In the few days I have left here in Costa Rica, I have been finalizing my school work, packing and resting. I have a 1,500 word paper that is due two days after I return to the States, and I would rather spend those two days catching up with my son and my friends, than have my school work to complete. Yesterday, I went into San Jose to meet up with my friend Michelle, for a quick lunch. It was nice to be able to spend some time with her before I have to leave. She is in the Hotel and Restaurant Management program here at the University, and is in her Culinary term. She took me to a chineese market to purchase pigs ears for a project that she had to provide food for. I have never tasted, nor have I had the desire to taste pigs ear, but in the spirit of all things culinary, I tried it. I still don't like it, but at least I can say I tried it. It was prepared by boiling it in a seasoned broth until tender, but the texture was rubbery.
This morning Oky and I sat down for breakfast together, and she ended up sharing some of her life history with me. Such a wonderful woman, with such a wonderful life history. Tonight she is cooking us dinner, and then I am off to finalize the packing and get ready to leave. I have had a wonderful time here in Costa Rica, but I am also so excited to return home to the United States tomorrow.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
July 19-21, 2011
This morning started early, as Demian picked me up at 6:30 am. We headed towards Caldora, where we had to top at Marco Julio Tensio's shop for Demian to get an Oyster tank fixed. We will then be taking the tank to Tamarindo Beach, for a new resturant that will be selling Oysters from Product C's Oyster Farm. We were at Marco's place for 2 1/2 hours, not becausee it took that long to fix the oyster tank, but because this is the Costa Rican way. Sit an talk awhile, work awhile, smoke a cigarette for awhile, work awhile. We finally left at 9:30 am for a 4 1/2 hour drive. I really enjoyed talking with Demian about everything from cooking to business to my children to his girlfriend.
Demian had told me since we were going to the beach, we would be staying at a place one step up from a shack. Not a problem, it's the beach right? We pulled into a resort, and Demian drove up to the security building. I asked him where we were, and he said that he had lied to me, that we were actually staying at a friend of his house. There really is no way to say it other than, it was by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen, much less stayed in. I had my own suite, which led out to an infinity pool.
Demian and I sat by the pool to relax for an hour, and then we headed for one of 5 beaches we visited while on our road trip. Costa Rica's beaches vary from beach to beach. Depending on the amount of volcanic ash in the sand, will tell what color the sand is. I saw almost black sand, and I saw almost blonde sand.
Demian had not been to this beach for 10 years, so it was neat to see the excitement and then shock at how much the area around the beach had changed. We stayed at that beach just a few minutes and then we headed to Playa Grande so that Demian could surf. He is really good. I had difficulty keeping track of him out in the water, due to the waves breaking so far away from shore. We stayed at the beach until the sun set, and I was able to photograph the sun setting at different settings. We left the beach and at the truck we both changed into clothes for dinner. It reminded me a lot of my camping days, when we would open the doors and change in between. We went to a local restaurant, on the beach and had a wonderful dinner of whole Pargo, deep fried. A young woman brought a bowl filled with essence of lime, hibiscus flowers and beach almond leaves in ice water, for us to wash our hands in. The lady then dried our hands for us with a towel she had brought along with her to our table. After our dinner, she returned to our table with a small wooden bowl with two minature discs, over which she poured boiling water from a tea pot. They were "magical" towels that once wet, the disks transformed into hand towels.
The next morning we left the Resort at 7 am for Playa Avellanas. The trip to the beach was rather short, but really bumpy. When we arrived at the beach, Demian introduced me to the owner of the beachside restaurant Lola's. We stayed there until 12:00 pm and then headed to Tamarindo Beach, to install the oyster tank that we had brought with us on the trip. When we arrived, Demian introduced me to Candace, the owner of the restaurant. He told me it would take an hour to an hour and a half to get the tank in, and if I wanted to, I could walk around town and explore. It was a neat beach town, but very touristy. Souvenirs everywhere, which I of course had to contribute my part to the local economy in order to bring something back for my family. Before we lefft the beach, Demian said that there was someone that wanted to say hello to me, so we headed over to a parking garage, that led to a high rise. As we got off the elevator, a door at the end of the hall opened, and out walked Norman, one of the owners of Product C. I was able to meet Norman's wife, and his two children, and of course the nanny. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other, and I had the opportunity to share my experience here in Costa Rica. That evening on the way back to the Resort, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few things to cook back at the house.
