Me at this point

“I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.” Harold Kushner

How true that is. I can relate. I've had some disappointments in the past months. After the first one, i was kinda hurt then i moved on and got over it, just as I was fine again, another came about, disappointments that left me thinking I wasn't good enough. Even though I knew I was good enough for something, I was doubting for what. I thought that I wasn't the person I was supposed to be and I wasn't going to be able to make anything happen. Well, was I wrong.

When I read a book, if I don't know anything about it, I read the synopsis first. Doing this gives me a little more information about my subject. I read, I exam, and I tear apart looking for a little more knowledge (even if it's just a new word). 

My question. Why doesn't life have a synopsis on the jacket of the nice hardback binding? When we are born we are all cute and fresh, just like a book after being printed. Books have a nice jacket, this jacket is to protect the very vital insides, the stuff that makes this book tic. Without these vital organs there would be no book. Babies have skin and bones to protect their vital organs. Oh the similarities. The difference is this book is yours to start and finish the story, it's been written and when you finish reading it you finish reading it. This baby, this life isn't yours to read, you have to live it. 

Why isn't their a nice little synopsis and a manual that says, "On this day a baby is born, he will begin life happiness leads to twists and turns throughout his life, as he ages he will face many trials, but rest assured reader the main character will prevail and after these trials the decisions made will be for a reason, and for the most part, the right ones. The character in this journey will live his dreams, live happily be what he wants to be, and finally die happily." 

Wouldn't that be nice, even if it said something like, "A baby born on a tragic night, causing it's family to risk everything, growing up without much, being depressed, he tries many things to harm himself. After dropping out of high school, living on the street for many years bumming from the people around him he dies, alone sad and in pain."

As bad as that is, at least the reader (person living the life in this case) knows what will happen. They know no matter what there is going to be a beginning, middle, and end. In this order and something is going to happen. No doubts as why things happen because they don't matter, what matters is that it does and while that very un-informational synopsis about the life of a boy is vague, the boy knows in one of two cases the outcome. So those small disappointments mean nothing. 

Well, wouldn't that be nice? Too bad it's not true. So we deal with things as we go with them. We read without a synopsis. If I would have had a synopsis for my life I would have known that those disappointments meant nothing to me. They happened for a reason. Now, I know that; then, I didn't. Now, I know the reason, just to say, I'm glad I was disappointed on both counts. 

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Up to this point I've been vague about these disappointments. So, for those of you who don't know what they were (like two people do) I'll tell you. Both disappointments were something I really wanted with all of me, at the times. They were both summer jobs working for the university, these jobs would mean that I would be living in Charlotte, working for JWU. I really love Charlotte and think that this is a place I see myself for a few years. Well obviously I didn't get either of these jobs. Why am I glad I was disappointed? Well, I now know that the plan wasn't for me to live and work in Charlotte, but somewhere better, making more money, and doing work that applies to my career. 

I've recently spoken with the Executive Chef at Westin Resort at Hilton Head. After speaking with said chef I found out I will be living/working at Westin in Hilton Head SC. The chef will be calling me back sometime this week to finalize some details then hopefully I'll be set for a summer job and my internship. 

Disappointments sometimes lead to happiness. One thing I know for sure is that the saying when one door closes another opens is completely true!!!!

I leave you for now with a blessing. May your hunger for food be satisfied with wholesomeness, and your hunger for life, love, and happiness satisfied with knowledge and enlightenment. 

Just Another Post

Wow, the way people change, no grow up. 


"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." - 1 Corinthians 13:11 

Quick rundown of what's in the post: Some things I've done, Some things that have happened, and some thoughts that stay in my mind recently. 

Some things I've done recently the one that is standing out most in my mind is the Martin Yan Event. May I just say "WOW"? What an amazing man. Not only his cooking skills, but his personality, his mind, and his heart. Chef Yan is one of the most humble people I have ever personally met, one of the smartest people I have met, and one of the best chefs I've had the privilege to be in the same kitchen as. All of the is what makes Chef Yan who he is. 

Recent happenings are things like finding out that the cookbook will be here by the end of the month (Super excited), meeting with the Dean of the College of Culinary Arts and finding out that next year the cookbook is going to be even more responsibility, and even more changes coming your way (more about that in the thoughts).

