Mise en Place

What a whirlwind couple weeks have flown by! This has been my first taste of culinary education and it's amazing thus far.

For those who have attended culinary school, this week's title probably takes you back to the very beginning of your education. I have found out very quickly that the sentence "Prepare your Mise!" is a daily utterance from all teaching staff; this mantra must send many of you down memory lane. For those who neither work in the industry or speak French; 'Mise en Place' means 'everything in its place'.

To 'prepare your Mise' is to gather and prepare all of your tools, ingredients, etc. so you are ready for the task at hand.

Proper Preparation Prevents PoorPerformance...most of the time

If I were to ask my peers to tell me what they have heard the most from our professors this semester, I'm quite certain all of them would say they've heard 'be prepared' and 'prepare your mise' most. The more eager students showing up each week early, re-reading over and over their recipes as they set up their workstations. But what happens when you do everything right and it still fails? Dear reader, I most definitely know now.

One moment you have everything planned out perfectly, the next chaos and despair enter your life as you cling to your pill-cap hat for dear life. Before each class, I had read my recipes over and over again, written a plan (something not required and not very useful in the class itself), laundered my chef whites, and tried to pretend like I had a clue what I was doing. This worked for the first couple classes.

Then, came my Monday morning Introduction to Global Cuisine class, where I was once again reminded of how important teamwork is and how group projects are generally doomed to fail. As most culinary programs have, our first weeks focused on stocks, broths, and soups.

Our group had doubled our recipe as per instruction and one of our members forgot to double one of the ingredients they were in charge of. This was a simple mistake that I'm surprised I didn't make myself. This was the first thing out of place that distressed me a disproportionate amount.

After a somewhat successful week Monday came back around again. I was determined to have a perfect class. I prepared my written plan for my class, my chef whites were cleaned and steamed, I showed up early, I walked into the classroom...and promptly walked out.

After running around all weekend helping friends and family, getting school supplies, volunteering, and stressing every last detail trying to be Little Miss Perfect, my body decided it had had enough. I became wildly sick for the first time in a long time with a high fever and little strength to stand.

Whatever battle against viruses I was fighting over the weekend I had most definitely lost. I slugged myself into the classroom, feeling as terrible as I'm sure I looked. I don't say I looked terrible because of some need of self-depreciation but because my teacher took one look at me and concernedly asked if I was okay.

I responded frankly, "I have a fever of 103."

After hearing this I was told immediately to go home. I felt so defeated. It was only my second class and I was being sent home. I had worked so hard to make everything perfect and I couldn't follow through. I had been so focused on trying to be the perfect student that I forgot to take care of myself.

Though I felt guilty and defeated as I slumped my way home and into my bed I was reassured by the line that had been ringing in our ears for the past two weeks, the same line I had tried so hard to live by: Mise en Place. More accurately;

tout est mis en place - everything is in its place.

Even though I felt I had failed and nothing was as I felt it should be, I was comforted in knowing that everything is as it should be. Even though I felt like everything was wrong, God had it just right. I got to, and get to daily, take comfort in trying to comprehend and accept that I don't have to know all the answers and the universe does not in fact rest on my shoulders. I may never know exactly why I caught a 48hr bug after a whirlwind weekend that let me have no rest, however I know that whatever the reason it the Lord knows all about it.

As things speed up at school and in life, I have to lean more and more on the Lord and think on what He says in scripture: that he is in control and He is my strength and protector. Though scripture will continually be on my heart and mind, the words Mise en Place have been a quick little phrase that points me back to God and knowing His peace in a split second.

As odd things, upsetting things, happy things, exhausting things happen, my brain runs the phrase to the front of my thoughts and helps me to remember to meditate on the comfort and joy that comes from knowing that God has a plan and is fully in charge even when I'm most definitely not.

Proverbs 16:9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps