Reflection

I've never blogged before and I always though I was a unproductive way of learning. I thought it was just random people putting their opinions on line with the intention of making everyone else as dumb or clueless as them. Once the blog was up and running and I started researching for trends I realized how interesting and fun this could be. This blog pushed me to read everyday and always being up to date with what is happening in my industry. I cook for a living and a good cook I should be always looking for the next new thing, the next big movement that way you become an innovator and not just a innovative imitator. I came to find so many interesting things, things I could take back to work with me and talk to my chef about. I remember going to work and telling my chef about ethnic food, and the closing of El Bulli.
I think the best thing I got from blogging is to read and keep up with the times. It is so easy with the internet to keep up to date with your industry and always know what surrounds you. This blog was very useful and hopefully it will keep on pushing me to be a better and more informed professional.

Reflection

When we were first assigned the blogging, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I didn't understand how this would be beneficial to our class, but I was willing to work with it.  The first blogging was a bit unorganized and misunderstood, but once we got a hang of it I enjoyed it.  I thought it was interesting how we could all share articles and then give our feedback, over the computer.  I particularly enjoyed this method because I retain information better when I am alone, quiet, and reading it.  This blogging gave me the opportunity to do just that.  It didnt have to be a forced, rushed, response, we all had time to absorb the articles and then give our feedback.  I really enjoyed working with my group.  We were all very diversified in the industry and offered alot of knowledge to other members.  I enjoyed waiting to see what articles they would come up with next, as they were usually very interesting and I got to learn something new.  I would deffinately use blogging again in the future, its a great way of communication, and sharing.  The only thing I would change, is to have more knowledge about the website first.  It was a little confusing to figure out, but I got the hang of it quick.

A blog I found interesting is about "everyday wines"...I am really interested in learning more about wine so I found this blog to help.

Top 11 Annoying Restaurant Trends

This really made me laugh.  When you click the link, you have to scroll through the arrows to read all of the trends, its not in article form.  Being a server that has been trained to do each and every one of these things, I find it hilarious that someone wrote how they really feel.  I know when I do out to eat I feel the same way.  If I want something I will ask, I wont remember the specials you rattled off in 30 seconds, and a prix fixe menus are sometimes more annoying than worth the price.  Most restaurants instill all these procedures into staffs brains, but sometimes the guest just doesn't want to be bothered.  After many years of serving I learned it's best to get a feel for the guest.  Sometimes you have someone that you can tell does not want to be bothered, they know what they want to order, and they just want to be served.

Trendy Asian Cuisine in San Francisco

I was searching for a post on http://www.mapplr.com/2009/02/12/heavens-dog-san-francisco/ Asian ethnic cuisine and how that is a new trend for 2010. Ethnic foods are hot because they are very flavorful and in many cases very good for you. As we know beer and other beverages like hard cider are very popular right now and many of these Ethnic cuisine goes real well with beer and cider. This might be another reason for the sudden interest in Ethnic food. It seems that people nowadays are looking for more intensity and flavor to their food as well as their beverages, so it seems ethnic food has finally found itself in the culinary scene in this new year. Being foreign and my cuisine being considered ethnic this creates lots of opportunities for me as a chef to use my roots when cooking. Maybe be more bold with my cooking and technique. This is good stuff guys!!

BYOB in fine dining?

Hey guys I came across this post and have never heard of anything like it. They talk about fine dining restaurants allowing guests to bring in their own wine on certain nights. One of the restaurants is that of Danny Meyer, who is considered one of the top restauranteurs in New York and the country. He speaks about people not wanting to go out and break the bank due to the economy and how important it is to him to keep bringing business in and not having to let people go due to no business. Also, the guests who write about their experience said it was great and they were at first not sure what to expect by bringing in their own wine, but the staff was more than welcoming and was of great service to them. The guests spoke about how many people who have wine cellars at home have so many bottles of wine that they will never finish, so it allows them in situations like these to take a nice bottle out and enjoy a nice dinner at a cheaper price. At this restaurant they do it every Sunday. I think this is very interesting and is an idea that could stick. People aren't spending the money they used to and restauranteurs need to think of more ways to keep them wanting to come out and spend. This is definitely one way that could help and allow them to come enjoy the fine dining experience and at the same time not spend a ridiculous amount of money. The server in this story was more than welcoming and made their experience that much better, This is important because there are those servers who could ruin a experience due to knowing that their bill won't be as high and they are losing out on tips. The people in this article noted though that to make sure you tip them well if service is great due to them losing out on the price of the wine.

Flavor Combos for the new year

This article http://www.gourmetretailer.com/gourmetretailer/content_display/news/e3i3a9920d504eb9654a8925970c64d1147?imw=Ytalks a little more about some of the up coming trends and new ideas that are catching on in the food service industry. A few of them we have already seen and discussed before with things like Street food, Asian food becoming more popular, as well as seeing more and more dessert items being present on the menu. The things I did enjoy about this article are one, the idea that sandwiches are coming back. I always enjoy a good sandwich and especially a high quality one that uses the finest ingredients and something different that I don’t always get a chance to have. These flavor combinations that McCormick’s has come up with is also something special. Thai Basil and Watermelon for example is something that just sticks out in my mind. As a chef I always love to see what other people are coming up with and with Thai basil and watermelon, the ideas for spring and summer menu items are just jumping out at me. Other spices like Roast Ginger and Rhubarb are things that I would not usually use in a recipe alone but together they open the doors to a lot of new recipes.

Hottest Trends in Cold Beverages

One of the big trends for 2010 is not only new interesting non alcoholic drinks but healthy as well. I came across this article http://entertaining.about.com/cs/recipesandmenus/a/beveragetrends.htm that gives you a brief rundown of new and healthy non alcoholic beverages. People are going crazy for anything natural with no high fructose corn syrup and natural flavors. Carbonation is still very popular, people love fizz and that sensation of tinny bubbles in their mouths. It seems that what people want now is all about the fruit, and now people don't want solid fruit flavors, they want fusions they want the Fruitberry or Apricotpeach. Some of these beverages are 100% juice which scares me because that cannot be cheap. But again weve all learned the people will pay for quality even in this terrible economy. And it seems that tea is having a big comeback with people going crazy about bubble tea. I personally haven't heard of most of these brands but they were are showcased at the New York Fancy Food Show. We should definately start getting away from sodas and artificial sweeteners and start drinking real juices and real ingredients.