing with my imagination.'
For years, in my 20s, I worked in the food industry. I moved on to media, working in radio and as a writer and editor. When that part of my work life shifted, I went back to the food industry.
So, I make a living as a cook and I teach cooking classes. But I knew that culinary school would enrich that part of my life and even as important, that it would enrich my soul.
Being a student again was rough. It was much harder to study, to stay focused, to sort out the dynamics of the other students, to set priorities. It was tough to juggle work, school and commuting with my family life. It was hard to get enough sleep. It was hard to sleep.
But it was so wonderful too. It was interesting and intense. I met really good people. I pushed through some very exhausting times when I went 3 or 4 weeks without a day off. There were beautiful desserts I made. I would walk down to Davis Square in Somerville after class and eat dinner with classmates. I would get texts on the weekends from my school chums with photos of food they'd made. I learned about butchering, food management, pate brisee, pate a choux and food safety.
My imagination wasn't just about being at school, but doing well. I wasn't an A student, although I did ace a few things. I'm a B student. But I did very well most of the time. I was engaged and listening and interested in everything.
Because of my time spent in restaurants in my 20s and the last couple of years working as a cook, I was prepared for a lot of the lessons I'd learn in culinary school. But my whole attitude about food and cooking changed at school. I learned so much and I am a better person today because of it. And I'm a better cook.
At my age, the decision to go back to school was difficult. It meant a big shift in our home because I wouldn't be around very much. And I started school 2 days after we got married. It also meant spending the money for tuition and such but also earning less, because I couldn't always put in a 40 hour week. And it cost money to commute and to park on the days I drove in.In addition to all of that, physically, the schedule was brutal some days. The commitment of school is a challenge at any age. Some days, though, I felt pretty old. And when I looked in the mirror, I looked it.
So, finals are done, portfolio is submitted, event credits accomplished and in two weeks, I graduate.
To get to this point, I had to have a lot of faith and work really hard. But it all started with imagining a different life for myself, a more enriched career, more opportunities and a feeling of accomplishment.
I highly recommend it.
