New Term, New Schedule

So now that my Thanksgiving Break, and the first trimester of the year, are over, I'm beginning my new set of classes.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have Spanish at 7:30 and Macroeconomics at 9:35... Needless to say, Mondays and Wednesdays will be the days that are hardest for me to stay awake...

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Accounting at 9:30 and Sociology at 11:40. I have a feeling that Tuesdays and Thursdays will be a lot more entertaining than Mondays and Wednesdays, which is good. What makes it better is the fact that Sociology lets out at 1:30, so even if class runs 15 minutes late, I'll still be able to get to work on time on Thursdays, which means that my paychecks will have the 2 hours I was missing from each paycheck all of last term. It also means that the small amount of money I'll be bringing in from tutoring will be much more helpful than it was last term, even though I need to cut back on the tutoring hours a bit.

Right now, I'm just wasting time until I have to go to work. The bright side is that I can actually blog and get two office hours for this week. Downside is that I'm bored stiff and can't think of too much to talk about.

I guess one thing I could say is that David, one of my roommates from last year, and one of my best friends, is going to be moving into my townhouse for a few months. His now-ex-fiance completely screwed him over and he needed a place to stay until he could return to the Culinary Institute of America to finish his degree with them. I'm not going to go into too many details, but suffice to say that the bitch deserves to rot in hell for what she did to him and for how she's still trying to screw with his head.

Other than that... There really isn't much else I can think to say, and I'm too tired to try harder.

So... TTFN

Germany

So last night I sent a cover letter and a copy of my resume to Schloss Elmau, which is a gorgeous resort in southern Germany. It was just a general, "I'm interested in whatever opportunity you can offer me" letter, but I sent it to the GM, the head of HR, the CEO and the Executive Chef. Hopefully, one of them gets back to me in a reasonable amount of time.

I'm excited and nervous about what might happen. If they decide that they're interested in me, it means I could be moving to Germany for a few months, maybe even a year. What makes it more exciting: one of the restaurants at Schloss Elmau has one Michelin star. Needless to say, that would look amazing on my resume if I could add it... Hell, Schloss Elmau itself would be an amazing addition to my resume.

I'm trying not to think about it too much, since there's A LOT of things that I need to take into consideration... That, and I don't want to get my hopes up. No reason to get all excited about going to Germany before I even get a response saying that they're looking over my resume.

Just figured I'd share that with all of you.

TTFN


BTW,Here's their website:

http://www.schloss-elmau.de/

Restaurant Review: Viet Thai Noodle House

So this past Sunday, I took Anna to a place I've been meaning to check out since arriving back in Charlotte. Viet Thai Noodle House. I drive by it every day on my way to class and work, so I figured, why the hell not give it a shot?

I was sure to take a lot of pictures, so instead of going into a long-as description of everything, I'm gonna walk you through the pictures.

 

I decided to wait until we were seated before I took a picture of the restaurant, and I decided to take full advantage of the Panorama setting for my iPhone camera. It screwed up a little once I got to Anna, because I started moving my phone a little faster than I had been, but it's still a good view of the whole place. Personally, I liked the decor. It was very tasteful.

 

This was one of the things that impressed me the most. The wooden menu. Granted, you can see that they aren't taken care of as well as they should be, but it sets them apart from every other restaurant I've been to... I mean, who is willing to spend the money to get specially made menu covers? It's a very nice and unexpected touch.

 

When you go to a place that serves Asian cuisine, you have to get hot tea. We decided to split a pot of green tea, and I must say, Viet Thai has awesome tea pots and absolutely fantastic green tea.

This is what Anna ordered. I can't remember what our dishes were called, but they were absolutely delicious, and for the size of the portions, they are well worth the money.

 

Again, I can't remember what this was called, but it's what I ordered. I remember it had shrimp, squid, chicken and beef, all of which was perfectly cooked, with a nice assortment of vegetables and a fantastic sauce.

 

Again with the wood. This time on the check cover. And of course, no Asian dining experience in America is complete without a fortune cookie. The brand that Viet Thai uses is sweeter than what I'm used to, but still tasty

There was one downfall that I saw while Anna and I were enjoying our meal, and that was a matter of sanitation. I witnessed one of the employees use a rag to wipe off one of the seats in a booth, and then he used that same rag to wipe off the table of said booth. That is a very large sanitation violation in my book, simply because studies have shown that every seat, regardless of where you are, has trace amounts of human feces on it. Therefore, using a rag to wipe the seat transfers said feces onto the rag, and if that rag is then used to wipe a table, the feces are transferred onto the table... That is the main reason why I refuse to eat food that has touched a table in any restaurant I go to unless I know for a fact that the employees either don't wipe the seats, or that they use separate rags for wiping the tables and chairs.

