The Great Boston Molasses Disaster

It was a tragedy! It really was. You really miss out on some critical American history when you grow up in California. Today, in memory of that sad day, we used no molasses in class, though it was a major New England staple.

We talked today about the hardships faced by the first Puritan settlers and the assistance provided by the local Indians, who taught them how to fish and grow corn. Chef Patricio said, "Some people say that this food is bland, but I prefer to think of it as 'simple.'" New England is known for seafood, baked beans, and blueberries.

We had a relatively small class today. Both Andrea and Derrick were gone -- her first absence, ever -- and Sarah and Meghan (new this session) weren't in class, either. Things moved extremely smoothly, to everyone's surprise, including Chef, I think. Jim was sous chef.

We started lunch with a marinated beet and frisée salad. I always think I don't like beets until I eat them, and then I do.

Andy and I made clam chowder, and it was truly the best I've ever made. Alex said it was the day's best dish. I don't know what it is -- the recipe was not much different from the way I've made it a hundred times. Perhaps the careful cutting of the vegetables had something to do with it. We also did two interesting finishing things. First of all, we added cream (tempered with some of the soup) right before serving, so it never got really hot (it can curdle). Secondly, we also added about a cup of minced parsley and dill, and the herbs made it fresh and lively.

Jordan and Dava made fish and chips (cod being a major economic factor in the Northeast). She actually made the tartar sauce all morning, and Jordan recruited the salad people to help with the fish and potatoes.

Silvia made a berry cobbler and Alex made a special trip down to purchasing for some vanilla ice cream and a baguette that we ate with our soup.

Chef was dismayed when he came into class today: apparently Friday's evening class, or someone over the weekend, had used the kitchen and left it in disarray. He called me into his little office adjacent to our kitchen and asked me to help him compose an email to the executive chef. "I don't want to complain," he said to me, "but this goes against everything I am trying to teach."

I must just have that "helpful" look about me today. As I was walking to my car, a casually dressed thirty-something guy came up to me and said, "You would know! Is there a Vietnamese sandwich shop around here?" I told him to go down to the corner and go up a block, to Little Saigon, and he asked me a few more questions about school, then wished me luck.

PS. I had a little accident over the weekend while mincing jalapenos. It's just a slice off the tip of my left index finger, starting with about 1/4 of the fingernail. Fortunately my knife is extremely sharp so it was all over in a flash. Thanks to David for bringing me back to this world when I was drifting off elsewhere. Let me know if you want to see pictures.