Bernie @ Le Cordon Bleu Paris 2011: Washing and getting druk in Burgundy

It has been 2 days of only lessons in the evening from 18.30h until 21.30h, so whole days off.
Thurday i did my first ever laundry in my life (i am 52 now), it is unbeleavable but true. As a child my mother did my laundry, when i was a student, the first year i took my laundry home every weekend and from the second year my wife, Juliëtte, joined me and she did my laundry since than. The first year at Le Cordon Bleu in 2009 i rented a room in a flat with other people, and the women in the house, Khadou, did my laundry. She however did not iron my kitchen clothes, so i learned to iron in 2009.

The result of my first ever laundry

For most people normal, but I am very proud of the result, nothing schinked, nothing coloured, what more can a man wish for.

In the evening practical where we made the red mullet dish. As i was talking to the pastry schef next door, i forgot my sauce and it turned completely black. As i had no fish bones left to start over, i re-made the sauce with chicken stock. Although Chef Caals had seen this and approved it, he judged it as if it were the original recipe and concluded that ofcourse the fish taste was missing, it was a little to acidic, but not much and had the right consistancy. My tappenade was perfect, my fish was a little overcooked but still good.

After practical we went with some classmates to have a beer and beaujolais as today is the day of the beaujolais nouveaux. All over france you are confronted with this horrible young wine, even in the morning in the supermarket you are supposed to drink a glass. It is a below average wine, sold with an enormous marketing campaign worldwide. I must give the french a compliment for this.

So Andre, Hiroshi, Thomas, Tzu-yen, Talita and myself went to have one beer, Grimbergen blond from the tap, and another one, and another one, and anohtey, ang anethkke, and ...... Later Alex, from Basic cuisine joined in.
When the bar closed we were kicked out, i have not looked at the clock, but i believe it was 2.00h. Together with Tzu-yen home with the Velib bicycle as he lives even closer to the Eiffel tower tan i do. No photos as i forgot my camera.

In the morning a hang-over, so i woke up late, took a very long shower, went to the bakery for my baguette and relaxed all day. In the evening class from Chef Caals, in the meanwhile we have arrived in Burgundy.

Starter: Feuilété d’escargots au lard fume, champignons et vin blanc de Chablis; Main dish: Poulet fermier à la façon de gaston Gerard les “Crapiaux” comme en Morvan; Desert: Mille feuille de glace et pain d’épices