Who doesn't like cookies?

Welcome to another edition of the international juggernaut that is The Innocent.  In checking out the statistics for this humble blog I've learned that we have been viewed by a lot of tasteful folks around the world, and I'd like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to our readers in:

Malaysia - Terima kasih!

Germany - Danke!

Brazil - Gracias!

Russia - спасибо!

Denmark - Tak!

Taiwan - 谢谢

Canada - Thanks, eh?

Philippines - salamat

Australia - Good on ya, mate!

Although the huge majority of page views have come from the U.S., it's gratifying to know that good people everywhere are interested in the story of my time at Gros Bonnet.  Or that good people everywhere used the word "innocent" in some google search and went as far as page 14 of the results and checked us out. 
Also a shout out to the obviously cool staff at Scribnia, who said of The Innocent:

 "This entertaining blog follows his journey with a humorous look as he chops, sautes and bakes his way to graduation."

For the most part, I have been feeling pretty good about the work and learning that I've been doing at school, and a lot of that has to do with the support and positive encouragement I've gotten from family and friends.  But every once in a while I come across a person that seems determined to jam a stick in the spokes of my positive outlook.  Wendy and I went to dinner a couple weeks ago at a pretty nice Japanese restaurant in Honolulu (one of those places where they tap and throw the knives and toss shrimp tails into their hats) for a night out before she headed to school.  Our "chef" was Brandon, who had the title "Executive Chef" on his whites, which I reasoned meant that he was very experienced and qualified.   We had our own table and plenty of opportunity to chat and Wendy mentioned that I was going to Gros Bonnet, which elicited a lengthy story of how Brandon had graduated the culinary course at Kapiolani Community College but had found that once he started working in the restaurant biz that "Everything we learned at school was useless and a waste of time."  He had me bumming, but Wendy reminded me after he left that pretty much all he did was cut up shrimp, steak, and chicken on a hot grill.  And that wasn't even any good, as despite all the tapping and rattling of the salt and pepper shakers he wasn't able to get ANY seasoning on our food.  So F%#k him, he tosses shrimp tails into his hat for a living. 

He DID make one of the better onion slice volcanoes I've seen, though. 

I've dubbed this week Cookie Week in the bake shop.  We did lots of different types, drop cookies, bar cookies, molded and/or stencil cookies, tuile cookies, springerle cookies, macaroons.  All turned out pretty good, most tasted great, and some were just pretty.  Sadly, the marble pound cake that I suspect was for the bake sale ended up mushy in the middle due to either 1. It was not mixed properly, or 2. Something was off in the measuring.  For whatever reason, they couldn't be sold, so we each ended up with a loaf, and I'm not ashamed to say that I ate the good firm parts around the outside (which tasted great) and tossed the goo.  Waste not, want not.

In looking back at the first few posting of this blog, I noticed some things we were told would happen but have never materialized.  We haven't taken a single field trip, nor have we been asked to provide assistance to many restaurants around town, mostly just the small shops looking for free labor.  Chef Masa asked us to come help with a banquet at the resort he works at, but between packing and getting Wendy off to her course, I wasn't able to participate.  If his offer of continuing sushi instruction still stands I will try to get in a couple sessions with him, mostly because I really like sushi. 

We've been through the fire, it now seems almost as though we are coasting to the finish line.  I know Chef Chad has some work for us to do in the next couple weeks, and our last three weeks in the Hot Kitchen with the new Chef are an unknown...But from what I've heard, he's an excellent chef and instructor. 

Thursday we experienced the road closures associated with the APEC Conference that the state has been warning about.  I was chatting with a young Army private who was on road duty when a scroungy guy with a dirty hat on rode by quickly on a bicycle and said to the soldier "Dude, get a real job".   It happened so fast that I only had the opportunity to shout "Asshole!" and he was gone.  Two other people waiting on the street shouted at him, too, which I found very gratifying.  But I wish I could have gotten a stick into his spokes. 

Today is Veteran's Day.  I hope that everyone has offered thanks and remembrances to all the Veterans that have served over the course of our history.  I am proud and humbled to be included in that company, and wish the best for my comrades-in-arms now and in the future. 

Well Said:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. -José Narosky

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. -Mark Twain

Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. -Dwight D. Eisenhower

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
Cynthia Ozick