Day 2 in the kitchen

Today I am on the lunch shift so you begin at 9:30 and work till 2:00p.m. I got to rinse all the vegetables and then the Chef taught me how to hold the chopping knife the right way and how to chop.  I was pretty slow at chopping up the collards but he didn't seem to mind as long as I was consciously doing it correctly.  The chef today was named Shaun and he did like to teach the volunteers different methodologies and he was interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine so we had a nice conversation while we worked.  Today's lunch was Millet with Cauliflower, Lentils, Cabbage with Arame, Greens, and a pressed salad.  Now the pressed salad was leeks with green apples which was very good, but when they are preparing it they slice it all up, toss it, and then put a big stone weight on top to leech out the water.  It stays like that for about an hour.  I even got to blanche the greens today, which is a big step up from day one.  They just drop the green vegetables into boiling water for about a minute and then then they serve them at warm temperature.  They taste great with a little olive oil and ume vinegar. This process of learning is slow and deliberate and they don't push you.  You go at your own pace.  They say that tomorrow 40 people are arriving to take classes so we are going to be slammed for one week.  Some of the people are coming out for a  class called "A Way to Health"  It is for people who are sick that want to learn how to cook macrobiotically for themselves or a loved one.  The other groups class is called " Macrobiotic Leadership Program level One".  They are coming to start a year program to be Macrobiotic Counselors in their Communities so the energy is going to change significantly tomorrow.