Only In China!

As promised i feel that I should let you in on a few interesting experiences that I have had since my arrival here in China.
The first is to do with money, Shanghai is a massive international city, and it is quite possible to live here with the same outgoings as say London or New York. When I first looked at flats I was shocked to find that a simple 2 bed apartment in a reasonable area could set you back as much as 3000 pounds per month, unfortunately my budget did not stretch that far but I did manage to find one that was considerably cheaper, thank god! What amused me most was my first electricity bill, a whopping 2 quid!!! makes a change from the exorbitant Scottish Hydro bills! So I was feeling pretty good about things, then my back had a slight relapse and I went to visit a Chiropractor, for any of you reading this who complain about the 30 quid bills to see one of these guys, sshhhhhhh, I am paying about 120 quid a time so suck it up!
The next once concerns hygiene, now i think that I am pretty open minded and can deal with the constant spitting on the streets, the guys in the gym who feel the need to spit in the recesses of the pool but one recent incident tipped me right over the edge. Picture the scene, its a staggeringly warm day (as usual), the garden is packed with guests and its about 11.30am. Next thing i know a woman takes her daughter to the edge of the veranda (where the wrap around raised area meets the garden area), pulls down her daughters pants and allows the daughter to defecate right there on the steps, one woman shrieked, another had to be given the heimlick manouver as he choked on his all day breakfast! Once the shock was over I asked the supervisor what she was going to do about it, her reply was a stoic, tell her we have toilets and then hose down the area!! Only in China!!!
One thing I can't get used to is the fact that some people (westerners) come here and think its ok to behave like complete idiots, in a way they certainly wouldn't do anywhere else in the world. Two weeks ago a woman decided that she was so upset by the service she decided to pick up her plate and throw it on the floor!!! Really, is that acceptable behaviour, the complaint was that we forgot beans on her daughters toast.
Last week a woman shouted at me because my staff did not speak good enough English, I casually suggested she should take a look at her passport and check the visa, specifically checking which country it was valid for!
The last is a warning for anyone traveling here and thinking about getting a taxi, I am by no means an adrenaline junky but at the same time I don't mind driving fast, that was until the guy who brought me back from the airport last week hit 130mph whilst on the phone and weaving in and out of traffic, I am fairly sure I let out an audible scream before I passed out!
Anyway, thats it for now, this place is pretty cool, if a little strange but well worth a visit!
Peace
T

First month in Shanghai!

Well I have arrived, been here a month and not had a chance to update this blog yet, however it seems that life is getting into some sort of pattern and I think that it would be rude not to continue this blog, if for no other reason, so i can look back and marvel at how i managed to make it through!!
So what is Shanghai like I hear you ask, well busy would be my first comment. Latest figure suggest 22 million people live in this city. Hazy would be my second, on a good day you can see the sky, on a bad day you struggle to see half way up the many sky scrapers that dominate the city.
I arrived here just over a month ago and have done little else but work, to be fair getting used to the Flying Fox Gastro Pub, (oh how we need to change the name), was probably the number one priority when I got here, the Ballymaloe skills were put straight to the test as I was immediately tasked with learning the ropes in the kitchen. The menu here is based loosely on the principals learned at Ballymaloe and this has made the challenge a tad easier. Generally I work 4 days a week in the kitchen and 2 in front of house.
The business is going well and we have a great mix of western and local guests. The family orientated nature of the pub means I spend quite a lot of time dealing with children, being a big kid at heart has certainly helped.
Anyway, life here is strange to say the least, I have a few good stories which I will share over the coming weeks and try and give you an idea what living in China is like.
The boss is now looking at me with that expression (why are you at the computer and not working) so I better sign off for now.
Photos and stories to follow!
T

Neglect!

I know I know, I have been very bad and have neglected this blog for two weeks! Sorry to those who are enjoying it, I promise to do better!
It has been a very good two weeks here in sunny Cork, from a cooking perspective at least. The course has gathered pace again and the final week is upon us. Only one more day in the kitchen left and then its only exams left to do.
The week seems pretty hectic and the format is the following;
Monday - Normal day in Kitchen
Tuesday - Morning lecture and visit to Ballymaloe House
Wednesday - Practical exam at 8.30am
Thursday - Study
Friday - 3 written papers
After much deliberation I have also decided my menu for the practical exam, it is as follows;

Pea, chilli and coriander soup, served with sour dough

poached Irish salmon with hollandaise sauce, buttered spinach and spring onion mash

Lemon Posset with Ballymaloe biscuits and crystallised lemon peel.

