Here's Looking at You Kid

I feel like I should be in the movie Casablanca. Except replace Ingrid Bergman with me, exchange the word Paris for Sonnenalp, and Humphrey Bogart with Ummm… the hotel(?)… Okay so maybe I am stretching it here. But it seemed a good idea at the time. I don’t have a fabulous jacket like Ingrid had (though the fantastic bright red hooded jacket is a close competitor). I don’t have the dramatic shadow across the face from her suave hat, but I do have a new haircut! My hair isn’t glamorously gleaming ( it isn’t fushia either, but I’m okay with that) on a foggy night (or was it morning?)Nope…This ain’t no black and white movie and I didn’t cry when I said my final goodbyes and gave a few last hugs, but….. I will miss being here.

My favorite hug: the jolly laundry lady.

I could write a decent list of things that would have made my life in Germany a little easier… My car, Wifi in my room, road signs that I can understand, Wendy’s Frostys… All these things I have missed but I’ve been able to live happily without. It is my family, my boyfriend, my friends: Their faces, their laughter, and their personalities that I can’t get over Facebook or email. They are what I fall asleep thinking about and praying for. They are the home that was missing in the Alps and what I can’t wait to come back to. What will I miss when I leave here? That wonderful cheese shop in Sonthofen, the feeling of conquering The Hill of Steepness without wheezing, going from my apartment to work with sound of cow bells and a view of the Alps, the walks in the woods and towns, the good coffee, the käse spaetzle, the cheese cake, the wurst, the mustard, the honey, the bread, leber käse, Kaser’s Schmar  … he he… notice a pattern of food ;) But here again, most of all: I am really going to miss the people. The chefs who gave me work to do and pushed me to practice and get better, the trainees who chopped mirepoix next to me, the dishwashers who made me smile, the jolly laundry lady who warbled when she spoke English, and all local Germans I’ve come to enjoy nodding my head at and saying “ halo!”

Ten weeks ago today I was on a train headed this way, tired, sore and nervous. I was greeted with a smiling chef. That was such a wide-eyed kind of day and I felt so terribly lonely. But now ten weeks later I have come to love this place.

 I don’t know if I’ll be back… Only God knows the plans of my future, but I have so enjoyed being here… and as eager as I am to be home again, there is some bitter with the sweetness of leaving this small world of Sonnenalp. I’ve learned a lot, slept little, and eaten much. I came here because I love to cook and I am leaving it loving it all the more. The more I learn the more I realize how little I know. The more I learn the more value I see in the mundane and exciting projects… even the hours of peeling peas. I have loved and sometimes even hated the kitchen…. I’m sure you all have noticed ;) But I must say I really needed to come here and experience all of this. It was so much better than any school project I have ever worked on.  I’m leaving more confident in what I know and I knowing that I have potential if I put in the time and practice.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my “Mirepoix in the Alps.” I didn’t expect to enjoy writing it as much as I did. Congratulations on hanging in there when I got all wordy and long winded. I tried to look on the brighter side of things and throw in some humor too… though I know it wasn’t always like that (sorry!), but you know what?... This helped. It helped me a lot to really think about what I did in my time here and consider more carefully what I needed to take from it. This trip was worth every good and bad bit of it :) And now I have the blog and pictures to remind me... It is going to be weird not to write about my days anymore… Hope fully I won’t start to narrate my day to everyone I see when I get back. Good grief, when I get back! It’s going to be soooooo weird to understand everyone around me. So weird but so good.

So this is it. In a few minutes I will join my parents and finally start a much needed  vacation… Vacation :) :) :) How exciting. Haven’t really had one of those in a while! Munich, Fϋsson, Prague, the German and Czech country sides, visiting family I have never met before. Two weeks of exploring.  Knowing my parents we will be exploring historical landmarks and food. My dad is in search of the perfectly roasted pork knuckle. My mom who loves her research will be reciting historical factoids and picking out the stinkiest cheese. I am game for anything, but mainly, would love to see a castle and eat käse spaetzle everyday till I leave. I’ve got some work to do…

I’ve never started, and obviously never ended a blog. Don’t quite know how I should do it… Rip it off like a Band-Aid or close with a vision of me walking off into the Bavarian sunset. Noooooo, I prefer to end it like a note to a friend, since that is what this has been like.