Due to that violation, my rating of Viet Thai Noodle House comes to 7/10 instead of an 8/10.

In response to my last few posts

Now that the election is over, I'm going to start avoiding talking about politics... Mainly because people don't like reading about other people's political views, and I don't want to lose readers because of that.

As for the restaurant reviews, I'm thinking that might continue... Once I get money to go out to eat, anyway.

Right now, I'm basically wasting time before going to work, hence this half-assed post talking about stuff that you probably knew already.

Politics

So, obviously, I need to comment on the Presidential Election... Not only because it's my right as an American, but also because everybody else in the country is talking about it.

Right, so in case you couldn't figure it out, my support in the election was given to Obama... Here's my reasons:

Obama got us out if the recession and wants to implement economic policies that will help college students and the middle class. He also support equal rights for everybody and is an advocate for an affordable healthcare system.

Romney wanted to implement economic policies that would help the upper class and raise college tuitions so people from lower-income backgrounds wouldn't be able to go to college. He also supported shipping jobs overseas, reducing health insurance coverage, and does not support equal rights.


Personally, I don't see how any middle class person, homosexual, college student or woman would vote for Romney at all. In all honesty, the election was annoyingly close. It shouldn't have even been a question... Unfortunately, many American's fall for the bullshit that conspiracy theorists throw out there... You know what I'm talking about... No? Let me remind you.

"Obama is a Muslim."



"Obama is a Socialist."
"Obama is the anit-Christ."

Bullshit like that.

First of all, Obama is NOT a Muslim. If you claim he is, then show me a picture of him praying. At the same time, explain to me why a Muslim is a bad choice and a Mormon is a better choice? Even if Obama was a Muslim, that wouldn't make him a terrible person. If you think it would, you're an ignorant fucktard and you should go away.

As for the Socialist claim: FDR was a socialist too. The interstate highway, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Disability, Workers Comp, The USPS, all those benefits that 100% of American's enjoy DAILY are all Socialist ideas. So unless you've never driven on a highway, never received mail, don't have a social security number, and have never received any kind of government support IN YOUR LIFE, then you have no right to say that you're against socialism.

I have no proof for the final claim, but let's be honest... Only religious nut-jobs would believe that Obama is the anti-Christ, and that's only if they try really hard to find the nonexistent evidence. Hell, only a religious nut-job would believe that humanity will be destroyed in the End of Days... I'm not here to talk about religion though, so let's just leave it at that.

Now, many people are completely ignoring the great things that came from the election. First and foremost, Main, Maryland and Washington approved same-sex marriage. Secondly, Wisconsin elected an openly gay senator. Finally, Minnesota voted NO to discrimination. In addition to this, Colorado and Washington legalized Marijuana.

America ACTUALLY made progress yesterday. Therefore, I think America deserves a pat on the head, or a slap on the back... Hell, even a congratulatory hand-shake would be nice... We don't deserve a bro-fist or a high-five though... Why? Because people are COMPLAINING about the election results. They're saying that Obama is going to destroy this country.. Huh... that sounds familiar... Who else was supposed to destroy the country? OH YEAH! GEORGE W. BUSH... Guess what, if this country can survive 8 years of Bush throwing all of our money at a war that we never should have started in the first place, we can survive another 4 years of Obama throwing that same money at programs designed to improve this country.


And that's my political rant. If you have a comment about anything I said, leave a comment. HOWEVER, keep in mind that I will only respond to well-written, grammatically correct arguments. I will not respond to trolls or poorly written bullshit. If you feel the need to throw in an insult, feel free. I certainly threw a few out there, it's only fair. However, I want to see logic and reason, not just random insults.

Thank you

Let's give this a shot

Let's see how well I can do as a food critic, shall we? I usually judge the food no matter where I am and no matter what I'm eating. It's one of those downfalls of being a chef, especially when the people I'm with aren't as critical... I think that's why chefs tend to eat either alone or with other chefs/foodies... Anyway, let's get down to it!