Lest you think that all I did was sit on the beach, play in the water, read my book and eat like a queen, I will tell you that this was also a working trip. Lessons were learned about the Oyster Farm that Product C owns, which provides Oysters to both Product C restaurants, wholesale and retail, and now a new resturant that will be opening soon in Tamarindo Beach; the salt mine that Product C gets all thier salt for both restaurants; and the Fishing Company that Product C gets all of it's fresh caught fish from.
Demian had told me since we were going to the beach, we would be staying at a place one step up from a shack. Not a problem, it's the beach right? We pulled into a resort, and Demian drove up to the security building. I asked him where we were, and he said that he had lied to me, that we were actually staying at a friend of his house. There really is no way to say it other than, it was by far the most beautiful place I have ever seen, much less stayed in. I had my own suite, which led out to an infinity pool.
Demian and I sat by the pool to relax for an hour, and then we headed for one of 5 beaches we visited while on our road trip. Costa Rica's beaches vary from beach to beach. Depending on the amount of volcanic ash in the sand, will tell what color the sand is. I saw almost black sand, and I saw almost blonde sand.
Demian had not been to this beach for 10 years, so it was neat to see the excitement and then shock at how much the area around the beach had changed. We stayed at that beach just a few minutes and then we headed to Playa Grande so that Demian could surf. He is really good. I had difficulty keeping track of him out in the water, due to the waves breaking so far away from shore. We stayed at the beach until the sun set, and I was able to photograph the sun setting at different settings. We left the beach and at the truck we both changed into clothes for dinner. It reminded me a lot of my camping days, when we would open the doors and change in between. We went to a local restaurant, on the beach and had a wonderful dinner of whole Pargo, deep fried. A young woman brought a bowl filled with essence of lime, hibiscus flowers and beach almond leaves in ice water, for us to wash our hands in. The lady then dried our hands for us with a towel she had brought along with her to our table. After our dinner, she returned to our table with a small wooden bowl with two minature discs, over which she poured boiling water from a tea pot. They were "magical" towels that once wet, the disks transformed into hand towels.
The next morning we left the Resort at 7 am for Playa Avellanas. The trip to the beach was rather short, but really bumpy. When we arrived at the beach, Demian introduced me to the owner of the beachside restaurant Lola's. We stayed there until 12:00 pm and then headed to Tamarindo Beach, to install the oyster tank that we had brought with us on the trip. When we arrived, Demian introduced me to Candace, the owner of the restaurant. He told me it would take an hour to an hour and a half to get the tank in, and if I wanted to, I could walk around town and explore. It was a neat beach town, but very touristy. Souvenirs everywhere, which I of course had to contribute my part to the local economy in order to bring something back for my family. Before we lefft the beach, Demian said that there was someone that wanted to say hello to me, so we headed over to a parking garage, that led to a high rise. As we got off the elevator, a door at the end of the hall opened, and out walked Norman, one of the owners of Product C. I was able to meet Norman's wife, and his two children, and of course the nanny. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other, and I had the opportunity to share my experience here in Costa Rica. That evening on the way back to the Resort, we stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few things to cook back at the house.
Lest you think that all I did was sit on the beach, play in the water, read my book and eat like a queen, I will tell you that this was also a working trip. Lessons were learned about the Oyster Farm that Product C owns, which provides Oysters to both Product C restaurants, wholesale and retail, and now a new resturant that will be opening soon in Tamarindo Beach; the salt mine that Product C gets all thier salt for both restaurants; and the Fishing Company that Product C gets all of it's fresh caught fish from.
July 22, 2011
I have not had access to the internet since July 19th, so I will use this time to update those 4 days. Get ready..... it's gonna be a long one.
On July 18th, I was able to go on a Tour of the Sarapiqui River. A tourist van picked me up just down the street from where I am staying. I was told by the driver, who spoke no English, that there would only be one other person going on the tour. After a 20 minute ride, we stopped at a Hotel and picked up two fellas, Ken and Stuart, who were going on the tour as well. Just before getting on the interstate, we picked up another couple, Richard and Natasha. The van ride took almost 2 hours, where we arrived at the boat company for our 1 hour boat ride. While on the river, we saw Howler Monkeys, a Crocodile, a Turtle, two Parots, and a Snake Bird. We arrived at the Private Reserve where we would take a Canopy Tour, and then have a Costa Rican lunch.