It’s been lovely writing. Thanks for reading. With that said:

See you, well… some of you, soon.

Much love

B

PS: Three months in the Alps and NO SNOW! Bah humbug!

PPS: It just means I’ve got to come back :)

Zero

I just finished cleaning my bathroom, wiping my shelves, sweeping my floor. Its 12:30 AM and I’m not tired. I’m sad. It’s been such a day ranging from really happy to really sad. I’m thrilled to finally make it to this day, Day Zero. Everyday felt like it lasted a week and yet at the same time I feel like I just got here. I kept looking at people excited to tell them my parents were coming today and I was going to show them where I had been all this time. I was so happy then I’d hear them say, “Oh, today is your last day?” I’d smile,” yup!” then think… wait I’ve got to say goodbye.

I didn’t do anything extraordinary today. I ate my rye bread with cheese, tomato, and wurst. Drank some coffee and walked into the kitchen to do more prep-work, more peeling, julienning, boiling… etc. My parents came. I finally got those hugs I’ve been longing for. I showed them all over the hotel, my apartment (my mom tried the mattress and she can back my statements on its hardness). We drove to Sonthofen (I pointed out the Hill of Steepness. I went to my 2 PM hair appointment and regained some of the girl in me that has been in a chef jacket and wearing a hat for the last 3 months. An hour later I joined them for a shrimp pizza at Café Orange, bought a pair of boots, and then they dropped me off so I could go to work.

This morning the Silber Distal renewed its Michelin Star. We began service with a glass of champagne. I helped when I could and got out the of the way when I needed to, waited and listened to the German conversations, kept the lobsters company as they awaited their doom, and looked at the clock on the wall every ten minutes. 21 guests became 23, tickets were fired, dishes were sent, and then it was 11:30… Another glass of champagne to finish the evening. Laughter, Cheers, smiles and yawns all around…Chef thanked me for my work. I said good night. I left.

There are so many people I haven’t told you all about. Partly because I tried to be a little vague about the staff… But as I was leaving, I was so happy that I got to see one person for the last time. One of the dishwashers. He is a funny looking man who always said hello, made funny faces, quoted random 60’s / 70’s American music lyrics, and spoke whatever English words he could whenever he saw me. He always had a smile on his face and made sure I did too. He always told me I was so polite whenever I brought dirty pots and pans to him. And tonight I shook his hand and said it was my last night… He couldn’t remember any English and I couldn’t remember any German, but we were both wishing each other the best. I’ll miss him a lot.

I still have to go back to the kitchen in the morning to get my knife kit and a pair of shoes I left in the locker room. I’ll say my goodbyes, and then… who knows. I leave that up to my parents… I’m done with decisions, thinking, being awake… I’m on a European vacation for the next 15 days. But before I can enjoy it, the truth is, I’m finally and officially tired, and in need of sleep. And I am going to do just that on this dreadful mattress. For the last time, because you know what?

It is Day Zero and tomorrow I am finally out of here!

Yay!

 Oh…

One

Tomorrow, I am going to wake up to my last day of duty in the kitchen. My parents are already a drive away! They are going to be here in the afternoon and I am going to give them a tour of the hotel. I’ll spend most of my free time with them, then mosey back to the kitchen, finish the night, and sleep for the last time on that bloody mattress. I can’t believe it is here. The end is about to begin.

Today I was devoted to celery root, carrot, and leek cutting into diamond shapes. I moved on to miniaturizing carrots then they ran out of things to do. I went down to pastry and helped fill cookies and dip them into chocolate. Left the kitchen around 1:30 and Maya and I walked down the Hill of Steepness in search of a hair cut. We had tried to make appointments here at Sonnenalp, but they were booked. Maya wanted to try the first one we saw… The outdated posters on the wall and the crabby looking woman on the phone waved enough red flag for me to walk out, but Maya waited patiently determined to get her trim. The woman was dressed in an ugly black shirt and not the greatest of pants. An old lady with a puffball of hair waited patiently in a chair while another sat in the hair cutting seat…. Not looking too terribly excited either… My thoughts, “Really Maya?”  The owner (?) who got off the phone about 10 minutes later looked us over and though she said she didn’t speak English, she clearly understood everything we said, and was too busy to see anyone else. She said a bunch of stuff and looked terribly annoyed that we bothered to attempt to get her business. I don’t understand much but I did get her complaining very loudly something about , “when you go to Germany you should speak German!”  I eagerly walked out of that place. Next try not only looked like a salon but smelled like one and all the ladies looked like they cared about their own hair. Good sign. I have an appointment tomorrow at 2. Maya went today and was happy.

