The day started off with a pretty good meal at Banquet.
-- Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese
-- Meatloaf in Madeira Sauce with Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Corn
-- Apple Crisp with Dried Cherries and Créme Anglaise
-- Sweet Mint Tea
Madeira: A great cooking wine which is made on the Portuguese island of Madeira
Créme Anglaise: The French term for a rich custard sauce that can be served hot or cold over cake, fruit or other dessert
So, I ended up getting the meatloaf at Banquet again. I liked it last time, so there was some comfort knowing that I'd get something familiar. The meatloaf didn't have gorgonzola on it this time, even though I was fine with it, and it tasted just as good as the last. The mashed potatoes and corn were great, but the green beans were pretty squeaky. They still tasted good, and I like how they're tied in a bunch with a slice of bacon. The soup was good, until I realized it tasted like I was eating marinara sauce.
Other people agreed with me, but at least they had grilled cheese that they liked to go with it. I didn't want the grilled cheese because the waiter explained that they were made the same way the last ones were made. I definitely didn't want to eat a mustard covered piece of toast again, so I just gave mine to someone else. The apple crisp was good, but one half of the top was pretty burnt, so I didn't really eat it. Aside from that it was tasty. The sweet tea was good, but nothing special.
At some point in between lunch and dinner, I wanted ice cream. So, I went to Courtside to get some Ben & Jerry's. I got strawberry cheesecake, and it was delicious. On my way back, I passed by the good spot to take pictures of the Hudson Valley, so I pulled out my phone and took some more pictures.
The first picture is currently my computer's background.
At this time, I had no idea what was about to happen. I had no clue of the kind of food I was about to eat, and how happy I'd become. Dinner at Americas:
-- Iceberg Lettuce Salad with 1000 Island Dressing, Bacon, Tomato and Hazelnut
-- Manhattan Oyster Chowder
-- Cornmeal Crusted Boneless Trout with Wild Rice, Carrots, Bacon, Oyster Mushrooms, and Pumpkin Seeds in Butternut Sauce
Holy banana skins. I can only accurately describe this with one word. Perfect. Every single thing on this plate was pristine. I know I just said I can only describe it with the one word, but just let me finish. Where do I start? The trout's exterior was crunchy and just like any amazing fried chicken The trout itself was flaky, soft, and rich in flavor. The rice was cooked just right, as well as the mushrooms. The pumpkin seeds were an awesome touch, and the sauce was so incredibly good. It was a light, creamy purée of butternut squash with a vibrant color. The carrots, however, were my favorite part. They were soft, but not mushy, and they were glazed and sugary. They tasted exactly like eating sweet potatoes with brown sugar and marshmallows at Thanksgiving. EXACTLY like it.
Imagine my facial expressions as I went through this meal. I tried one thing, and I gave a sigh of happiness. Then another, and another, and again. It was overwhelmingly great, and I ate as much as I possibly could. I was feeling so passionate about the meal, that I literally got up, cleaned my plates, and went to the Americas kitchen as they were cleaning up. I went to the expediter and said, "I don't know the protocol here (whether I go to you, the chef, or the student), but I had the trout, and it was out of this world. Who can I thank?"
The fact is, I'm introverted. Although I can be comfortable meeting anyone and talking to anyone I feel like talking to, I usually don't. I find comfort in keeping to myself and letting myself think. This food changed me for five minutes, and I went completely out of my way to thank the student who made the plate. She was appreciative, and I hope I made her day, because she made mine.
Back to the rest of the meal. The salad was just OK. I didn't really eat much, because I didn't really care for the salad dressing. I did try it though, and I never had 1000 island dressing before. The soup was also incredibly good, because I think oysters are delectable. I've had them many times, and they've always been raw. So, when I had them cooked in this soup, it was interesting. They pretty much looked like cooked clams, but had the oyster flavor I adore. The whole soup was incredible, and it's way up there on my list of best soups eaten at CIA.
After dinner, I went to Product Knowledge. Today's Product Knowledge lesson was on roots and pods. This includes the wide realm of things grown underground such as carrots, beets and turnips, and things with seeds and pods, such as green beans, fava beans, and corn. Here's what we tasted:
- Horse Carrot, raw
- Baby Carrot, raw
- Beets, cooked in cinnamon, thyme and rosemary
- Daikon Radish, raw
- Parsnip, cooked
- Celery Root, raw
- Edamame Beans, raw
The horse and baby carrots tasted like ordinary carrots. I don't really care for beets, because I don't find them to have much flavor at all. I still didn't like them here, but they had a nicer flavor because of the cinnamon. The daikon radish tasted like crunchy water. The parsnip was good, because I like parsnips, and the celery root tasted like highly concentrated celery. I liked it, but really wanted peanut butter. The edamame beans were delicious, and I took extra.
After Product Knowledge, I wanted to hurry back to my residence building. I got an e-mail earlier in the day that there was a special Shabbat dinner on campus, and it was in my building's lounge. They were to have kosher food, and I really was aching for some good Jewish food.
I ran back to the building, and when I got there, it was already roughly thirty minutes into the dinner. There was one long table, and half of the people that filled the table were Jewish. The Hasidic Jews that were running the event were on one side, and there were about four of them. One of them, the main one in charge, had just recently graduated from CIA. Another said that he's currently in the Asias kitchen, and he's the club's leader at the school. Another one was a local rabbi, and he was incredibly enthusiastic and kind. The last one was a friend of the rabbi's, and he was visiting from Brooklyn. They all seemed a tad bit intoxicated, and the mood was joyous.
There were about five or six other kids on the other end of the table, and I found out that none of them were Jewish. When I arrived, they asked if I was Jewish, and after I answered I took a seat on the end with the rabbi. Soon after I arrived, three or four of the students left for the night. The rabbi made kiddish with me, and lent me a yarmulke. I have my own here, but I didn't get a chance to grab it. They gave me generous portions of challah, gefilte fish, horseradish, fried cauliflower, fried chicken, and potato kugel. I spent hours with those guys. They sang songs the whole time at the top of their lungs, and they chanted while pounding on the table. It was really fun, and I got full for the fifth time that day. At around 10:30, I said goodbye to them all, and I went upstairs to watch Harry Potter with some friends.
It looks like there's one new addition: 1000 Island Dressing. And the list of foods I've never tried before coming to the CIA grows even larger!
Until the next post,
Eat well, then eat more
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