To Thine Own Self, Be Food

So.  Two pieces of news here on Mackinac Island. One, the big piece: I come home this month (meaning September).  I decided to terminate my contract with the Grand Hotel almost six weeks before I'd originally intended, but frankly, it's time to go home and get on with the decisions that need to be made at home. And, up until about a week ago, I'd spent four months on the same station, doing the exact same things every day.  Even though I'd asked the chef and sous chef if I might try other jobs.  And...the schedule that went up after I resigned and told the chef had me scheduled for Expediter and Hot Line.  I've got the best of both worlds...I'm leaving early and I'm getting a chance to learn some other kitchen skills. Two, the slightly smaller but no less important: Thanks to a nice guy who lives two doors down from me, I now have decent internet in my room.  That means my blog should be updated much more regularly and I can actually watch videos on A...

Here’s a hard-and-fast fact about doing a culinary internship on Mackinac Island: whatever you think you’re going to learn - you might not, but - you can also count on learning things you didn’t intend to. June, July, and August are the busiest times here...sometimes 300+ orders for lunch and maybe more at night.  The chef is less concerned about my internship education, and more about the bottom line and getting quality food out to the paying customers.  And rightfully so. So, I’ve had to make my own opportunities.  That’s why I’ve eaten at some different restaurants, learned about craft beers, read and made notes with the library’s subscription of Bon Appetit magazine, and brought and studied (though, not as much as I should have) my own food and wine books.  I suppose I should have tried to hobnob more with other chefs on the island, but if they’re anything like the one I work for, their kitchens are too incredibly busy for me to roam about with question...

Have you ever wondered what chicken feet taste like?   Is this something that has kept you up at night? Thank goodness, then, you’re reading this blog today.   I’ve learned that the Filipino culture, especially, is quite skilled at making the most of every animal they may eat.   And the feet of chicken is no exception. Frankly, I’ve always wondered what happens to the castoffs in chicken-processing plants...the feet, the heads, the combs of roosters, etc.   Well, I can’t speak for the other two, but the feet all get stuffed into plastic bags and shipped off to grocery stores of cultures who can make something out of them. It’s not rocket science, really.   Humans have been braising and stewing things ever since we learned we could.   The slow heat and moisture tenderizes the toughest, leanest piece of protein or the most cellulose-ridden piece of fruit/vegetable, rendering a tender, flavorful final product. ...

So, today is my youngest son's birthday, and it is a milestone...10 years old.  Double digits. As I'm scrolling through all the Facebook photos I might have ever posted of him, I begin to notice a pattern - that I take an awful lot of pictures of my kids...with food. And then I realize that probably doesn't surprise you...as it shouldn't surprise me. So, what better way to celebrate the wee one's birthday than with a montage of him with food. These two were taken when he was about four and a half.   You'll notice his palate is quite unrefined as he prefers single items: frosting and strawberries.   From right around that same time period...   Always the BLUE ring pop! And about three years later, he still has a thing for frosting... But, he's also not afraid to try new things...like shellfish.  I didn't say he liked it, I just said he wasn't afraid to try it. A few months later, he tries gelato from a Dut...

T oday’s post is not related to food. Side effects may include: increased IQ, increased cultural enlightenment, and increased sensitivity to the arts. For the last five years, every November, I’ve participated in a writing adventure called National Novel Writing Month (or shorthand, NaNoWriMo)   Hundreds of thousands of people around the world crank out a 50,000+ novel in the course of only 30 days. I’m still on the fence about NaNo participation this year, being as that I’ll arrive home from the island just days before the chaos begins.   However, I reason to myself, I’ve got plenty of time NOW to prepare and research and outline the novel... Which I plan to get to as soon as I finish my island goal of reading all of Shakespeare’s plays. Which brings me to the point of today’s blog entry title.   It is said when writing his works, Shakespeare “never blot’d a line”, which is pretty incredible...to get it right the first time w...

Although...when you hear a name like that...doesn't your mind make that logical leap? Or, am I just the only gutter-minded person here? Recently, the husband and family were here for one last hurrah visit before school starts, and the Pink Pony was practically the only place packed to the gills on a Tuesday night...around 11 pm. I personally think it has to do with the live music...the PP has an acoustic guitarist that plays there several days a week...and he does a bitchin' acoustic rendition of Guns N Roses's "Sweet Child o Mine".  That's a draw, I'm sure, but other than that, I don't know what the appeal is. Until I ate there tonight.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Obviously, this place specializes in drinks and getting people pleasantly tipsy, so I was expecting typical pub grub-type fare. And then I saw this on the menu and subsequently ordered.  A Honey Apple Brie Flatbread.  Good Lord.  Yes, please.  Fruit and cheese are one of my fa...

Here is a fact that will amaze you...probably because it amazes me. Well, it’s more likely it WON’T amaze you, because I am amazed by simple and small things as well as awesomely big things...and no doubt my readers in the US and around the world are more worldly and sophisticated. My time on Mackinac Island, Michigan began on Saturday, April 19.   According to the contract I have with the Grand Hotel, my time here ends on Friday, October 31. If my math and counting skills are correct, then: My internship is 28 weeks long. I have completed 15 weeks of said internship. I have 13 weeks left. Therefore: I am over halfway done.   This is the amazing fact I was referring to at the beginning.   I am 13 weeks away from being with my family and friends again.   I have begun to think maybe I will make it the whole distance! Let’s recap my adventures up to this point (all numbers are ...