I decided that I'd do this on a place that I frequent much more often than I should, simply because I want my first review to be a positive one. haha


Little Village Grill

Located on Trade Street in Charlotte, NC, this tiny little hole-in-the-wall is a prime example of how you can't judge a book by it's cover. The first time I walked by it, a little over a year ago, I thought it was just a typical quick-service burger joint. A wanna-be McDonalds, if you will. However, I soon noticed that around lunch-time, this little closet of a restaurant consistently had an impressively long line out the door. After a few months of seeing this, and glancing at the menu every now and then as I walked by, I decided it was time to give this place a shot, and I was not disappointed.

Little Village Grill quickly became my favorite place to grab a quick lunch. This is due to the fact that even when there are 10-20 people in front of me, I have never waited more than 20 minutes from the point I got in line to the point when I was receiving my food.

Now, most people will think, "Wow, they must have everything pre-cooked and ready to assemble. It must be pretty low-quality stuff." To which I reply, "You are dead wrong."

Every order is cooked to order. The only things that are prepared in advanced are the cold items, and that's just good business practice.

As I said at the beginning of this, the restaurant is very small. There are three, small, two-top tables inside, but people rarely sit at them to eat, since it can get cramped when people are standing around and waiting for orders. There are also five, decent-sized, 2-4-top tables outside. However, I recommend getting the food to go, simply because the sheer amount of business Little Village does makes it difficult for you to enjoy your meal in peace.

Now on to the food:

Little Village Grill has one several awards, including Best Sandwich in Charlotte, for their Pork Gyro. There are many reviews based on that sandwich, so if you want to read them, feel free to look them up, because I'm going to be reviewing their Lamb and Beef Gyro.

I have had the Pork Gyro, but this bad boy right here is, in my humble opinion, exponentially better.

The meat, a perfect blend of lamb and beef, is tender, juicy and incredibly flavorful; The tatziki sauce is smooth, creamy and the perfect accompaniment to the meat; The tomatoes are fresh and delicious, and the red onion adds an amazing sweetness in addition to a nice, crispy bite; The fries, an unexpected treat, add a final touch of pure bliss with every bite. All of this is wrapped in a warm piece of pita bread and that is wrapped in foil so that you don't loose a single bite to the cruel mistress that is gravity.

I have sampled all of the sides that Little Village has to offer, and while they are all delicious, my favorite, by far, is the Garbanzo Bean Salad. It is dressed with the perfect blend of oil and vinegar; The beans are complimented perfectly by the feta cheese and sauteed onions that are mixed in with them. Overall, each bite is a symphony of flavor and pure, unadulterated deliciousness.

Little Village has a menu with a great amount of variety, but the Lamb and Beef Gyro with the Garbanzo Bean Salad and a drink is definitely the best $7.42 that you will ever spend on lunch.

Slight change in blog name

So looking through my posts, I've come to the conclusion that I ramble more often than I rant, so I've decided to change the name of the blog from "Rantings of a Chef-in-Training" to the much more appropriate "Ramblings of a Chef-in-Training."

Also, I know I don't post much more than the thoughts that run through my head when I happen to remember that I have a blog, but if you guys could spread the word about this blog, I'd probably end up posting things with more substance in them than just telling you how boring or fun my "weekend" happened to be.

I've been trying to post recipes, but, let's be honest, I dislike typing them, so that's why it hasn't become a regular thing. I've been debating on creating a how-to video for some things, but there are three issues.
1) When I get the chance to, my kitchen is fairly dirty, and I don't feel like cleaning at that moment in time.
2) I need someone to operate the camera.
3) Even if I'd have someone to work the camera, my camera sucks balls. It's a cheap little thing, and doesn't produce quality videos. I know what you're thinking... "Why don't you just use your iPhone?" My response to that is, "Screw you." Granted, my iPhone's camera is pretty good, but I don't want to use it for making how-to videos... Especially considering that I only have 10 followers, and of those 10, there are probably only 2-3 of them that actually read these damn posts,.

That's why I brought up the issue of drawing in more readers. There's only so much I can do without annoying everybody on Facebook and Twitter. That's where you guys come in. Find a post of mine that you like and share the link to it on Facebook or Twitter. That's all I ask. It might actually draw in more readers.

More readers = a greater quantity of quality posts.

Let's face it, 2-3 people isn't exactly motivation to write amazing stuff. I mean, I'll attempt to put out the occasional gem for you people, but let's face it, if I don't start seeing a greater interest in this blog, I'm gonna keep using it type stuff just to waste time while I'm waiting between classes or for tutees to not show up for their scheduled sessions.

