Eastern Adventure: Spice and all things nice!

We have broken the back of the course and are on the home straight. Mid term exams are done and the results are in! Panic averted, all areas passed! Well done me, I have actually learned stuff.
Last week was interesting to say the least. After leaving the blog last week, some final cramming was done, bits of herbs and lettuce leaves were stuck to paper to help with identification and I had nightmares about having to fillet a fish (which I am STILL rubbish at). Thankfully the teachers took it easy on me and along with place settings and how to correctly pour a glass of wine (Don't Ask!), I had to dice and sweat an onion, top, tail and cook green beans, make mayonnaise and make a paper piping bag. Now those who know me will testify to the fact that patience is not a virtue that I have in abundance, so you can imagine my sense of frustration when, upon completing my herb and salad test, I had to wait until 5.15pm until I started my theory test (a full 75 minutes late). Apart from fish, I had no real worries about the test, the onion and paper piping bag (a small funnel made out of parchment paper used to pipe things like melted chocolate etc) were mentally ticked off the day before so I was raring to go. The relief was written all over my face as I arrived at my station and Rory O'Connell told me my jobs. I flew through the onion, mayo and beans with great gusto and approached the piping back with an image of a cold pint flashing through my head- that was probably my downfall!! 3 attempts later, with ripped up parchment paper covering my station, I turned to Rory, admitted defeat and stormed out of the kitchen. Thankfully I had passed everything else so all was not lost.
The weekend was good craic, Davey eventually arrived and we headed to the Blackbird for a well deserved pint. The night was great with everybody blowing off steam after the week and we also looked forward to the Halloween party the next night.
The next day Davey and I sampled the delights of Cork and he got his outfit for the party. He tried in vain to convince me that we should go as old school Batman and Robin, but there was no way I was going to be seen as his trusty sidekick! I flirted with a brilliant all in one Gromit suit (from Wallace and Gromit) but settled for my original decision (I went as one of the students who left the course after week one).
That night was great fun, after a lovely dinner (thanks to the White Cottage crew) we descended on the party. The night was great, eclipsed only by the amazing outfit worn by my housemate Charlotte, who went as Darina herself, including paper chefs hat and bangles!
So week 7 has arrived, I am in the Demo kitchen this week with Pam, our amazing teacher and I am still loving it. Thai food was the theme on Tuesday, taught by Rachel and today we had an amazing chat from a past student called Arun, who runs a company called Green Saffron. Well worth a visit online. His spices can be as young as a matter of weeks when they get to the customer, crazy considering the ones you buy in the supermarket can be years old, you cant imagine the amazing flavours and smells!
So tomorrow I am making Laksa, a spicy Thai noodle soup and a variety of other delights!

So cooking for two days, then watch Ireland take apart the Springboks, Bliss!!