3 hours, tasting session and then it will be all done.
So it will be a hectic week but I guess 3 months of Ballymaloe should adequately prepare you for this and to be honest I am quietly confident, the menu is quite simple which means that it must be nailed at every level. I did however cook some of it last time I was up home and it went quite well bar a few hiccups.
Other than stressing for the exams there has been quite alot going on here in Ballymaloe. the weather has turned pretty cold, the roads are shockingly dangerous but we have had very little snow, a minor flurry about a week ago but other than that nothing. Given that we are in the middle of nowhere, and living a very idyllic country life, a bit more snow would have been a welcome addition. I bet those of you, particularly in Scotland, who are knee deep in snow at the moment are cursing me right now. I also had my birthday here this week past, it actually was really good fun if a little embarrassing. The day started with Loopy (a friend on the course) making me a mini Puff pastry gateaux for my birthday, I then went for a walk to ease my back and the whole of the demo kitchen lot burst into happy birthday and gave me another cake. I stupidly though that would be the end of it, but no, at the start of demo, all 62 people in the room sang happy birthday and I had to go to the front to be presented with my (heart shaped) meringue including candles from Darina!!! I was suitably mortified. Then that night we had about 30 people at our house as Steve (one of my buddies on the course) and I had decided to have a few beers to celebrate our birthdays (his is next week) and everyone came round. There were cakes, beer, wine and chilli and the night finished off in the pub. I had a great time and stayed off the booze for the most part because of my pain killers.
So the time for study has arrived, I am going to make a big effort to make it through till the end of the course, the back is really bad but only 5 more days of class and 11 more till my operation. I will definitely keep this blog going for a while yet, particularly when in China and next week I will attempt to upload alot more of the photos I have as some of them are excellent.
That's me for now, all good here in Cork, hope you are all doing well,
Peace
T

The final countdown

Week 10 has commenced and exam fever is starting to hit. Final choices for our menus need to be in on Thursday morning and all the talk is about what everyone is cooking. Keeping it simple and flavourful is the order of the day and I am wavering between a few dishes, I will keep you updated on my choices. The process seems simple enough, 3 hours, 3 courses and a lottery bread which will be chosen for you the day before, however as the day approaches my natural instinct to question everything is kicking in. As well as all that, we have 3 written papers, another herb test and a wine exam to get through.
Only 8 more days of cooking though and that is a bummer, it has been so much fun cooking different things everyday and I have enjoyed that aspect of the course so much. I am in kitchen 3 at the moment and the teachers are great and we are now all trying to cram as much as possible into our days, I am in the kitchen from 8am every morning and my approach at the moment is to try and complete as many dishes as possible that I feel will be relevant in Shanghai. So the next few weeks will be very busy as I try to get as much out of the course as possible.
The last two weeks have been really good, last week I made my first attempt at pasta when I made pumpkin and ricotta ravioli, it actually turned out really well and is something I would love to do more of. I have also made more sour dough bread and tomorrow I will be making ciabatta. Pan fried fish was on the menu last week and I had another go at filleting, it actually went quite well and the haddock actually looked like a fillet of fish when I was finished! Result!
This week looks really busy, Wednesday is canape ans sushi day and Lamb is on the menu on Thursday and Friday.
So, full steam ahead for the next 3 weeks, spot of rugby this weekend and then head down for the following two weeks and perhaps a bit of studying!
I will update you later in the week and let you know the menu!
Peace
T

4 weeks to go!!