Sunday

So Sundays are probably one of my lease favorite days of the week... I mean... Yeah, I have no work or school, but that also means that I don't have anything to do... I can't really afford to go out and do something. I need my money for bills, rent and food... Needless to say, that means that my day usually involves sitting around and doing practically nothing... I should probably take advantage of it and read, write, or exercise, but let's face it, when you spend 6 days a week going almost nonstop, it's hard to motivate yourself to do stuff like that... Unfortunately.

On a different note, I'm debating about getting a full time job. The one I have no is only part time, and, let's face it, just under 30 hours a week is only barely enough to keep my head above water, especially since my rent is going to go up starting next month... Instead of paying $200 for my share, I gotta start paying $275, and that $75 is a huge chunk of my budget... especially considering that I only make about $250 a week, before taxes. Of course, this means that now I have to stop buying stuff for a while. Luckily, I've managed to go two weeks without going to Walmart to get something, so I think my random spending days are virtually over, which is definitely a plus.

I don't have much else to say, so I'm just gonna go now... TTFN

A video, and my response

So this morning I was on Facebook and stumbled across a video... Normally, I try not to respond to political stuff, but this was one instance where I couldn't keep quiet. Here's the video:

  

Here's my response, which I'm actually pretty proud of:

Dictionary.com: Conservatism - the disposition to preserve or restore what is established and traditional and to limit change.

The video talks about how the Founding Fathers were conservatives who established a Christian Nation. This is completely false. If the Founding Fathers would have been conservative, they would have insisted that the colonies try to work out the problems with England peacefully so that we would still be under British rule.

If this were a Christian Nation, then Freedom of Religion would be nonexistent; The Constitution would directly mention Jesus. Last time I checked, it does not. In fact, there are quotes from both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson denouncing religion. If two of the most influential Founding Fathers weren't Christians, I think it's safe to say that this is not a Christian Nation... In fact, under the Constitution that conservatives cling to for dear life, we are a country that promotes all beliefs, whether they be Christian, Jewish, Islam, Hindu, Mormon, Atheistic, what have you. Saying that we are a Christian Nation just shows ignorance.

If Lincoln had been a conservative president, the Civil War would not have happened when it did. If we would have always had conservative presidents, we never would have abolished slavery. I don't know about you, but I'm glad Lincoln was a Liberal.

If all of our presidents had been conservative, we wouldn't have social security, unemployment, medicare, medicaid, welfare, disability, or any of the government aid programs that a lot of people need. Granted, it's easy to abuse the system, but if it weren't for that system, a lot of people would be suffering more than they need to be.

Personally, I don't consider myself conservative or liberal. Let's face it, nobody fits into either classification perfectly. I don't consider myself a Republican or a Democrat either, because I agree with some ideas from both parties. I consider myself an American, and I believe that America needs to do away with Political Parties. The conservatives should agree with me there, especially the ones who say we need to go back to following the constitution to a T. However, I also believe we need to get rid of the electoral college and completely change the way congress works.

The electoral college is an outdated and inefficient system that was established to make sure that the uneducated majority was not able to out-vote the educated minority. In this era of information, ignorance is a choice. To say that the popular vote shouldn't win the election is an insult to American intelligence.

As for Congress, it has way too much power. If the majority of Congress doesn't like the President, they will vote down all of his proposed actions. They will pass the laws they see fit, because even if the president vetoes a bill, a 2/3 majority overrides that veto. The people need better representation in Congress, and there needs to be less corruption.

Those are very Liberal views, I know, but this country was founded on the idea that if the people are unhappy with their government, they have the right to change it. I fell that the American government is outdated and completely inefficient. I'm not saying we need to have another revolution, but we seriously need to find a way to fix it. One step in the right direction would be voting for a third party candidate. Another step would be doing away with political parties altogether and going back to the way things should be. Two candidates running, neither one from any specific party, popular vote wins it. The loser becomes the Vice-President. That's what conservatives SHOULD be fighting for. That's what I personally agree with.

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I was almost late for class because I spent a good amount of time thinking that out and writing it. I can honestly say that I never thought I'd write a two-page response to something like this, but that video shows exactly what's wrong with this country. We care too much about political parties and the difference between "Conservative" and "Liberal." Nobody is just American anymore. If anything, this video shows that America needs to wake up and start caring about the real issues, instead of just caring about party loyalty or following "Conservative" or "Liberal" candidates.