Day 327: Ouisi Bistro

http://lisa-restaurants.blogspot.com/2010/11/ouisi-bistro.html

Day 326: Live by Chocolate - last class

Tonight was my last class at my chocolate class. It was only two classes and six hours long. The first class had 12 people. The second class only had 7 people. I think most of them forgot about the second class. That's ok, that means more chocolate for the rest of us. The teacher told us verbally about the outline of the class in the last class. This class he wrote the outline. It was much easier to understand what was happening.

He started class with a demo of the Chocolate Moka Eclair. Every time he makes something, he makes it looks so simple. The eclair starts with mixing some of the ingredients. Then you pipe them on a baking sheet and put it in the oven.




After it comes out of the oven, you cut them in half to let the steam out. While it's in the oven, you can make the whipped cream and put it in the fridge to keep it cool. Don't forget to melt the chocolate (It's the best part). Then you bake it some more. After it cools down, you put the whipped cream in the middle and drizzle the melted chocolate on the top.



The second dessert we made was the Chocolate Amaretto Biscotti. I never really thought about how people make biscotti. It's a double baked crispy chocolaty piece of bread drizzled with white chocolate. You mix the ingredients and then shape it into a loaf of bread. Then you bake it. After 25 minutes, you take it out and slice it. You lay the pieces on the baking tray, bake it some more. Then after about a few minutes, you flip them over so the other side bakes. After all the baking, you let it cool. You drizzle the white chocolate over the pieces after it has cooled down. If you do it when it is still warm, the drizzle just looks like mush.


The last dessert was the Chocolate Grand Marnier Souffles. I don't usually have souffles in restaurants so I wasn't sure what to expect. You mixed the ingredients together and bake them in a ramekin. After it is done, you sprinkle some icing sugar to make it look pretty. You have to eat it within a few minutes or else it will go flat.

After the three desserts, it was time to go home. I was walking in hallway and saw this sign. I'm so glad I don't go to Eric Hamber, they keep monsters in some of the classrooms :/

Day 325: Oprah interviews Katherine Jackson

Katherine Jackson is Michael Jackson's mother. Oprah also talked to Joe Jackson, MJ's father, and MJ's three kids. It is the first time MJ's kids did an interview since his passing last year. Last year, I couldn't stop watching all the channels showing his passing, biographies on him and his memorial service. I am sure there are many out there like me.

What is the fascination with Michael Jackson? I first heard him when I was a young girl. My dad bought his LP (do you remember what that is?). I thought he would be a singer that would be popular for a few years and disappear into the limelight. He sang and danced. I thought he was the coolest person ever. His music still plays today at various places. I think his music is classic. There still is an attempt for the largest amount of people dancing simultaneously to Thriller close to Halloween, of course. They don't call him the King of Pop for nothing.

As I got older, there seemed to be more publicity on him. It was not be for his music. It was on his plastic surgeries, his kids and his weird behaviors. When I heard about his passing, of course, I cried. I didn't even know him. I never met him before. It just seemed like a family member passed away. When Patrick Swayze passed away, I didn't shed a tear.

Before his passing, he was preparing for a concert in England. They were sold out shows. If I had the chance, I would go. Next year there is a Cirque de Soleil show coming to Vancouver which will be based on his music. The tickets went on sale a few days ago. I got tickets. This is the closest I will ever be to going to his concert. I'm really excited to go! I'm counting down the days already!

Katherine Jackson talked about how Michael was very self conscious of himself in his teenage years. He thought he was 'ugly'.A megastar still had very real issues. After his teenage years, he had some plastic surgeries done. I think plastic surgeries are a sign that you haven't accepted and appreciated what you are born with. It is a way to make you look like your 'ideal' appearance. I don't think everyone is accepting of all their features. As you grow older, you learn to accept them and maybe even use them to your full advantage. I have very full lips. My mom have always told me that it isn't considered 'pretty' or an 'ideal' set of lips. It is a very negative comment that she had instilled in my brain at a young age. I wasn't going to go and get plastic surgery on them. Angelina Jolie has very thick lips. I had to explain to my mom that having thick lips is considered pretty in this cutlure / society. Some women even have to pump injections in their lips to plump them up. So I have learned to accept my thick lips.

Day 324: Lovestruck Bridal Show

It's Sunday. I went to work. Just kidding. I didn't go to work. I was just visiting my co-workers who were working today. They weren't working in the office, they were on location at the Lovestruck Bridal Show (http://www.lovestruckbrides.com/) (sorry iphone users, the site uses Flash). One girl was only there till 2 pm and she was in a wedding dress. The wedding dress was borrowed from one of the suppliers of the fashion show. She looked absolutely beautiful in the wedding dress. I wanted to see her in the wedding dress. I made it there at about 1:30pm and saw her last few moments in the dress. The dress was worth $1500.

