Monthly Archives: October 2007

So, my first class of the year is o-v-e-r! I’ve got mad meat cutting skillz, yo. Ok, so the Skills of Meat Cutting was more about learning about where different cuts of meat come from than cutting actual meat (although we did a little bit of that.) This class has the reputation of being really difficult. The first day of class, I got there early and stood in the hall waiting to get into the classroom when a day student walked in.

She had this class with this instructor before and didn’t pass. And she looked scared! She told me how the chef yelled and how tough he was and how hard the class was. Now, these were all things I’d heard from other students, but of course, it just made me nervous. And it made me really want to get an A!

I did work pretty hard and I got my A (“one of the few A’s,” as the chef told me.) Better yet, when I go to the store now, I actually understand the labels on the meat and know what to buy! It’s pretty cool and really more important than the A anyway.

One of the practical exams entailed looking at pictures (like the one above) and identifying the cut of meat. To study, I made up a whole bunch of flash cards with pictures of meat on them. I looked really funny studying them at the gym! But it worked and I was able to remember all of the meat. The picture here is a full loin of beef, in case you’re interested.

Other cool things about the class: we made sausage (and got to take some home!), we learned how to cut a whole chicken into parts (which I’ve done before but this method was easier), we frenched lamb chops (you know those froofy lamb chops where the bone is all white and clean — it was really, actually a pain in the ass), and broke down a whole loin of pork. However, hanging out in a meat locker for hours is not the most comfortable thing in the world.

Now, I have a month off due to all sorts of travel (I’m only in this state one weekend this month!) Then it’s back to the grindstone to finish up this degree!