Culinary School Confidential: Happy 4th! (Don't Eat Too Much Like That Kitten!)

User's Guide

I began formal culinary training on April 22nd, 2008. After spending almost one year monitoring what I ate (for health reasons*) -- and helping myself to extra servings of food lit as well as cooking for myself and for my wife -- I thought it was time to eat (and write) for pleasure. After completing the coursework and working in the field a few months, I continued with another program in culinary management on January 7th, 2009. I don't know what the future may hold but I hope to let this blog light the way.

With these blog entries, I plan to document my day-to-day culinary training. My home cooking. And any and all new recipes and revelations from various restaurants and home kitchens around NYC.

* Additionally, I recorded my daily diet for my nutritionist, Ilsa Jule during my time in the culinary program. I now blog about that separately at Learning to Feed. I hope that what is learned inside the classroom helps to yield a new way of eating, cooking, and living in the outside world. And, if I dare to dream, maybe even help me to lose a few pounds...

Notation Explanation

The picture above is the bowl provided by my nutritionist. It is about 6 inches wide and 2 inches deep. I measure the amount I eat in an estimation of number of bowls.

I record my hunger level on a scale of 1-5. 1= a lack of hunger due to sickness, a previous meal, and/or time of day and 5 = too famished for my own good.

Foods I refer to repeatedly include:

Superhippy Bread: A wildly expensive and dense 8-grain loaf I buy at the farmers market.

Dirtpills: A daily vitamin supplement recommended by Ilsa, made from all food sources.

Good milk: Unhomogenized whole milk

Good yogurt: Whole Greek yogurt

Good butter: Whipped grass-fed organic butter.

Other non-food terms:

HVS: Hungry Vegan Society, of which the one member is also the president. (I'm a very partial honorary member.)

Weekend Report: I do not blog on weekends, but may summarize whatever culinary adventures I had on Monday.

B: My ever-lovin', suspiciously 'flexitarian' wife.