One Week Down

Intensive is Intense

I truly can’t believe I have been at LCB for only one week. What a whirlwind. I am currently in my pajamas at 6pm on Saturday night because I am so exhausted.

On Wednesday we made the fruitcake —and shockingly it was delicious—not even kidding. I take back every evil word and thought about fruitcake in general. Fruitcake will rise again and be popular—at least those lucky fruitcakes made in France. We also made madeleines—such a classic French treat. Then we made gateau Basque, and we made pastry creme, and we piped frosting from a pastry bag for three hours straight. We made paper cornets and piped chocolate on the back of metal pans for three more hours ( you can clean pans, and LCB won’t let you waste the parchment paper—so cheap), then we made a short crust pastry with a design on the top, a creme caramel, and roses out of almond paste. It has been dizzying the speed at which we are progressing.

The notorious fruitcake!

Creme caramel

Gateau Basque

Piping whipped cream over and over

Piping chocolate from a paper cornet

Making Marzipan roses

We have had 32 hours of class this week, in addition to homework, and on Thursday it was 14 hours straight. I am so tired I am not sure if I could tell you the difference between a tart and a tattoo. It has been a blur.

I will say that my instincts were off. I don’t think I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Everything is different this go round. The chefs are kinder, the other students are nicer and it’s so much more fun! I feel like I have been in art class all week. So outside my comfort zone and not something I am very talented at, but which I certainly enjoy. It has been all about the effort and joy of making something beautiful for the simple pleasure of it. I have to admit that while I love cooking and find it a creative endeavor, it remains mostly utilitarian. People need to eat. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I am so used to being in the routine of that that I have either forgotten or never even knew that some things you make are just..because. Because you can, because they are pretty, because they might bring joy to someone, because food is still a love language— but pastry is a different dialect. Making these little luxuries is like literally spreading a little bit of happiness around. A moment of goodwill and kindness.

My small group of kitchen mates are fantastic. I already know everyone’s name and they are all so upbeat and happy. It is so diametrically opposite to the cuisine people from last year. This year everyone wants to get together and go to dinner and share their lives. It is so much more generous and less world-weary. Of course, they are all as young or younger than my own children, but we have formed a bond already through our experience at LCB, and I find that I have so much in common in a “life outlook” way than is usually true with people who are not in my age group, socioeconomic group, life-experience group. The joy of jointly learning this new way to communicate is a tie that binds us as people and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

There is a homeless man who is living a few steps from my front door and all he has is a sleeping bag which he has placed over a steam grate on the sidewalk. He has been there for over a week now and every time I pass by he is in the sleeping bag with it pulled over his head. I want to help him but I haven’t even seen his face, nor do I know anything about his personal situation. Yesterday, a person left a shiny new apple in a shopping bag from the store by his head. All I could think of was that I hope he wakes up and sees it. I was disappointed in myself that I hadn’t thought to leave him some food as well. I am really worried about him. I then realized that I am swimming in desserts at my apartment. They are everywhere and there is no one here to eat them. I have packed them up and tomorrow I will deliver them —anonymously, to the homeless man—unless he uncovers himself. I hope they give him a moment of happiness or relief. I realize desserts are not life sustaining or life altering, but maybe what he really needs is hope. Can you deliver hope in a pretty dessert? I really don’t know. But I can do it and see.