HINJFCA Part XX: Stick A Fork In It

First, allow me to apologize for not maintaining a regular update for this blog; I know how that must upset all my readers (both of them). But you must realize that your humble narrator has been quite busy of late, what with all the schoolwork and full time work sked keeping me more occupied than I imagined (or desired).

This really will have to be a brief post because in a mere 90 minutes I go to face my destiny. I go to look the into the abyss eyeball to eyeball. That's right: I'm headed to school for part one of a two-part final exam. What is the general feeling of the students as we careen toward this penultimate showdown with destiny? Let me sum it up with a quote from my roommate and fellw student: “Life's pretty much over for me, man.”

Well, after surviving a mental breakdown and a bout of nearly losing myself to the mean streets of Sin City, my outlook is not that dire; not quite, anyway. If I fail this thing, it won't be the end of the world so much as a challenge: That being, how will I rectify the epic f**k-up that I've created?

As I've mentioned before, taking this cooking class has confirmed for me the fact that I hate cooking. There, I said it again. Thankfully, I've discovered that I am not the only one who feels that way. So I feel a bit less like a loner in that regard. I have also discovered that I'm not the only one dissatisfied with his team members.

Working with Rain Man & Pitbull turned into a nightmare. They both have an aptitude for this stuff and enjoy it. Honestly, they're very good cooks. When they saw how bad I was, they decided amongst themselves to do ALL the work, including mine. I essentially turned in and was graded for work I didn't do. The upshot is that I didn't actually learn to do the work for myself. And that's what will likely sink me in this part of the final, which involves preparing several recipes.

Somewhere along the way my teammates decided this was a competition, not a group effort where everyone was supposed to support everyone else. I'm not crying about it because I should have said something before. But it was kind of cool to have other people do my work for me. Well, I've learned a valuable After School Lesson, haven't I?

I really wanted this class for the college credit, not to be a cook. There's still the written exam tomorrow where I can make up some lost ground. And the second part of the program (garde manger) sounds more interesting than the misery I've been dredging myself through. As if that's not enough to buoy my spirits, how about this (a true story):

A few years ago, a Latina took the same courses I'm taking. However, she spoke little to no English. She apparently mucked up the cooking final. And for the written final she answered every question with 'Radish'. That's right. And she got her certificate of completion. (Not sure about the college credit, but I wouldn't be surprised if she received that as well.)

I'll share my miseries and/or triumphs with you later. For now, that's a wrap!

(Btw, I'm typing this on a netbook a dedicated reader sent me. I'm still learning how to use it, so do forgive any typos, etc.)

Quote of the Day:

“I've never known anyone that died and lived to talk about it.”