Pleased to "Meat" You, Part VI

War pig: "Dibs winner"

   It is going to be difficult to write anything that can live up to the picture above. I don't wanna say that I am a Microsoft Paint guru, but its pretty darn close. Day six was significantly better than the day before (see part V of the series to find out why). I'm always a bit weary when I say I have a good day because the next day I could go right back to being the mayor of shitsville. In kitchen class, like sports, or anything for that matter, you have to find a groove. You have to hit your stride at the right moment to carry you through to the next class. I can fabricate and tie a roast beautifully but my slicing and cubes still need improvement. I asked my chef today if I could get in the meat room sometime this week after class for some additional practice and he said absolutely. The key is practice of course, which can be difficult because its not like I can just go to the grocery store and pick up a huge pork butt and break it down in my dorm kitchen. I mean its possible, but not really practical since I have no pots or anything to cook with...
    We had to breakdown a Boston butt aka pork butt today and bring up a tied roast for chef to grade before we diced the scraps into 1 inch cubes. He was really happy with my roast and the tie job I did (much needed improvement from yesterday). My meat cubes were meh, nothing bad, but not standing out either. I try to gauge how I am doing in the class compared to my classmates everyday.I can say that I am happy where I think I stand amongst my peers. There's a lot of really great cooks in my class so I have to remain on this level and hit my stride at the right moment. Its a mental game as much as it is a physical one. You cant get too down on yourself if you have a bad day. Just keep the pace and when you see the right opportunity, make a break for the lead. Think of it like horse racing: the horse that breaks out in front right away seldom finishes the race first. Its the horse, an rider who sits patiently with the pack before exploding out in front right before the finish. Textbook move right there.
    Now I am full aware that its a team effort, because part of our grade is a group grade, so if people mess up its on all our asses. There are stronger cooks in the class who consistently do good work and there are the less fortunate. I come off as a funny, laid back person but if your the person standing between me and the finish line I will eat you alive...