“If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.” – Julia Child 

Disney Days

Today I was searching through my documents folder and found a paper I wrote for my culinary program experience at Walt Disney World. This paper was written two months into my internship, and covers the basics of working in a quick-service environment. Eventually I will do a post about my Food & Wine experience, but if you ever want to learn about my disney experience, you can always check out my older blog, MyLifeInDisney .

Becoming the Knight

 

School is a fascinating idea. A place where children can learn about an abundance of knowledge on subjects as far as the eye can see. You see, I absolutely love school. The books, the pens, the hand-raising, the power of knowing a subject. As a small child, I had dreaded school. Starting in the first grade, I would get anxious and scared of going to class. Making myself physically ill was the only way to avoid the teachers and the students. I couldn’t handle my teacher, who was above all nasty, so I transferred classes. My new teacher was caring, and she helped me with my anxiety problems. She even let my mother volunteer in the classroom a couple of times a month. School got better, and I had fun learning. I even ventured on the “Star of India” where I stayed the night on an old ship in the San Diego Harbor. 

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” – Socrates

 

In middle school, in the middle of eighth grade, anxiety hit again. I couldn’t handle the thought of walking into the classroom. I became detached, and slowly isolated myself. I got transferred to “New Directions” – a school environment where most studies took place at home or in small class settings. I was getting by in school, but I hated it. Most students were there for disciplinary reasons; And I was not. 

In ninth grade, I started school with “Dehesa”- a charter school. I participated in science classes, art classes, and field trips. I studied whales while boating in the San Diego Bay. I won an essay contest and got a behind-the-scenes look at SeaWorld. I was given the chance to explore subjects that interested me; cooking, and learning the hebrew language from my Rabbi. I was given the freedom to work on more films in Los Angeles with my flexible schedule. I taught elementary school kids at the local Chabad House. I was able to express my thirst for knowledge in a setting which I had never before experienced. 

Moving to Oregon my sophomore year, I had decided to start my studies at a high school in town. I fell in love the minute I walked in the doors of this amazing high school. It made me feel like family, and I adjusted quickly to my new environment. Spending most of my time in the culinary arts room, I thrived in my growing knowledge of food. I quickly became very involved with the culinary arts, and the theater department in school. I tackled obstacles and attended classes at the local community college to head-start my culinary career. I ended my high-school career with a whopping 3.98 GPA. Days after my high school graduation I was already in my culinary classes.

I could dedicate multiple posts just to my experiences at Cascade Culinary Institute. I grew into a confident young woman, who could take over the world. Competing in competitions and becoming a member of the food community, I knew I had made the right choice in learning about the food we eat everyday. I graduated with honors and within weeks I was working at Walt Disney World in their culinary department.

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. – W.B Yeats

 

During my time at Disney I realized I wanted more. I loved getting my hands dirty in the kitchen, but I also loved the smell of a freshly printed cookbook. My desk was a mountain of a variety of food magazines. I was hooked on food literature; so much that I have so far accumulated over 100 cookbooks ranging from Julia Child, to a 50 shades of Chicken parody. 

I decided to start school again after my one year residency of the state was up. Out of state tuition is through the roof, and after waiting a few months, I attended a local community college to earn general education credits. After earning some of the necessary credits to transfer I applied to my university of choice. 

Yesterday I received my acceptance letter.

If you would have asked me five or six  years ago if I was ever going to attend a university, I would have said, “No.” How would I be able to handle the stress of a high-stake university if I could barely handle the stress of middle school. Looking back, I am extremely proud of my accomplishments thus far. The little girl who was once a damsel in distress, is now a brave golden Knight. 

 

 

 

Planting the Seed

I was on the web today looking for opportunities. You see, I never sit still. Why would I even think about writing a blog when I go to school full-time, work, and volunteer? It’s because I’m a nerd. Yup. I am a dignified nerd. I enjoy sitting and indulging myself in  a historical thriller, sipping earl grey out of tiny tea cups, and of course, spending quality cuddle time with my four cats. Going out painting the other night, I got an extreme creative urge to start up a blog again. My first, MyLifeInDisney was fun to write, and eventually ended like my internship. Truthfully I was too exhausted to write about my work happenings, when I was spending all of my time at work. It got boring to write about: Wake up, work, go to bed. It was the life?

The other day while I was at my friend’s house, I was looking through “Taste of Home” and found a volunteer editor section. I looked at the website, but I never applied. I got lazy or something must have gotten in the way. (Probably House M.D. I’ve gotten obsessed with it lately.) Today I tried applying and the site was down. So here I am, creative juices flowing and not a page to dabble on. A few minutes later Pomegranate Print was born.

Why Pomegranate Print? Because it’s a fun name. That’s why.

I plan on writing about food. Shocker. I plan on writing about my experiences with food, dining, and my everyday life. I’ve been told I’m a complete weirdo, but my stories are fabulous!

Expect recipes, expect to laugh, expect to cry at my horrible puns, but most of all expect to learn something new.