The Canopy Tour was not at all what I expected. I was not nervous, and I had a wonderful time. The only draw back is the huge shaky ladders that I had to climb to get to each platform. By the time I would ascend to the top of the ladder, I felt as though my arms would stop working. Guess I need to work on that upper body strength. There were 12 platforms total and it took about an hour for the whole tour. By the end, my stomach was growling, so it was nice to eat lunch. The lunch was roasted beef, pico de gallo, potatoes, black beans and rice and coffee. The bus ride back seemed a little longer, as we were traveling up the mountains, back to San Jose. The van driver was kind enough to drop me off in front of my house.
On July 18th, I was able to go on a Tour of the Sarapiqui River. A tourist van picked me up just down the street from where I am staying. I was told by the driver, who spoke no English, that there would only be one other person going on the tour. After a 20 minute ride, we stopped at a Hotel and picked up two fellas, Ken and Stuart, who were going on the tour as well. Just before getting on the interstate, we picked up another couple, Richard and Natasha. The van ride took almost 2 hours, where we arrived at the boat company for our 1 hour boat ride. While on the river, we saw Howler Monkeys, a Crocodile, a Turtle, two Parots, and a Snake Bird. We arrived at the Private Reserve where we would take a Canopy Tour, and then have a Costa Rican lunch.
The Canopy Tour was not at all what I expected. I was not nervous, and I had a wonderful time. The only draw back is the huge shaky ladders that I had to climb to get to each platform. By the time I would ascend to the top of the ladder, I felt as though my arms would stop working. Guess I need to work on that upper body strength. There were 12 platforms total and it took about an hour for the whole tour. By the end, my stomach was growling, so it was nice to eat lunch. The lunch was roasted beef, pico de gallo, potatoes, black beans and rice and coffee. The bus ride back seemed a little longer, as we were traveling up the mountains, back to San Jose. The van driver was kind enough to drop me off in front of my house.
Monday, July 18, 2011
July 18, 2011
The tour I took today was incredible! I will be uploading photos as soon as possible. Demian called me tonight and told me to pack for three days, and we will be leaving tomorrow morning at 6 am. I will be taking my computer, but I am not sure that I will have internet access, so be patient. I will update and upload photos as soon as I can.
Friday, July 15, 2011
July 15, 2011
This morning started off a little slow. I woke up and turned on the shower, only to notice there was no hot water. Apparently, Oky has some electrical issues, and at times the fuse for the hot water heater kicks off. This has happened several times before, and a cold shower was quite refreshing but for the past couple of days, the temperature has been cooler so I had to wait for 30 minutes for the water to heat up. This threw me late for my one hour walk to work, so I had to call a taxi. It is quite disconserting to me that even though I use the same taxi service, the amount of money I pay for a ride varies from driver to driver. There is a meter in the taxi that starts at 550 colones ($1.50) for the first mile and then it climbs by 10 colones. Depending on the taxi, the advancement of 10 colones might be any where from 5 seconds to 20 seconds, so a ride to work or from work may cost any where from $4.00 to $6.00.
When I arrived at work, I was asked to help the Cold Kitchen get set up for lunch, as there would be a student from the local University helping today in the Hot Kitchen. I made a quadruple batch of Pear Shallot Mignonette. Since shallots are horribly expensive in Costa Rica, the recipe calls for minced red onion instead of shallots. I haven't hand made an emulsion since my first term at school, but it turned out well. The secret to this sauce is a Pear Infused Vinegar. YUM.
As I was starting to make a Miso dressing, the manager, Manuel called a staff meeting. It was so kind of him to acknowledge that I wouldn't understand what was being discussed, but Fernando agreed to interprete for me. Manuel told all of us that Demian has resigned as the General Manager of Product C. Manuel has now been named as the new General Manager. It would appear that this change will free Demian up to do more as an owner.
The student that was supposed to work in the Hot Kitchen didn't show up for work, so I was asked to switch over. It was very busy today for lunch. The special today was Roasted Mini Potatoes with Salmon and Tomato Sauce and Pesto. As I watched these specials going out of the kitchen, I decided that this would be my dinner, however; I switched out the Salmon for Corvina (Sea Bass). What a wonderful, tasty meal.
