In my quest to become America's Next Top Best Chef I've been exploring some institutes of culinary education. I figured cooking schools were the most logical place for me to start my quest for knowledge about cuisine so I found myself online requesting information, registering for weekend workshops and taking tours.
The last tour of a rather well renown establishment just left me feeling raw. In fact, when the admissions agent called me this week to inquire about why I hadn't returned to complete the enrollment process I had to dig real deep not to scream and hang up.
As it is, I'd tried to block this particular evening I spent at the Culinary School of Cobb Webs out of my mind, but her call just rehashed the incident so I may as well share:
I arrived on time for a 5 o'clock appointment and find myself waiting in a muggy lobby for about 20 minutes. It felt like the air condition was set on Auto Steam. So it smelled more like a locker room than a cooking school, but I thought, well, this is the lobby. I'm sure it's pristine beyond those double doors. The kitchens MUST be spotless.
As I waited, I noticed some ornate sugar sculptures on display in glass cases, beautiful, really, except for the fine coating of dust that lined the cases and sculptures. I think: "Self, this is just their lobby"
Suddenly the young lady who called me to set up this appointment comes out to greet me, she's wearing a low cut dress with a hem line well above her knees. I could tell right away she was an avid smoker. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke.
She ushers me beyond a pair of glass doors, down a hall and into a room, then she immediately excuses herself to get soda. I'm casing the room and I see cobb webs lining the floor-to-ceiling window frame. In fact, underneath the tables is a thick layer of dust.
Then she returned with a bevy of questions and showed me a Power Point presentation. As she's forwarding the slide show, I realize - I'm HOT. I'm sweating enough to make my shirt start clinging to my arm pits and back.
I'm disgusted.
She takes me through the halls and stops at each classroom to explain in great detail the curriculum. I'm distracted. I see dust, old food that she refers to as student "projects" left out and it smells like my daughters preschool after the kids have just come in from running around outside.
I
AM
READY
To
GO!!
Eventually I got out of there. I won't ever go back.
1 comment:
In some countries, people actually cultivate mold and spores to put in their food. It's call bleu cheese and truffles... you just need to be more open.
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