How international was your day?

I am sitting in front of the computer, with a cup of organic chai tea I had an epiphany.  Before I get into it, I am going to Tarantino this blog and go back to the beginning and bring you back to my cup of tea.

I wake up, and I am not a breakfast person by any means, well in the traditional (American) sense that is.  My day does start with a big cup of Joe.  Whilst sipping away I begin to contemplate the first meal of the day.  I choose to go with some Braunschweiger, which is a type of liverwurst or pork liver sausage, brown bread, and an egg "over hard"...very northern European.  A second cup of coffee and my morning is complete.  Today, breakfast was best enjoyed outside in the shade, work at this point could be debatable.

I went through the motions, and before I knew it, my work life began.  I fit the top button of my coat in its place and round the corner to the kitchen.  As I walk down the line, my right hand is  habitually turning on equipment as I am moving and looking forward, drawn towards what awaits me. My "Cantonese Grandmother," our 17 year veteran in the kitchen, has prepared lunch and for the smart employees who come in early for their shift get to capitalize on Chinese, Cantonese, and Vietnamese fair.  Today, beef chow fan or fried riced and Chinese tea is what is offered.  She dishes me up a bowl with all my favorite fixings; shrimp paste, a dash of soy sauce, and Chinese ketchup. Top it off with some fresh tomatoes, give it a good mix and we can just call this "first lunch."  I grab a coffee cup, pour a glass of tea, and I am now ready for work.

As the day progresses, I am at my station working on some prep before service, keeping in mind all the things that need to be done for Thanksgiving...going to be a busy day so tons of prep.  Trying to stay focused, my nose can not help the smell of curry in the air.  I peer over my shoulder and I notice the a.m. sous leaning inside the tilt skillet. Ok...I'll bite, let's see what he is up to.  He got some goat ordered and started braising it when he arrived this morning so he could make his favorite dish his wife makes, "curry goat." A popular dish in Trinidad, where she is from, I am thankful that Conor learned the ins and outs of this dish so he could share it with us at work.  Staying true to the dish, on his way into work he picked up some roti , an unleavened flat bread that is traditionally served with this dish.  Questions fly around the kitchen and it was not long until we got the green light to dig in.  Conor was pulling meat off the bone as cook were piling it on a torn piece of roti.  I take my ration and head for my station.  With all of my mise en place at my disposal, I garnish my "second lunch," with diced raw onion, fresh cilantro, and yes, Chinese ketchup.  Crossing cultures I know but the flavors worked really...really...well.  Now I say "second lunch," because I ended up eating three more, only to stop there because we are sitting down for "family meal," in a hour.

"Family meal," a term we use for the meal we serve our employees.  Not limited to the kitchen and wait staff, we put out a buffet for all the employees...everyday.  A protein (usually two varieties,) vegetables, a starch, a salad buffet, and usually a dessert of some sort from the bake shop.  There is something to say about a staff that sits down to eat together, and for some reason I am always in "ah," when I see all the white coats in one room.  The kitchen usually sit at a big round table, taking jabs at each other,  and critiquing each others lunch decisions.   This event takes place at 5:30 for the kitchen, making this either a way late lunch or a early dinner.  With two lunches down, I sit with a nice Italian espresso and watch the others eat their curry goat.  Time for service.

The Chef has done a little prep and now has a project for me.  He has put together the dough and fillings for knish, a popular Yiddish savory pastry.  He tells me that he is looking for an appetizer size and needs a yield count for the dough, the beef filling, and the potato filling.  Playing around with shapes, sizes, and portions I slowly accumulate my next course.  During service, it is an expectation for all the cooks to taste the food before going out.  Equipped with a plethora of tasting spoons, by the end of service I have consumed enough food not desire a meal.  I do however find myself making a taco (house made shells of course,) with pork carnitas and tomatillo salsa.

Dessert is a different story, after tasting savory all night, something sweet to cut through all of that is sometimes just a necessity.  My options...English pudding cake or a caramel cheese cake with cashew turtles.  Oven is off so English pudding is out of the question, (and their is no anglaise hanging out or that oven would be on) so I went for just a bite of the cheese cake and a little to-go box of the turtles.

On my way home, I pick up my favorite beer from Holland, crack one open at the door, and start to reflect.  Through the motions again, I finally end up in front of the computer with a nice cup of organic chai

The stipulations:  Authentic, is nothing your going to find down the "international isle," of your mega mart, so unless it is a beer or wine, we do not want to hear about what you bought at Publix.  Now if you go to a speciality market, that is a different story.  Remember, traditional is not a product, frozen in Mexico, flown to the United States, and labeled Asian.  That in mind, lets hear it, what did you eat today?  If you have any pictures, send them to us via facebook and we will post them for all.