Quiet in the House?

During our fifteen minute break following lecture (on menu pricing and design), Andy and Alex wnet foraging. Alex brought a house-cured salami from the restaurant where he's been workin, and Andy was determined to find the proper accompaniments. Chef Duffy was no help. "I thought he liked me," Andy said, "but he absolutely couldn't part with any cheese." The bread-baking class next door was more helpful, and the Chef donated crusty french rolls, stilton, and brie to our morning snack.

While we munched, we worked in the computer lab, on both our class project (the luncheon for the Larkin Street Youth Center) and our individual projects ("Mama's Kitchen Breakfast Catering"). While Alex and Meghan rewrote recipes to reflect our projected 100 person attendance, Fitz wrote up a template "thank you note," and I worked on the production schedule. Though we have four days to prepare, Peter said he'd typically calculate 16 hours of chef time for each 50 people in attendance.

Derrick wasn't in class today, but yesterday he had the right idea: he listened to his iPod while he sat working at the computer. Before too much time had passed this morning, many of the rest of us wish we'd had that option: Alex just doesn't stop talking! At one point, Andy said (from two aisles over), "Let's use our indoor voices." Then Alex began arguing with Peter about the need to have a recipe for agua fresca: "I've made it a thousand times, and I'll just wing it." Peter used the opportunity to reiterate his earlier point about costing: unless there are recipes, and unless they are followed correctly, the chance of hitting your target profit goals is small. Alex persisted in arguing. Chef persisted in insisting. It was awkward to overhear. I just wanted to say, "Alex, shut up already."

Which is what Andrea finally did say. This was right about the time that Alex, having digressed from the always-popular topic of meat-slicer injuries, began talking about the table saw that uses sensors to prevent injury. "Alex, you haven't stopped talking for two hours. I'm having a hard time hearing myself think," she laughed.

Alex spent the remaining 30 minutes of class talking out loud, about how much he likes to talk out loud, and how it apparently disruptives to other people in the class, who seem to find it offensive or at least irritating, but it's just how he is.