Probably on purpose, we made miscellaneous grains and beans today, on the same day that we began our two weeks of Nutrition. Grains are the biggest portion of the Department of Agriculture's Food Pyramid, and we're encouraged to eat at least 3 ounces of whole grains every day. Beans are a source of protein and carbohydrates and fiber — tons of good stuff. Today, we made lentils (simmered with carrots and toasted cumin seed), barley pilaf (with sautéed mushrooms), kasha [toasted buckwheat] with onions and bow-tie pasta, and white beans with bacon. The kasha is unfamiliar to me, and even Chef said "I would never ever order kasha in a restaurant." He also promoted an alternate recipe, cooking it like oatmeal and adding dried fruit and cream. I think I'd prefer that. It's chewy. The rest of the dishes were delicious, especially the white beans (well, duh: bacon). (When you taste beans, you know they are not done yet if they have a powdery texture, and if you can "hear it" in your ear when you chew. Try it.)

Chef intro'd the nutrition discussion by reminding us that human evolution is slow, and we are still converting food fat into fat cells and holding on to them (you know where, on your own body), based on the rarity of fat in the diet of our long long long ago ancestors. Meat was not a staple, and they never knew when they'd have it next, so they stored it up. Not necessary to do that, these days, but we're still keeping it in reserve, just in case. Similarly, we used to have another stomach, the appendix, which served to digest bark, back in the day when that was on the menu.

Our digressive lecture this morning was on cutting: "Just because you have completed your knife skills final, don't stop practicing your cuts all the time. They should become habit. Some of you are struggling against your knives. They should work for you, or you are straining your wrists, and in five years you'll have carpal tunnel syndrome and be in pain all the time. Your arms are your tools just as much as your knives are. Use them properly. They need to last you a long time."

Tomorrow! Shrimp tempura and other delights of the fryer. And chapters 3 and 4 of Nutrition (Carbohydrates. Lipids: Fats and Oils).

Chef won't be with us for the next couple of days. He's having radiation treatment for thyroid cancer and can't be around "young ones" (I'm thinking that's not necessarily me). A sobering announcement which ended today's class.