After arriving home, I went in to my room to change clothes and get cleaned up, and a horrible smell smacked me in the face. I forgot to mention that it has been raining hard, like sheets of rain, all day long, and it appears that there was so much rain today at Oky's house that the sewage tank in the back yard, has backed up. So everything smells like, well..... sewage. Oky gave me two candles to burn in the room and the bathroom, but all I smell is sewage and girly candles. I pray that I am able to sleep with the smell.
When I arrived at work, I was asked to help the Cold Kitchen get set up for lunch, as there would be a student from the local University helping today in the Hot Kitchen. I made a quadruple batch of Pear Shallot Mignonette. Since shallots are horribly expensive in Costa Rica, the recipe calls for minced red onion instead of shallots. I haven't hand made an emulsion since my first term at school, but it turned out well. The secret to this sauce is a Pear Infused Vinegar. YUM.
As I was starting to make a Miso dressing, the manager, Manuel called a staff meeting. It was so kind of him to acknowledge that I wouldn't understand what was being discussed, but Fernando agreed to interprete for me. Manuel told all of us that Demian has resigned as the General Manager of Product C. Manuel has now been named as the new General Manager. It would appear that this change will free Demian up to do more as an owner.
The student that was supposed to work in the Hot Kitchen didn't show up for work, so I was asked to switch over. It was very busy today for lunch. The special today was Roasted Mini Potatoes with Salmon and Tomato Sauce and Pesto. As I watched these specials going out of the kitchen, I decided that this would be my dinner, however; I switched out the Salmon for Corvina (Sea Bass). What a wonderful, tasty meal.
After arriving home, I went in to my room to change clothes and get cleaned up, and a horrible smell smacked me in the face. I forgot to mention that it has been raining hard, like sheets of rain, all day long, and it appears that there was so much rain today at Oky's house that the sewage tank in the back yard, has backed up. So everything smells like, well..... sewage. Oky gave me two candles to burn in the room and the bathroom, but all I smell is sewage and girly candles. I pray that I am able to sleep with the smell.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
July 14, 2011
This morning at work I made a triple batch of Gratin. The entire process, from prep, to filling the gratin containers for storage took 3 hours. Such a tedious recipe, but today we had a Salmon Gratin special, and we sold 11 gratins during lunch. Today we were slammed at lunch, so there was not much time to look over recipes. After work, I came home to get a good night's sleep. Only two more days at work in the restaurant, and then my final week is going to be all about the company and what makes it run.
July 13, 2011
Hot kitchen again, and will be there for the rest of the week. Every morning during prep time, I have been given the opportunity to make a new recipe every day. Today I made a Pineapple, Mango and Tomato chutney. This will serve for the rest of the week, so we are talking a huge batch. I have made careful notes of the recipe, thus making it easy to cut it down to one recipe. Lunch was slow, so it made more time to learn more recipes. After work, I went home to relax. Oky asked me if I wanted to go to her friend's house for dinner. I accepted and we had the most wonderful time. Even though I couldn't understand a thing that was said during the two hours I was there, we had a wonderful dinner and I made sure to smile a lot when the women would look at me. Upon returning home, my Mom called and we were able to talk for a little while, just catching up.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
July 12, 2011
Today is the first day back to posting, since July 7th. I have been very sick, and spent three days in bed, so I decided that it would be useless to blog about not feeling well, and sleeping on and off for three days. Yesterday I was able to go to the dentist for the final time, and I now have my permanent crown.
This morning, the walk to work was difficult as I am not quite back to 100 percent, physically. It takes me 45-55 minutes to walk to work, and then the same in the afternoon to walk home. Since the walk home is up hill, it adds a few more minutes to home.
For my final week at work, I am working in the hot kitchen. I loved it today, and I realized how much I have missed cooking. I am responsible for the side dishes (rice, plantanos, potatoes - mashed, as well as Caribean Soup, C-Food Casserole, and julienned vegetables). We were not slammed, so it was a perfect learning day. My lead Carrie is such a great teacher, and she speaks perfect English. The only problem I have is I can't understand what the Chef is calling out when he orders in, so tonight I am studying all of the dishes on the menu, and thier spanish names.
