settled

lots of days have gone by now, and this journal/blog has certainly not done justice to all that i have seen and done. not even remotely close. pesto made in a hundred-year-old marble mortar and pestle using a unique type of basil grown only in Liguria. A guest chef who butchered a lamb from his own farm in front of us and then served an 8 course feast featuring all the different cuts of meat. Another chef from Rome who served dishes that were so decadent and rich, I would feel guilty feeding such dishes to loved ones as i do not wish to do them serious harm (think risotto alla carbonara featuring multiple very fatty cuts of pork, butter, cheese, crispy sweetbreads, and on top of it all en egg yolk from a local chicken meant to be mixed into the risotto as the dish is served).

The kitchen is becoming familiar to me now. In my mind I can see my station exactly the way I like it, I can see where the cutting board is, my mise-en-place trays on either side, a few metal bowls in front, the salt, pepper, and olive oil always in the same place. Familiarity, confidence, rhythm, it's building now each day. We're learning regional dishes, and we're learning how and why these dishes came to be. The sailors in the port town of Genoa did not want to eat fish when they returned home from long trips at sea. They missed their homes and their gardens. And so even though Genoa is right on the sea, they are not known for fish, but for pesto and foccacia, herbs and bread, land and home after a long journey away. When a cook knows the story behind a dish, something meaningful is transferred to the food during the cooking, and the difference in care and attention paid to the food can be measured in the final taste.

this weekend we went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and explored the five towns of Cinque Terre. Houses layered upon cliffs, gardens, flowers, winding roads like thin ribbons strewn over the mountains, and the sea. An absolute pleasure, many forms of transportation were used to get around (car, boat, train) and it all went smoothly.

I'd like to write more frequently, but who knows. Days feel so packed full, long and fruitful, but then time feels very elusive. Tomorrow we go back to work in the kitchen, and i'm glad.