A Butcher, a Baker???
December 29, 2011 at 9:07 am | Posted in Career Moves, Playing with Food | 2 CommentsTags: baking, cooking, Food Network, homemaker, pastry chef, wedding registry
I hear it all the time. If you like to prepare food, you are either a cook or a baker. For some reason, there is a separation between the meal and the dessert that is prevalent in the cooking world. Pastry chefs are different than “regular” chefs. People who like to cook typically lean towards one side or the other.
I guess I’m an outcast in this respect. I love to cook, but I do not lean towards dinner or dessert. Instead, I lean towards recipes and techniques that I am familiar with, or that don’t seem too hard to learn, but I’m always experimenting…and watching the Food Network.
I’ve been a food fanatic since I was young, when several of my friends can recall spending days blending weird ingredients together with me. I even remember making meatballs with my Girl Scout Troop once — I think it was the first time I had ever cut onions, and I have a vivid memory of it.
And I’m still learning a lot. There are so many techniques I want to learn, and so many ingredients I have never worked with. And there is only so much you can learn from the Food Network and cook books.
Part of what will help me is buying the right tools to make certain dishes. This is where my wedding registry will play a huge role in making me a good homemaker. But it’s more than that that I crave. I want to be really good. I am driven to get better for myself, not because I plan on ever becoming a professional chef, but because I am interested in preparing good food.
So looking into the New Year, I am thinking of taking my experiments a few
steps further and taking some classes. I’ve started to do some research and there are a lot of options for non-credit, affordable courses to learn techniques. Once I find a good one that is cost-effective and fits into my schedule, I think I’ll give it a shot.
So plan on hearing from Chef Pushing Thirtyy in the New Year. More food adventures to come. Until then…peace out 2011!
Can You Ignore the Holidays?
December 27, 2011 at 8:48 am | Posted in Life and Living | 1 CommentTags: commercialization of the holidays, holiday spirit, New Year's Eve, Times Square
Every year during this time there is a huge sense of excitement everywhere you go. Togetherness and gift-giving are thrown in your face from ads in the subways and straight to your television. Gift-giving is followed by the momentous celebration that is New Year’s Eve.
Growing up Jewish, I never totally got the whole Christmas spirit thing. I don’t remember any real feelings of jealousy. I mean, I got a free day off from school with no obligations to spend with anyone. I had already received 8 days worth of gifts, and now I had a full day just to play with my new toys.
But I have often confronted New Year’s Eve planning with a level of disdain. It is such a huge night where literally the whole world counts down together. (I wonder if when the supposed end of the world on December 21, 2012 will also be met with a similar countdown). Each year, there is this feeling that you should end the year with a bang — do something big. Thousands of people spend hours waiting in Times Square and other huge gathering areas, or pay crazy prices to watch the clock. Some people take the easy way out and have people over locally — to me, that sounds like a great idea and I’ve been guilty of going that route. I have done everything I can to get away from New York — the only time of year I purposely run away from the home I love — because it just gets too crazy. This year, I will brave the craziness for a fun night out in the city, knowing that at least I won’t be on the road with a bunch of drunk drivers.
But back to my original question — is there really a way to ignore the holidays all together? I imagine if you have big distractions, like a newborn child or something along those lines, you may forget about New Year’s for a brief moment. But the holidays are here to stay. There will always be a New Year’s and a Christmas, until the world really does end. So whether you use these holidays as excuses to let loose or a chance to remain low key, you can always do it differently next year.
And hopefully, you are making unforgettable memories in a more organic way too — without planning, without the whole world literally rejoicing at the same time. Those are some really special moments.
While We’re Still Young
December 22, 2011 at 7:37 am | Posted in Life and Living | Leave a commentTags: aging, finding yourself, living the life, no commitment, study abroad, traveling
Backpacking through Europe. Moving across the country. Taking time off after college to “find yourself.” Moving to the big city. These are some examples of activities you are told to experience “while you’re still young.”
I guess the idea is that, while you’re still “young” you have time to mess up and rebound, you may have no commitments, few responsibilities.
I did not take in any of these activities, and not for lack of desire. I had wanted to study abroad, but it seemed irresponsible to go when I had 6 credits left to graduate. I knew I’d be financially paying for it in the long term. Instead, I did shorter trips to England, Italy, France, Spain. Still, I have this thirst to know the world, to explore different cultures, walk ancient passageways, relive history.
I also had this inherent understanding and need to join the workforce as quickly as possible. And I was lucky enough to know at an early age what direction I wanted to take my career, so no need to “find myself”. I have always known who I am and what my strengths are.
I wanted to live in the big city for as long as I can remember, but my career path and with the addition of a large, playful dog to the family, made it in unrealistic.
But I don’t think it’s over for me. Sure, my current path leads me to marriage, and who knows from there, but there might be a chance to stay true to this some of this whole “while we’re still young” mentality.
And if not? Well, if not, maybe I’ll get to some of these activities later in life. Being young is not the only time to explore the world. I plan to live an active life, to see many things, to experience many things.
And what really is “young” anyways? I’m young, but I have a ton of responsibilities and commitments. I don’t see that stopping.
Maybe it’s not really about age. Maybe it’s more about the desire to live and experience, to enjoy life and all the wonder it has to offer.
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