This morning, the walk to work was difficult as I am not quite back to 100 percent, physically. It takes me 45-55 minutes to walk to work, and then the same in the afternoon to walk home. Since the walk home is up hill, it adds a few more minutes to home.
For my final week at work, I am working in the hot kitchen. I loved it today, and I realized how much I have missed cooking. I am responsible for the side dishes (rice, plantanos, potatoes - mashed, as well as Caribean Soup, C-Food Casserole, and julienned vegetables). We were not slammed, so it was a perfect learning day. My lead Carrie is such a great teacher, and she speaks perfect English. The only problem I have is I can't understand what the Chef is calling out when he orders in, so tonight I am studying all of the dishes on the menu, and thier spanish names.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
July 7, 2011
This morning, I had to be at work at 8 am, but didn't find out until 7:15 am, so I missed breakfast, and had to call a taxi. The taxi driver yelled at me as I got in the car, because aparently, I slammed the door. So, for exchange, I gave him directions to my work, down the bumpiest, rocky road, instead of the smooth ride. HA. When I got out of the taxi, I left the door open, and requested that he come around and close the door, so I wouldn't slam it. I am so terrible.
Today I worked in the Butchery station, and unloaded all of the product that came from the Santa Ana store. I first had to remove everything from the reach in, and re-contain everything. Meaning... I had to take all of the inserts that were in the reach in, and switch them with clean inserts. Then, I unpacked the shipment of seafood and placed them in inserts. It was also my job to take all of the fish from the display case, from the night before, and make filets out of them, for service today. Well.... I didn't do so good with the portioning part. They were supposed to be 220 kgs but I kept hitting 170 kg. I also made Chipoltle Mayo today.
On the walk home, I noticed a police car about four blocks up, with flashing lights. As I approached, I noticed a young man, sitting on the grass, and his face was all beat up. Two police people were trying to talk to him, but he just kept babbling. Across the street there were a bunch of people looking on. This is the first time I have seen the police arresting someone.
I felt so tired walking home, it was all I could do to get in the house and colapse. I think I will get to bed early.
Today I worked in the Butchery station, and unloaded all of the product that came from the Santa Ana store. I first had to remove everything from the reach in, and re-contain everything. Meaning... I had to take all of the inserts that were in the reach in, and switch them with clean inserts. Then, I unpacked the shipment of seafood and placed them in inserts. It was also my job to take all of the fish from the display case, from the night before, and make filets out of them, for service today. Well.... I didn't do so good with the portioning part. They were supposed to be 220 kgs but I kept hitting 170 kg. I also made Chipoltle Mayo today.
On the walk home, I noticed a police car about four blocks up, with flashing lights. As I approached, I noticed a young man, sitting on the grass, and his face was all beat up. Two police people were trying to talk to him, but he just kept babbling. Across the street there were a bunch of people looking on. This is the first time I have seen the police arresting someone.
I felt so tired walking home, it was all I could do to get in the house and colapse. I think I will get to bed early.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
July 5, 2011
This morning I walked to work. It was such a nice walk, and even though it took me an hour, the sun felt good, with a cool breeze at my back. When I got to work, Demian was there, in a Chef's coat, working. He told me the head chef is no longer at the restaurant (I didn't ask) but he said it was a good thing. I went to change my clothes in the staff room, and found Fernando, the cook from Santa Ana. We hugged each other and he wished me a Happy Birthday. He is going to be working here from now on! I am so happy for him. I think he will climb the ranks faster here at Escazu than at Santa Ana. I spent the first part of the morning doing prep work, I cut red bell peppers and red onions in a brunoise size, and cojote cilantro for Ceviche. I also cleaned smoked clams for the Product C Ceviche. As we were preparing for service, Demian came in and got me to go clean and devein 5 kilos of Skrimps (I mean Prawns). As I finished up, it was time to go. Wow, time flies when you are having a good time.
Tonight I hope to help Chip cook some Butter Chicken, that is if he gets home before 9 pm tonight.
Tonight I hope to help Chip cook some Butter Chicken, that is if he gets home before 9 pm tonight.