Lovestruck is one of the many bridal shows around. There are large shows and small shows. Some small shows market themselves as specialty shows. Lovestruck was located in Vancouver Club. It is newly renovated and looks beautiful. They added a wine room and a lounge. For the bridal show, the Vancouver Club was transformed by lots of white organza / white material on the walls to soften the look. There was a fashion show at 1pm and 4:45pm. There were lots of wedding related vendors. There were photographers, videographers, makeup artists, venues, cake suppliers and, of course, bridal dress suppliers. They were located on three floors. For brides, there was a gift pack with makeup items and special coupons.

There are so many suppliers to choose from. If I was a bride, I would be thoroughly confused. Of course there are wedding planners to help you weave thru the maze of suppliers. But there are many of those also. Lovestruck was a small show so there are fewer more select vendors. The idea is to help the bride decide on the suppliers because there is a smaller selection.

I was there to visit my co workers and to see what is new out there. The picture above is of our table display. I walked around to see the vendors. There is not too much new. I didn't get a chance to watch the fashion show.

Day 323: 100 Days

http://lisa-restaurants.blogspot.com/2010/11/100-days.html

Day 322: Live by Chocolate

My 'Live by Chocolate' class was held at Eric Hamber Secondary School. I have never been here before. I should've allocated more time to get to class. It was so confusing for me. Usually the office is also the night school office and there is also a small concession stand there. I thought it would be like Tech where you walk in the main entrance and you find the office easily. I got to the first floor and I didn't see the concession stand. I saw an engineer and he told me that the office was on the second floor. After I found the office, I found my class room number. It was on the first floor! I hurried to class because I was already 10 minutes late.

When I walked in class, the teacher was already talking. He was talking about the different types of chocolate and where to get them. He was a tall, big Chinese man who has been a VSB teacher since 1981. He has a very thick Chinese accent and I had to listen carefully to what he was saying. After an hour into class, we already were making some chocolate desserts.

He showed us how to make Raspberry Chambord Ganache Gateau. He makes it seems so easy. There was two tables of 6 people. We split up into 3 groups. Each group made a different chocolate dessert. One group made the White Chocolate Cointreau Truffles. Another group made the Toblerone Chocolate Mousse. My group did the easiest dish, Swiss Chocolate Fondue. The groups who made the mousse and the truffles started first. We sat there for most of the time and watched. There was a main theme in all the desserts: it was about mostly melting the chocolate. These desserts weren't difficult to make. When we finished, we had a piece of every dessert we made. I had some mousse and didn't even finish the whole thing. Too much sugar for one night! I brought some fondue and fruits, some truffles and a piece of cake. Tonight was the first class out of two classes. The next class is next week. After 6 hours of classes, we will be able to make so many chocolate desserts.

Day 321: I finally got the courage to talk to a famous person...

He's not an A list celebrity. He doesn't act or sing or dance. He's a politician. Maybe I shouldn't say that because people aren't fond of politicians these days. Not everyone knows him but he's quite famous in my eyes.

When I was in Chicago, I saw Vince Vaughn at a restaurant. I never talked to him or took a picture with him. I regretted not doing that. I felt like a chicken. But it taught me a lesson. It taught me to not be so tongue tied around famous people.

A few weeks ago I saw the Honourable Larry Campbell. It was at a Canucks home game when I was volunteering. I didn't recognize him. I said something to him about how he was chosen to pick the winning ticket. I forgot what his answer was. After I talked to him, I was talking to my fellow volunteers and they told me that he was the mayor of Vancouver and he is in the senate now.

Tonight I saw the Honourable Larry Campbell again. This time I wasn't so tongue tied. I had a conversation with him. I did say some things that made me sound stupid but that's ok, at least I talked to him. I asked him what his favourite job was. He said being a coroner. Then I remembered that Da Vinci's Inquest was based on his life. We also talked about the Canucks charities and I found out that he is on the board of the Canuck charities. Then I asked him what other charities he's involved with. He is on so many of them that I don't know where he has the time to do everything. He travels between Vancouver and Ottawa. He is a very nice man. Not everyone recognized him. There was one point where a couple were walking by and pointing at him. I think they were the ones that recognized him but was too shy to talk to him.

In case you forgot who Larry Campbell is, here is reminder: http://www.larrycampbell.ca/biography.shtml