New knife!

I decided to bite the bullet today and lay some cash out for a new chef's knife. I have the chef's knife from my school issued knives, but having one knife is like having one pair of shoes....sometimes you need different styles for different tasks. (You usually don't wear the same shoes to a wedding and to play tennis.)

My school knife (Wusthof) is a heavy, German steel with a full tang and bolster. My new knife (Global) is a light, Japanese steel that is all one piece with no bolster.

A point to ponder: Is it just a coincidence that Germany and Japan make the best knives in the world and were also the axis powers in World War II? Just curious.

My internship is still going well. I've been working shifts all over the time clock. My evening shifts are typically spent helping out on garde manger station and doing the dessert station for dinner service. My day shifts are spent doing the garde manger station and dessert station on my own.

Last week I got another lasting reminder of my internship. We were breaking down the kitchen after dinner service and I was responsible for the deep fat fryer. At the end of each day, all the oil is drained, and the fryer is thoroughly cleaned. This includes taking all removable parts to the dishpit. As I was taking the rack that holds the baskets in place to the dishpit, the set of tongs I was using slipped and the rack swung around and came to rest on my wrist for a few seconds before I threw it to the floor. Since it had just come out of the 380°F oil, it left a pretty noticeable burn. That's gonna leave a mark.

 
I am currently reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. He is coming to Vancouver on a speaking tour in October. Ironically, the ticket prices are a little on the high side, so the aspiring chefs who should hear him speak probably can't afford it.

Day shift on the way, I should get some rest.