Today was a total of seven reservations and 18 guests. It went well and I got into the action a little bit with the first two courses again. I got to leave little bit earlier since they were just waiting on one table… As for tonight… I’ve got some business to attend to since I was away for the afternoon… little packing and cleaning before I fall asleep :) So on that note… goodnight :) 1 hr and 20 minutes till my last official day is here!!!!

Two

I pushed the yellow and white buttons for the last time. Goodbye dunklewash. Of all things about the apartment, I hated each load of dunklewash. I know, I know, it is a bit sad that after three months, I am still apprehensive whenever approaching the machines downstairs. Opening the heavy metal door, sensors turning on bright halogen lights and the machines at the other end of the room sitting and waiting for me to insert my two 50 euro cent coins. I still don’t know the capabilities that I missed out on and if there was a better option than dunklewash, but I am a creature lacking in exploratory laundry-button courage. I’m fine with that.

Today I joyfully retired my laundry basket / outdoor coffee table (when flipped upside down). It now holds all the dishes and pot I received during my “Bavarian Christmas” I know I still have two days and will probably reach into this basket and use one of the mugs one more time, but it feels good to pack things. Tomorrow I will wash the floor during my break and officially pack all things unnecessary and try to decide what to wear when I leave Sonnenalp. Eek!

The last two days have been foggy, especially this morning. I haven’t been able to see the Alps. My afternoon walk was on the colder side, wore my uggs and avoided the dirt trails to avoid any possible squishes. The fields have been mowed and my nose was first to notice the other feature: fields covered with a spray of manure to make the grass grow faster. One field green and happy, the other covered in a brown mask. Fresh. Really fresh and potent enough to wake up any person meandering on the road… AKA: me. I walked a bit faster by these fields only to find another field just like it around the corner. Not the ideal walk I was looking for when I started, but still pretty.

I took another glorious nap, walked into work ready to embrace chopped-liverhood when the chef turned to me and told me that since there were only 11 people dining (2 reservations) I was to be sent downstairs to help the main kitchen in garde manger. Okay... I once again have a job! So I went and worked the dessert side and except for 2 or three orders understood everything the waiters threw at me :) Sometimes one of the other interns would walk over surprised and say, “You understood?” Me: “yup!” and smiled. Oh does it feel good! Granted the night was slow and the names of the sorbet overall pretty easy to remember, but it still felt good to… “handle it.” Another plus of the night : The middle course of the day was a little burger. I ate two :) I can now patiently wait till I get back to Miami for the next one :)

My parents are currently in the air… In a plane of course, but on their way… here… to the same time zone… and to see me. A part of home is coming to me. I can finally get that Mommy hug!

Three

The kitchen smelled like roasted goose all morning. I kept walking pasted the ovens to get pans or a bucket…. Every oven had at least 4 or five trays of goose -brown and crispy skinned. Someone would randomly open the door to check on them and a flood of their lusciousness would drift over to my prep area. I ended up eating a really big lunch during the break…

Today’s task (I’ve been upgraded !!!): julienne carrot packages and blanching. I took pictures... but once again… unable to transfer them!!!! Arg!!!!! Really pretty and worth the work… I think more than the peeled carrots of yesterday. It was this cute little gift box of yellow and orange carrots tied with a chive. On the plate it looked great. It was all vegetables till 1, and then I took a gloriously long nap. I probably should have taken a walk. Don’t have much time to walk around here anymore, but the sun has been hiding and I prefer either sunny walks or the opportunity to wear my fantastic red rain resistant jacket. It’s been the in between “eh” weather so I flopped onto my fantastically hard mattress… Only a few more nights on that baby!!! Oh yeah… I’m smiling!