Monday, July 4, 2011
July 4, 2011
I slept in until 7 am when the construction crew began pounding next door. I phoned the boys today, but was only able to talk to Tucker, Talmadge was at the pool. We had a wonderful conversation, but I am sad because he is leaving to go spend the rest of the summer with Troy's Mom and Dad. I guess I won't get to see him when I go to visit in Chattanooga. I was able to read my book for a couple of hours until it was time to get ready for the dentist. I had to navigate three buses to get to the dentist, oh, in the pouring down rain, but I finally arrived safe and sound. Unfortunately, the permanent crown didn't fit, so a new impression has to be sent back to the lab. Uggg. I will hopefully get to go back on Thursday to try again. I finally made it home around 6 pm, well after dark. It was unnerving to walk home, from the bus stop but I prayed that God would protect me. I stopped and purchased some empenadas on the way home, and as always they hit the spot.
July 3, 2011
We missed the shuttle to church this morning, and I am sad. Jessie's mom is flying into Costa Rica, from New Orleans so we left Herrida around 11 am. Jessie and I rode the bus to San Jose, where she went on to the airport and I went back home. It was great to catch the correct bus, to get home. I feel like I am finally getting my bearings. I spent the afternoon washing my laundry and then watched a little tv before bed. Tomorrow I go to the Dentist for my permanent crown, so I am excited.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
July 2, 2011
Today I worked with a fella named John (sounds like shawn) who last week was a dishwasher, and this week he is now in the kitchen. That is all I will say about that.
After work, Ana Patricia and Chip picked me up to take me into San Jose. Tonight I am meeting my friends from Church and we are going to have dinner, and hang out, and then go to church tomorrow morning. I was very nervous about riding a bus into San Jose, because I wasn't sure which one I was supposed to catch. Ana Patricia and Chip were going Rock Climbing at Ana's gym, which just happens to be across the road from the bus stop that I catch my bus to Herrida (where my friends live). The directions that Jessie gave me - word for word - "get on the bus to Herrida, and get off the bus at the last stop. I will be waiting for you." Seriously! The bus trip took 45 minutes, and the entire time I was riding the bus, I was nervous that I had caught the wrong bus, and that I might get off at the wrong stop. I arrived just fine and Jessie found me fairly quickly. The way that I knew it was the last stop is that everyone on the bus got up and got off. Duh. We had a wonderful time catching up, eating and hanging out.
After work, Ana Patricia and Chip picked me up to take me into San Jose. Tonight I am meeting my friends from Church and we are going to have dinner, and hang out, and then go to church tomorrow morning. I was very nervous about riding a bus into San Jose, because I wasn't sure which one I was supposed to catch. Ana Patricia and Chip were going Rock Climbing at Ana's gym, which just happens to be across the road from the bus stop that I catch my bus to Herrida (where my friends live). The directions that Jessie gave me - word for word - "get on the bus to Herrida, and get off the bus at the last stop. I will be waiting for you." Seriously! The bus trip took 45 minutes, and the entire time I was riding the bus, I was nervous that I had caught the wrong bus, and that I might get off at the wrong stop. I arrived just fine and Jessie found me fairly quickly. The way that I knew it was the last stop is that everyone on the bus got up and got off. Duh. We had a wonderful time catching up, eating and hanging out.
July 1, 2011
Happy Birthday to me! The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was check my Facebook. I had so many birthday wishes from friends and family. It felt like these people were sitting here in my room speaking to me.
I
I took a Taxi to work this morning so I could sleep in a little, and it was pouring down rain. I worked with a girl named Rebecca today in the cold kitchen. She is a graduate of the Hotel/Restaurant management program, and will begin her culinary classes this fall. She was a great leader today and I was able to write down several of the sauce recipes today. We made coctail sauce (this was the best coctail sauce I have ever tasted. I made Ceviche, and then we did prep work for the evening shift. Lunch was busy so the hours flew by. The rain never stopped falling, so after my shift, the head chef, Danny asked me if I wanted a ride home. Of course! It took us almost an hour to get home, due to the rain, and traffic. I was so grateful not to have to walk, so in the time we spent stopped in traffic, we were able to talk about culinary. Upon my arrival home, Oky told me that Chip was headed home, and that we were going to the Country Club at 8 pm. I showered and got ready to go. Meanwhile, my mom, dad, niece and her husband skyped me to wish me a Happy Birthday.
