Why Am I Checking My Grades?

Time to go on a diet

This week was super long, difficult, and downright fattening. We have made so many baked goods that my head is spinning and I have put on five pounds. Section A of Boulangerie has been baking up a storm and I have eaten it all.

I am getting to the point where I may never eat baked goods again. Weirdly, I am even eating some of the raw dough as a snack during the day. Bread—baked and unbaked has become the main source of dietary intake for me. I am so puffy that my usually baggy uniform is getting tight and my fingers are like little sausages.

I feel a bit like this giant piece of dough—the blob!

We have reached the half way point in our coursework and we had the “Examen Blanc”, or mock exam for boulangerie this week. Without recipes, we had to make baguettes, pain de campagne (country style bread) and milk breads in two shapes over six hours. It was a lot of pressure. I went to bed early the night before after reviewing my notes, and I met my friends from Group A at 7:00am to discuss proofing times and baking temperatures before we were admitted to the classroom for this practice exam. Yikes! It was not my best showing, as I realized there were many gaps in my knowledge of baking that made it a little dicey to prepare these products soley from memory. Good news— I did learn what I don’t know and will hopefully be better prepared for the actual final exam.

Some overbaked country bread, brioches, and suspiciously shaped baguettes for the mock exam

The rest of the week dragged a little in its repetitiveness-we made croissants again, more baguettes, fougasse, pizza dough, and a host of other breads. So many things that I cannot keep up with it all. At the end of class each day Chef brings out bins that we can put all our excess products in and they are given to the staff and charity, which is great as no one could consume all of this!

Almond croissants and fougasse

Daisy bread and more baguettes

Almond croissants, pain au raisins, seed bread, wheat bread—the list goes on.

Almond croissants, fougasses and more baguettes

The items we donate each day fill several bins like this

The competitive me has been worried about my grades, especially after the mock exam, and I was feeling some anxiety over the whole sitch, which I was sharing with my 24 year-old partner—to which she replied quite guilelessly, that she never checks her grades.

And she didn’t say more. Which made me think— what the hell. She is dialed in. What is the point of stressing about the grades? Who really cares if I get the top grade, the middle grade or the low grade in boulangerie? Not you all. Not me. There really isn’t anyone else who even knows I am here. I am learning cooking chemistry (which makes me feel super smart), and I am in Paris, and all is well. Sometimes the younger set has wisdom, that I either never had, or forgot! Anyway—it was super liberating.

As a result, after the exam, I came home, took a shower, and went out with my husband for drinks and dinner at Hotel Costes —always awesome people watching. We drank wine and martinis and ate NO bread products—thank God! A fun evening was had and we wandered home quite satisfied. Sure, I regretted it the next morning at 5:30am—but right then—it felt fine! The lesson for me—doing is the important thing, not the score from a chef eval. I am not opening a boulangerie or a restaurant— this is an educational-keep your brain engaged to stave off senility—sideline for me. So bring on the cocktails and lets have fun in Paris!

In that spirit , we have made the most of the last few nights. On Friday we splurged and went to Guy Savoy, a three star Michelin dining room that was pretty outstanding. While I did not actually eat their bread, I did cast a judging eye upon it and decided my breads were just as good as the ones Guy is making! Even without the bread we managed to consume 15 courses and we rolled home, stuffed, at about midnight!

the caviar amuse bouche

A most delicious John Dory

The first of about five desserts

Between the bread, the eating out, and the wine, I probably better start on a workout program. Getting in my 11,000 steps each day is not cutting it. Maybe its time to join a gym here in Paris. There is actually a gym at the base of LCB, and I pass it every day wondering who in their right mind would work out there. It is so dark, and the ceiling is so low that I kind of get unmotivated just looking at it. But a workout is a workout and this would be pretty convenient —maybe I better pop in on Monday and check it out.

The French don’t do gyms well

On a last note — the weather in Paris has been splendid. There have even been a few days I have been outside in the afternoon without a coat and gloves—which is kind of amazing. I don’t think Paris is packed with tourists right now, but whoever is here, is outside and enjoying the sunshine. It is not often that the weather in Paris in January is better than it is in Dallas —but there you go—blame it on climate change.

The quai at the Pont Neuf is packed today!