Can it only be 4 weeks to go? Seems crazy that the adventure in Ballymaloe is nearing its conclusion, whats even more crazy is the fact that I should really be able to cook by now!!
So week 8 is out of the way and we are on the cusp of week 9. Last week seemed to fly by and I am now struggling to remember what I cooked and tasted. Steaks were a highlight, with a delicious Bearnaise sauce and crispy onion rings, we also learnt all about cheese souffles which are actually much easier to do than one would think. I have also been making sour dough bread which takes about 9 days to complete, well worth the effort though, I really like this bread. Once you have made it once, the time taken to make it reduces significantly as you keep back whats called a starter. This will be used as a basis for all my sour dough from now on, the beauty of it is that it will constantly improve and get stronger thus making better bread. I also made praline ice cream which is quite possibly my favourite thing in the world and how simple it is to make, you don't even need an ice cream maker! So in general week 8 was a treat, I was also paired up with my flatmate Charlotte which was great fun, she spends most of her time making sure everyone is alright and she was a pleasure to work with.
I also made a trip up to Ballymaloe to see some of the family, I bumped into Myrtle Allen again and we had a nice chat. I really wish my back was better as I do feel that I am missing out just a little on the opportunity to spend a bit more time up there helping out and working but alas it is not to be, maybe another time after my adventures in China. I think I would really like to spend a bit more time down this way some time in the future, it really is a relaxed pace of life and the people are great, who knows what the future has in store.
On a much more negative note, I have also had to sit through two excruciatingly long weekends watching that excuse for a rugby team get run ragged all over a half empty Lansdowne Rd. What makes it slightly worse was that I had to do this with Steve, a South African supporter who was delighted that his second string team beat us. If what happened last night at Murrayfield (snigger!!) is anything to go by, the weekends will not be improving very soon!
So, things are good, the cooking is getting more technical by the minute, our rugby team is rubbish and I have to come up with my exam menu (3 course meal to be presented to Darina, Rachel and Rory) fairly soon. No bother!!!

Got a bit snap happy on my morning walk, photos below.

morning walk time!

herb garden

gardens

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!!

Genius

Seafood Platter

pumpkin risotto

Halfway House

Exams!! I thought I was finished with all of that stuff, cramming, panicking, writing notes its all happening again! Week 6 has started and all the talk is about the mid term herb and technique exam that takes place on Friday afternoon.
The last week has flown by and I have neglected this blog terribly. Week 5 finished off quite nicely, strawberry jam and granary bread were the highlights, some of the low points were trying to fillet Monkfish and bean stews (which i just cant seem to get enthused about!). It has to be said however, that I thoroughly enjoyed week 5 and suffered none of the expected doldrums that we had heard so much about. We also made some amazing fish dishes including a Monkfish curry and a fantastic spicy tomato fish dish that I recreated in Belfast on the weekend, who would have thought that great food could be so easy to make? The weekend was spent in Belfast as we had an extra day off due to the public holiday here in Ireland on Monday, so 3 days of eating drinking and taking the dog for walks was amazing fun and it also gave me a chance for a little extra practice! My friend Davey came round on Sunday night after his trip to Jakarta, with possibly the funniest story about being "felt up" by an Indonesian woman on the plane out. Almost as funny was the slap across the face he received when the woman was trying to wake him up as food was being served! For those of you who know him, a phone call to listen to the story is recommended.
I arrived back in Cork (not so sunny anymore) yesterday and headed straight for the herb garden to brush up on my knowledge and then early to bed to prepare for the days cooking. Today went really quite well, I made Ballymaloe Irish Stew, white yeast bread (which you have to plait), sea salt and pepper bread sticks, white rolls and shortbread biscuits. All in all it turned out quite well and I was pretty happy with my days toil. This afternoon I was introduced to pumpkin risotto, vegetable curries and 2 amazing tarts which you make upside down. So Thursday will be risotto followed by apple and fudge tart on my menu.
The end of the week is a little bittersweet, on a positive note Davey is coming down for the weekend, however firstly I must negotiate the dreaded test. Now I can hear all of you saying, "its only cooking" but let me tell you, trying to learn 14 different varieties of herbs and about 10 different salad leaves by sight and taste is no easy feat. Not to mention the 4 or 5 different skills that you have to demonstrate to the teacher whilst they stare blankly as you try to look for help! So this week I will be buying cheap chickens to joint, fish to fillet and onions to sweat, in the vain hope that some of what I have learnt has stuck and I won't look like a fool on Friday. Very much looking forward to the first pint on Friday night and the Halloween party on Saturday!
So, I am almost halfway and I think that I may have learnt some things, will let you know after Friday if it has been enough! Wine tasting tomorrow morning at 9.30am and then Tapas demonstration tomorrow afternoon, cant wait!
T