The Country Club was nice, and I enjoyed my meal, but I have to say that I was shocked at the amount of teenagers (any where from 15 to 18 years old) that were there drinking and partying. I asked my housemates about it, and Ana Patricia said that there is really no drinking age here, and that it is very common for the Tica's to get their parents membership card, and come to the Club to hang out. The kids never see a bill, or have to pay the bill, the Club just bills the parents at the end of the month. Such a sad thing to witness. Alcohol is dirt cheap here, but food is outrageously expensive.
After dinner, everyone at the table was talking about how nice it would be to sleep in, the next morning. I was lamenting the fact that I would have to get up at 7 am to walk to work. Ana Patricia offered to drive me, so I was very happy.
Chip had stopped on his way home to pick up a cake for my birthday (I love Birthday Cake) but by the time we arrived home from the Club, no one was willing to stay up to eat it, so we saved it for tomorrow.
I
I took a Taxi to work this morning so I could sleep in a little, and it was pouring down rain. I worked with a girl named Rebecca today in the cold kitchen. She is a graduate of the Hotel/Restaurant management program, and will begin her culinary classes this fall. She was a great leader today and I was able to write down several of the sauce recipes today. We made coctail sauce (this was the best coctail sauce I have ever tasted. I made Ceviche, and then we did prep work for the evening shift. Lunch was busy so the hours flew by. The rain never stopped falling, so after my shift, the head chef, Danny asked me if I wanted a ride home. Of course! It took us almost an hour to get home, due to the rain, and traffic. I was so grateful not to have to walk, so in the time we spent stopped in traffic, we were able to talk about culinary. Upon my arrival home, Oky told me that Chip was headed home, and that we were going to the Country Club at 8 pm. I showered and got ready to go. Meanwhile, my mom, dad, niece and her husband skyped me to wish me a Happy Birthday.
The Country Club was nice, and I enjoyed my meal, but I have to say that I was shocked at the amount of teenagers (any where from 15 to 18 years old) that were there drinking and partying. I asked my housemates about it, and Ana Patricia said that there is really no drinking age here, and that it is very common for the Tica's to get their parents membership card, and come to the Club to hang out. The kids never see a bill, or have to pay the bill, the Club just bills the parents at the end of the month. Such a sad thing to witness. Alcohol is dirt cheap here, but food is outrageously expensive.
After dinner, everyone at the table was talking about how nice it would be to sleep in, the next morning. I was lamenting the fact that I would have to get up at 7 am to walk to work. Ana Patricia offered to drive me, so I was very happy.
Chip had stopped on his way home to pick up a cake for my birthday (I love Birthday Cake) but by the time we arrived home from the Club, no one was willing to stay up to eat it, so we saved it for tomorrow.
Friday, July 1, 2011
June 30, 2011
Today was my first day at the Escazu Product C restaurant. What a complete difference it is from the first restaurant. Most of the staff can speak and understand English, everyone is fairly new to the staff, as the store just opened 3 months ago. The kitchens are seperate (Hot and Cold) and there is much more room to move about. The galley kitchen is the most difficult place to pass through, as it is the main thoroughfare. The keeper of the dry storage is upstairs, and only he (his name is Old Man) is allowed in the store room and he hands out the products as needed. Since the restaurant is in a mall, to get to the Staff area (lockers) you have to walk 250 meters. To get to the cold storage, you have to walk about 600 meters. Again, the restrooms at the restaurant are only for guests so employees have to go quite a ways to use the restroom.
I followed Carrie in the Cold Kitchen today and realized that Escazu does so much more, in terms of dishes than Santa Ana. Carrie is a good teacher, and I learned a lot.
As I was leaving for home, it began raining. It takes me almost an hour to walk home from work, so I was soaked to the bone by the time I arrived home. Something happened to the water heater, so I had the pleasure of taking a cold shower. Ugggggggggggg. I prepared dinner for my housemates tonight. Chicken, potato, corn, cabbage, onion, garlic, tomato, oregano, celery flakes, salt and pepper, and chicken stock that I had made last week. It was fabulous, hitting just the right spot that the cold shower left behind.
I followed Carrie in the Cold Kitchen today and realized that Escazu does so much more, in terms of dishes than Santa Ana. Carrie is a good teacher, and I learned a lot.
