Let them Eat Cake

The day began with a plastic bucket falling on my head, breaking the skin on my nose.  Despite my obvious bleeding, no one paid any mind, and I was forced to soldier on.  The day ended with yet another raw baguette dough calamity that had Chef Amy looking at me like I was the biggest klutz that ever walked into her classroom....but, in between, class today was ok.

Not fun.  Not happy.  Not exuding the joy that baking bread is supposed to bring, but so much better than yesterday that I was able to laugh at myself.

And, it didn't hurt that the French guy, let's call him Guy, made a major mistake in weighing his team's flour.  And, it also helped that one the better bakers in the room was called out for 'slashing too shallowly.!"


During the day, there are many conversations that happen between the twelve students and the two chef teachers.  Some are banal, as in "...did you hear that Chef Roger won an award for scoring in Las Vegas" to fearful, like "...did Chef Amy tell us to fold or not fold the dough?"

But today, I overheard the New Girl tell the French guy Guy, as we were mixing the brioche, that she has always loved the Marie Antoinette story about this dough.  The version where Marie Antoinette said that the poor should eat brioche, though for many years, in many books, it has been mistranslated as cake.  Guy, the French guy, looked at her puzzled and said, "Non.  Zat iz not true.  She said cake and meant cake."

Trying to  keep my eyes on the two of them and still feed the mixer 'cold but pliable butter' was not easy, but I was determined.  I heard the New Girl repeat the Marie Antoinette story is if Guy did not understand.  But he did understand, rolled his eyeballs and muttered something in French under his breath.  Then his weighing error was discovered and we all feigned compassion....when really, we were all just SO relieved that it was not us!

Tomorrow we make fogasses...which I hope is better than it sounds!

sending love....