Tonight there were 24 guests. I was able to plate the first two courses and assist here and there in the kitchen. I went from liver to chopped liver. Yay! :) The chefs are nice and trying to keep me occupied when they can, but there is really only so much that I can do in such a small kitchen. There is no way to move around freely and they have their own pattern. It’s okay. I can do it for three more days. Three more days in the kitchen to go. Three more days of Bavarino food. Three more days of trying to guess what they are talking about in the kitchen. Three more days of deciding whether or not to nap or take a walk during my break. Three more days of their cheese cake and coffee. Three more nights of coming back to my room with just milk in my fridge when all I really want is a burger. Three more days. Three. That is it. Three.

I gotta do some dunklewash!

4

There were three tables again last night. I went home around 11 while the two who stayed left closer to 12 because of one person. One person came late to the reservation… the other 8 made it on time. Then ordered dessert… The nerve! Hehe… I’m so often that person. Here I am looking at it from the other side….

I took a lot of pictures but today when I was trying to transfer them to my laptop I couldn’t. I inserted the card took it out, reinserted it, but my computer will not identify the card. I’m really annoyed since I have all my marzipan animals, a series of pictures from one of the prettiest walks I went on, and then the plates from The Silver Distal…. Bah humbug. I looked at the card and there is a small crack. I don’t know if this is the reason... it still works in my camera and I “ghettoed” it with a piece of masking tape just to be safe … but my laptop still didn’t like it. I have a cord to transfer, but it is at home… Arg.  I’m sorry to say I don’t think I’ll be posting any more pictures till after I get home!

I spent the first 2 hours of my morning peeling peas. A few days ago I took these peas out of the pods. Today with one of the other chefs I was peeling each, individual, single, solo, solitary, single pea. Two hours people. Two hours. Yes, the carrot situation yesterday was nothing in comparison. This is two hours of peeling peas. At least with the carrots you see the final product… the perfection… the consistency… Here it is just peeling this little skin off this little pea. If it was up to me I would be providing more fiber in people’s lives and leaving this skin on. But it is not up to me… and I am still trying to wrap my mind in this mentality of absolute and complete perfection. I thought I was a perfectionist… Now I am not so sure! It is one of those details that someone who knows food would notice and you would hope some idiot doesn’t chose to come eat because he / she was bored. This is where a chef is allowed to storm into a dining room and yell at the guest for pushing an ingredient aside and saying, ”eh… it’s just a pea.” I can imagine myself now as the round red faced chef looking at the timid waiter holding the plate with a few morsels left on it. “Just, a pea! No..... This is not, Just a Pea! This is cuisine at its finest! The hours, the effort, the favors, the textures! Just a Pea!” … That was the little cartoon playing in my head to keep myself sane during the pea peeling… I understand why some of the best chefs can become so cranky. Not that it justifies their rude behavior, but I can see where it can be ignited.

Even last night I had to laugh (inside) when one of the waiters came back with a plate. It had 3 untouched slices of truffle left. The chef stopped the waiter, shook his head and ate them. He then looked at a small cup of leftover truffle jus – “Do not throw that out.” These weren’t just any truffles they were a special truffle from France and the chef had the proudest look on his face when he opened the container and passed it over to me to smell. He was so eager to use it… and here it was rejected and pushed to the side as if it were nothing. I understand his reaction… For it really was a waste.

There isn’t much I can do in the kitchen except watch and stay as much out of their way as possible. I’m going from chopped liver to don’t even bother with the chopping… just be the liver. Yes, it is awkward and the kind of position I truly abhor being in, but I can do this. Tonight was better than last night: 29 guests and a bit of a rush to enjoy watching. I was able to plate the first 2 courses since they are small and don’t require me to move around too much. Then I cleaned some mini lobsters and then watched. Soon in died down enough for me to help with the Entremetier side of things and taste around the different pots of sauces. It had its moments of fun between the awkward pauses, but overall it was good.

… It’s only four more days. Crazy! I see that number four and can hardly believe it. Three days till I see my parents… Then I am gone.

And it is here I must insert……. um…………………………………… where is my snow?

How rude.