As I was leaving for home, it began raining. It takes me almost an hour to walk home from work, so I was soaked to the bone by the time I arrived home. Something happened to the water heater, so I had the pleasure of taking a cold shower. Ugggggggggggg. I prepared dinner for my housemates tonight. Chicken, potato, corn, cabbage, onion, garlic, tomato, oregano, celery flakes, salt and pepper, and chicken stock that I had made last week. It was fabulous, hitting just the right spot that the cold shower left behind.
June 29, 2011
Today I went to Bel Italia to work for the day, so that I could see how their fresh pasta operation works and then see the restaurant side. I never cease to be amazed at how Costa Rican restaurants make use of every little corner, nook and cranny. What I would imagine to be too small for any practical use, they use the space as a entry way for the staff, to the bar. Essentially, there is no way to enter the bar back, from the customer side. It was nearly impossible for me to fit through the passage way, but for people here, it is no problem. First, I started out on the third floor, helping Jeanneht bag fresh ravioli, tortelli and mezzulana. She then set up the machine to make fettucine. The die is so large, 25 strands of pasta come out simultaneously. Also, the pasta is cut on both ends, so as to achieve consistency. It is then floured, and then twirlled and placed on a floured tray. Lastly, the pasta is held for service in a refrigerator.
After making the fettucine, I then went down to the second floor where I followed Melissa at her station. She is in charge of making the vegetables that line the bottom of the plate, to order, and she also grills Tuna, Chicken and the "back" of tenderloin. She warms pre-made and individually packaged (in the restaurant) lasagna, and pipes out a Salmon/Cream Cheese mixture for bread service.
I then followed the Chef, Celfida as she worked her station. She is in charge of cooking all the pasta, to order, and also makes each sauce, to order. What an incredibly talented Chef. I have to tell you, I was a little suprised that in a restaurant where fresh pasta is made, they still use dried, purchased pasta. They use dried spaghetti and penne. When I asked why, the Chef told me it was because they sell so much of it, there would be no way to make enough for the daily demand. Makes sense to me!
To end out my day, I went back upstairs to help Jeanneht make Ravioli. What an incredible sight! Such a time consuming task when done by hand was reduced to keeping the spent pasta away from the raviolis. I was supposed to leave work at 4 pm, but there was still so much to do before Jeanneht could leave so I stayed until 6pm to help her finish up and clean up.
Just before I left, Melissa came up and said it was nice to work with me, and I noticed she had a pillow in her hands. I asked what it was for and she explained that her shift is from 7 am until 10 pm, with a 3 hour break in between. Since she lives so far away, she has a pillow that she leaves at work, and once the lunch service is finished, she climbs into the botttom shelf of a table upstairs and then naps for 3 hours. This shocked me! Aparently, this is quite common.
After making the fettucine, I then went down to the second floor where I followed Melissa at her station. She is in charge of making the vegetables that line the bottom of the plate, to order, and she also grills Tuna, Chicken and the "back" of tenderloin. She warms pre-made and individually packaged (in the restaurant) lasagna, and pipes out a Salmon/Cream Cheese mixture for bread service.
I then followed the Chef, Celfida as she worked her station. She is in charge of cooking all the pasta, to order, and also makes each sauce, to order. What an incredibly talented Chef. I have to tell you, I was a little suprised that in a restaurant where fresh pasta is made, they still use dried, purchased pasta. They use dried spaghetti and penne. When I asked why, the Chef told me it was because they sell so much of it, there would be no way to make enough for the daily demand. Makes sense to me!
To end out my day, I went back upstairs to help Jeanneht make Ravioli. What an incredible sight! Such a time consuming task when done by hand was reduced to keeping the spent pasta away from the raviolis. I was supposed to leave work at 4 pm, but there was still so much to do before Jeanneht could leave so I stayed until 6pm to help her finish up and clean up.
Just before I left, Melissa came up and said it was nice to work with me, and I noticed she had a pillow in her hands. I asked what it was for and she explained that her shift is from 7 am until 10 pm, with a 3 hour break in between. Since she lives so far away, she has a pillow that she leaves at work, and once the lunch service is finished, she climbs into the botttom shelf of a table upstairs and then naps for 3 hours. This shocked me! Aparently, this is quite common.
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