…..not all at the same time, though, of course !
Slow Food as a concept is something that has interested me (from afar, I hasten to add, since I have never actively participated at any actual event and I am not, as of yet, a paying card member) for quite some time. Why ? Well, purely because their philosophy corresponds pretty well with what is at the core of what is important to me in cuisine. For those who don’t know the Slow Food movement, here’s a brief list of the key aspects of their philosophy – those that correspond with what’s important to me, anyway…..
-
informed about how our food is produced and actively supporting those who produce it – this is something which will be at the heart of my restaurant, when my time comes, be it produce from France or the UK
-
responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture – another key point for me since la cuisine is a means of sharing and understanding culture and tradition. Again, my current vision of my future restaurant has at the heart of it an exchange (between me, my customers and my suppliers / producers) of cultures, notably the English and French cultures.
-
good, clean and fair food – that is, food produced in a way which respects the environment and the produce, and the producer is fairly compensated for their work
Bacteria, detergents and disinfectants were the subject of today’s class on Science Applied to Cuisine. I have no intention of sharing the detail of this class with you, but simply, each of these classes on Hygiene in the kitchen reminds me of the big difference between what is stated in the regulations, and what is actually applied in a real traditional restaurant. The kitchens where I work have very good standards of cleanliness – to the point where I arrived at work to find the chef cleaning the kitchen with a high pressure water spray to get the grease and grime out from under the work surfaces and behind the ovens. But it is clear that all of the measures mentioned in the guidelines (1995 restauration traditionnelle and 1997 restauration in the community, and soon to be replaced by 852/2004) are difficult to put in place when the kitchen is not designed and built from scratch – which of course is usually the case. I have at least promised myself (and my tutor) that I will studiously respect the 7 point plan for washing my hands (including nail brush) for when I arrive, leave and come back from the toilet or having eaten.
Otherwise, the cleaning of the kitchen is something that will be treated in detail when my restaurant starts to become a reality…but I know that a real headache awaits !
Blogs are pretty much always in my mind at the moment – primarily, at the moment, the content of my own, but also more and more the content and structure of others. One first observation that I have – an obvious one, I suppose – is the personal nature of blogs. Usually 1 person writing about their thoughts on a certain topic (usually food, for those which interest me at the moment). Given the personal nature of the blog, I am beginning to realise that one has to be very careful with the comments that one leaves….or maybe, like in life, it depends upon the nature of the individual ? Anyway, as far as my thoughts in my blog, I intend to remain as open and honest as possible….but I am starting to realise that I cannot apply the same rule to what I write in other people’s blogs….pretty obvious, I guess, but it didn’t occur to me at first.
Anyway, Id better go since I have my cuisine practical class today – potage julienne darblay, carré de porc poêlé avec pommes gaufrettes…..