Thoughts; wow; I don't even know where to begin with that. I'm going to let you preview what is going through my mind right now, ready? I hope so, because we're going....NOW. Music in the background, roommate on facebook, I'm really doing this right now, will he answer his phone, suite-mate just walked by the room, skype just popped, im from becca, oh is that a text, I need to finish reading my homework for Traditional European Cuisine (TEC), TEC, dangit, TEC practical in the morning, I'm stewing, I have to prepare my stew, technique, technique, technique, wow, i'm tired, change, determination, I have to iron my jacket, TA, technique, read another book about cooking. These things are all going through my mind quickly right now. I'm always thinking about to many things to keep my mind in one place...this may be why I don't sleep to much. If you read that really fast then you'll know almost what I'm thinking.
My thoughts usually stay on foods, ingredients, techniques, different methods, dishes, platings, techniques, single ingredients into dishes. I go to sleep thinking about food and wake up thinking about food. It's weird, if I don't have a conversation about food and cooking during the day then I start to think even more about it. I have to somehow learn to separate "Industry" from "World". That is my current goal, it's been like this for about a month now. 

May your hunger for food be satisfied with wholesomeness, and your hunger for life, love, and happiness satisfied with knowledge and enlightenment.

The One that Prevails in Emotion, Logic, and Character

I like to begin things with a quote because people before me have realized the importance of things which i write about, so my quote for today is about "Mothers".

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness."  ~Honoré de Balzac


Today is the day that I had finals. One for Nutrition and one for a math class. Both weigh heavily on my final grade. I have always been the person to not study for tests, quizzes, or any sort of academic. Since arriving at college this has changed (another change to myself). I awoke at 7:30 this morning, and from that time my mind has been, well let me just say, not on finals. I went to breakfast around 9:00, mind still not on finals. After breakfast I went to my room and got dressed for the day. 


I began studying and realized that I needed coffee terribly bad for the jump-start I would need to get my mind where it needs to be. While my mind still isn't where it should be, it is working quickly enough for it to be in multiple places, even if one of them is 272 miles away from me. I walked to Starbucks, through the rain and traffic that seemed to blindly drive by without my notice. The day was windy, bitter chill biting my face and hands. I tucked my hands into my pockets and put the hood of my sweater on my head. The fiercely cold droplets of water still soaked my face. Crossing streets against traffic and not thinking about the "Little white man" giving me the go to cross I finally made it to my destination. I opened the door for the pant-suit and heel wearing, blonde Bank of America employee, nodded my head as she acknowledged my gentlemanly gesture and walked in. 

The aroma of freshly ground arabica coffee beans is like a smack in the nostrils from a girl-friend who has just found out about her cheating boyfriend. The shock from the smell arouses my brain and tells it to wake up. As I'm standing on the brown tile ramp behind suited business men and women I try to decide what to order. I read the special signs and the menu, I usually know exactly what I want, but standing in line I have time to find something new. I decide just as the Asian  lady behind the counter asks for my order. My drink is made. As i listen to the constant clammer around me I wonder I will be able to study in this setting. I take my drink and quickly scan the room for an open seat, I find the plush green arm chair by the window I was hoping for. 


I walked over sat down, opened my bag, took a sip from my coffee, remove my computer from my bag and begin studying. After studying vigorously for just over half an hour I decide that I need support and a confidence boost. I text my mother and she replies with some confidence boosting words, but still I need the extra help. The message that comes back was unexpectedly helpful. As I sat in one of the most crowded coffee houses on trade street at 10:45 in the morning, I almost began to cry, If the people around me could see inside my head they would see a lot of different things, but the most prevalent sight would be my emotions. Those never show on the outside. Thank GOD, otherwise everyone in starbucks would know that I was freaking out. As I was texting with my mother the emotions that have been boiling up for so long began to recide. At last, I'm calm, I'm confident, and I'm ready to tackle the world again.


It's amazing what a mother can do from 272 miles away. I felt as if she was there in the shop with me, talking, and then hugging me and telling me to go do it. Now as I'm typing this in the student lounge, I'm beginning to want to cry again, why? I'm imagining my mother right beside me and hugging me.

Now I've tackled one final, and going after the second one in 15 minutes. 


You know what's next, yep that's right, the blessing. May your hunger for food be satisfied with wholesomeness, and your hunger for life, love, and happiness satisfied with knowledge and enlightenment.

Future

No man knows what the future holds, why is this? Because the future is the time yet to come.

Recently in my life things have been changing, these changes that have occurred, I've only just realized are extreme. When did i realize this? The time when the greatest thoughts are thought, in the shower. What was I thinking about in this shower? Well, allow me to rewind just a bit and I will explain everything.

Moving back to when I first started at JWU...Johnson & Wales has student employees that are called T.A.'s, or Teaching Assistants. These T.A.'s are the best of the best, must have their associate's degree, and be able to teach a class....back to today.

Now, let's go back to about 4 days (from the time I'm typing this). This is a Thursday, on this Thursday I was working a very special event for a very special person. When I was first offered this event I immediately accepted, but everyday I doubt myself and my skills. Why do I doubt, because there is someone better than me in every aspect of life. Because of this doubt, I'd never considered being a T.A. but this event made me change my mind. After working with a T.A. beginning to realize that my name is on every call list for special events, and realizing just how popular my name is in the office that would be the deciding office of my employment I am now going to apply (after I get my degree) and become a T.A...back to the present.

I was reflecting on my past more and more recently. I've found things in my mind that have been locked away deep inside the darkest and farthest recesses of my mind. Things that randomly are coming back to me. I've always said that if the only reason to love history is so that it doesn't repeat itself. Now learning about my history that I've kept hidden for so long, I'm thankful to say that I haven't made the same mistakes twice, but Instead I'm doing the opposite. I'm changing into who I want to be more and more everyday.

My future holds many unknown challenges, tasks, and that mountain that I'm going to go rock climbing on before i'm 20...Oh yeah and some free-falling in there somewhere. What will my future bring, I think that it will bring many welcomed things and many needed things. The people that are in my life right now, I hope they stay that way.

I'd like to leave you with my blessing. May your hunger for food be satisfied with wholesomeness, and your hunger for life, love, and happiness satisfied with knowledge and enlightenment.

Entertainment of the Happy

What is "Happy"? 

Happy - characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy. 


Frederick Keonig said, “We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”


An unknown author said this about happiness, “Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”


So according to Frederick, we must appreciate in order to be happy. Another person says we must look beyond imperfections. 

When we are happy what do we do? We smile. We are more apt to listen and respond. We learn and care and give off an aura of "Pleasure, contentment, or joy". When a person is happy they are in my opinion appreciative of the small things and I think many would agree with me, but I also think that the happy are easily entertained. That is what I'm writing to you about today. 


When we are appreciative of the small things how do others view us? Do they think we are superficial, or fake, are they jealous or angry? Who knows? Who cares? If we are really happy then we can share our happiness with others in those small moments when an action with a stranger or even a friend changes someone's day. 


I have a story to tell you about a realization I had today. 


My classes ended as usual and I as usual walked with my friends out of the building. We then said our good days and separated. After saying good bye I walked into the quad. When I walked into the quad area the sun was shining brightly and hot on the skin of my face causing me to squint my eyes, the wind blowing strongly against my body making me lean in just a little to the force, the smell of the city and the grass mixed together to form a fragrance of life that I've come to love.


 I looked up through the light after my eyes adjusted and saw a familiar sight, friends, but today my friends were doing more than keeping warm like they've done so much recently. They were wearing shorts and tee-shirts. Shoes cast carelessly on the ground bags from classes and purses placed absently on the sidewalk. These friends were in a circle, a carelessly made circle, but a circle non-the-less. Passing between these friends in the air was a volley-ball. Friends laughter filled the air and mixed with birds and cars and a train. As I was talking with one of my closer of friends who left the circle to ask a question we noticed something moving through the air.


As we looked in the same direction and began to chuckle gently we heard a sound from behind. someone else noticed the same thing dancing gracefully on the wind. In perfect circles it waltzed and twirled on the wings of the wind. The brown sight was majestic and happy. I looked at the faces of those that had stopped passing the volley-ball as they watched. Some faces were amused others wondering why they had stopped playing for this. I looked at the others who had noticed the sight and exclaimed their attention to it. These faces showed amusement. 


We watched as this majestic dance, across the sky higher and higher away from the grounds of the quad, was performed in the air and I heard from the ones behind. "Danny it's great the we are watching the same thing." 
To which I replied, "Funny isn't it." 
When I looked back at the dancing brown in the air it acceded over the building out of sight, I looked to my friend standing with no shoes and a small amount of mud on his feet, and said, "Let's go watch it."
We turn to run down the steps and around the building and I grab the hands of the ones who were watching with us. They laugh and follow behind. 


When we reach the other side of the building we find the dancer continuing on the wind. over the cars and the street. A few more circles and it's over another building then moments later, it's out of sight, and we stand laughing and watching in hopes we will see the beauty one more time. It doesn't happen. I turn around and cast my gaze at the passers-by. They are staring and wondering why we smile and laugh like we are happy. Judgmental glances don't change our mood. We laugh back to where it all started. The beauty we saw was a brown plastic shopping bag someone had discarded on the sidewalk. 


As I walked to my room I was thinking of the small things like the bag and the ones who were amused by the sight, the ones who stood and watched as something so everyday as a shopping bag, floated through the air. Those who followed to watch more and those that stayed behind. What were they thinking? What were they feeling. I think the ones who followed and laughed, I think they were happy. I think this because they could appreciate the small things and laugh about them. I can't help but wonder what the bag was thinking and feeling though as it lost control and was swept off the ground into the dizzying dance of circles, twists, flips, and turns; carried higher and higher until we no longer saw it, is it on the street? is it still flying? I may never know, but I do know that happiness is something we all need. 

New

I hope everyone notices all the changes that have been made and likes them!

To begin this post I'd just like to thank those of you who read this, so thank you.

To play on that thank you, I have another thanks to give away, and that is to an amazing chef, speaker, and man. This thank you, goes to Chef Peter Reinhart. Chef Reinhart recently gave a speech to a club that I am in, and in this speech he speaks not as a chef, but as an intelectual. I personally am an intelectual being. The reason I must make this thanks is I have a new view on food, life, and myself. I know sounds crazy right? It's not. Let me explain why, then I will jump back to his speech.

Recently I've done a lot of soul searching, mind searching, and questioning. I've done this of late simply because I want, no need to know who I am. Everyone shares the same basic needs, shelter, water, and food...ahh what is that? Did I say food? I did. You may not have realized it, but the title of this blog is "Journey of an Aspiring Chef". What do chefs do? Exactly, I know you just answered it in your mind. Food, that is what we do. So, now I know that I have a duty and that duty is to provide food for the hungry, but my life's dream has been to inspire people through my food. "How am I to do that?" I've often wondered. I hope you are doing the same. If you aren't I ask that you start pondering how are you going to inspire with your life. I am going to tell you how I am going to with mine.

Jumping backwards now. In Chef's speech, he mentions Dante, now when quoting Dante chef is referring to our lives and everything in them. Dante said, "You can't understand the three deeper levels unless you first understand the literal." what are these "three deeper levels" you ask. Ah what are they indeed?
First, we begin with the obvious: literal, very self explanatory
                                                     metaphoric or the poetic level
                                                     political or the ethical level
                                                     mystical or more commonly called the anagogical level.

Now, you know of the four levels, what do these have to do with cooking? That was my question. I soon found the answer. Thinking back to Dante, I realized that in order to inspire i had to understand, but in order to understand i had to try. Now that is where the title of this post comes into play. "New" I've done a post on new things before, but that was my new literal life, now this is the three deeper levels of new. From here on this blog will no longer be about my literal life, but the deeper more who I am and what I'm doing to inspire others and myself.

I leave you for now with a task and a blessing. First the task. Share this with others, I'd love for people to read and hopefully benefit and be inspired by this as i live and write it.

Now for your blessing. May your hunger for food be satisfied with wholesomeness, and your hunger for life, love, and happiness satisfied with knowledge and enlightenment.

wow

sorry i haven't post anything in forever to begin.

i would like your permission to give a brief summary of some experiences that have happened to me up to this point. i've made some major decisions on my future that i hope are the right things to do, i've made some good and great friends (who i feel will be in my future because they are just like that), and i have an amazing opportunity right now to start "making a name for myself".

since you are reading, i obviously have your permission to continue.

one of the decisions i've made basically is to not continue on for my third degree. for those that didn't know i was going to go for a fifth year to receive a third degree. my degrees would have been an associates in culinary arts, a bachelors in food service management (a business degree), and an associates in nutrition. i'm no longer doing this route because i feel better opportunities are to found on an alternate path.

the friends i've began to form relationships with are the kind of people you want your children to be friends with, on most days. they are there for me when i need them, and i them. we encourage each other, help with problems, and also are forming bonds daily.

the afore-mentioned opportunity is that JWU & the nutrition club that i am a part of are holding a "Nutritious CookBook Competition" and we are in full swing of creating this cookbook. a little more about it, basically any JWU student of faculty member may submit a recipe for editing and testing to the club. once we have received the recipes we "run them through" a program called ESHA. ESHA breaks down the nutritional values of each ingredient and also the dish or food item as a whole. after ESHA if the recipe is "up to par" we then test the recipes that made it to "level 2". in testing we are in the kitchen making each recipe if they make it past level 2 then they are in the final draft. then off to the publisher!

so that's just my little amazing opportunity!

i'm thinking of starting on a cookbook...BUT i need recipe testers. i need about 25 people who are willing to test the recipes that i email to them and write reviews on them. my idea for the book is start with novice recipes and techniques then build up to more advanced recipes that require advanced techniques. my reason for the gradual progression is to take the novice on a journey from the stage of basics to the stage of a "home chef".

i want to spread this process out over six months to a year so that the testing has time for details and it's not expensive for the testers.

can i get feedback on this idea, if you can tell your cook friends about the idea and see if they are interested in testing. if you are interested e-mail me at cb.recipe.testers@gmail.com