10th to 14th November

10^th November

So the Chef competitor who won the competition was only 2.2 points ahead of the second place competitor.  The winning Chef will now compete next year at the Mondial du Pain, which is held in Lyon, France.  Congratulations to him!!

I went to the school today, as it is mid-term week for the practical classes.  I wanted to see how I felt during the 4 to 5 hour class.  Since it was mid-term there was not a lot of movement involved for me so I had my ‘high’ chair and crutches nearby and observed from the front.

The students did extremely well and I was pleased with the outcome of their products.

12^th November

http://mainlib.ksml.edu.tw/Mainlibraryen/index.aspx

Today is the “soft opening” of the new library.  When I arrived here in August of 2012 the ground area where the library is now located, was just a grassy field.  Construction for the library began in the winter of 2012 and progression ever since.  Amazing how this plot of empty land has transformed into what is there today.

I’ve attached the link to the library so you can see what it’s about.  Also check out the photos I have taken during the transformation and growth of the new library.

Opening ceremonies will commence at 13:30h and I’m not sure but I’m confident the Mayor of Kaohsiung will deliver a speech.  Election procedures for Mayor of Kaohsiung began many months ago and the election date is 29^th November.  It’s imperative this library be open prior to election day to show the people of Kaohsiung the power of the existing Mayor and importance and dedication that has been provided to ensure the prompt opening of this library.

The grand opening I heard will be in January and the President of Taiwan will most probably attend.

Nicholas told me that all the books for the library have been donated by the people of Kaohsiung.  I cannot wait to go inside and view this amazing piece of architecture.

14^th November

It’s Friday and the days/weeks are just zooming past.  I can’t believe I’ve been here 2 months already and 6 weeks since the scooter accident.

I ventured to school for the practical mid-term of my advanced baking and pastry students.  There’s not a lot of movement I must do for the class so I’m thinking it’s not going to be too challenging for me.

(5:00pm)…the class today was awesome and the students simply beyond just good.  I had this group of students 2 years ago and it was the best class I could ever ask for and I have them again for their final year.  Of course it’s up to them if they wish to pursue another 2 ½ years for their masters.  Many of them do not but some do.

Their final practical exam was the ‘Opera’ cake.  The entire class (48 students) were finished and graded plus had the lab scrubbed down by 11:30.  Class commenced at 8:00am. 

Nearing completion of the class the Director of baking and pastry came into class.  My teaching assistant said they wanted to present me with a small gift.  The students clapped, cheered and then the Director presented me a bag of HUGE apples.  One thing I noticed is that when one is sick or has been in hospital, that person is always give fruit for their well-being.  I have received so much fruit since my accident and it’s truly amazing and great feeling to receive this from people.

They wished me a speedy recovery and good health!

I had Peter come pick me up at 11:40 and then dropped me off at Costco.  I met Lee there and we did a little bit of shopping. 

Later in the day Lee and I decided to go across the street to visit the new library.  It is now open for the public to view and walk around. 

We were there for 2 hours but certainly didn’t seem that long.  There are 7 floors to the library with a rooftop terrace.  An amazing piece of architecture.

I’m quite sure that the library will be overly crowded both tomorrow and Sunday given it is the weekend hence why we went today.

The best part about this new library is that it is located directly across the street from my apartment.

I will get a library card (next week) and then books can be borrowed.  Looking forward to it. 

It has been a week full of exciting moments.

Final Dinner with Chef Competitors, Judges and Organizing Committee

7th to 9th November - Kaohsiung Food Show - Bread Competition

7^th to 9^th November (Friday – Sunday)

Today was the first day of the bread competition.  The competition is part of the Kaohsiung Food Show, which is held annually.  The competition is part of the Food Show and sponsored by ‘Ambassadeurs du Pain’ of France.  A Chef winner will represent Taiwan at the upcoming ‘Mondial du Pain’ in Paris.

I’m not sure how many Countries compete at this competition but it is quite recognizable around the world.

A few years ago a Taiwanese Chef won the world title and now owns and operates his own bakery here in Kaohsiung and it is constantly packed with patrons wanting to purchase his products.  He has also published a book (his life) and a movie has been produced showing his life story from childhood to present day.  A component of the movie was filmed in one of the baking labs at NKUHT.

Hsaio-I met me at the apartment and then we took taxi to the Centre.  Yes, the centre is only at the end of the street (maybe 1500 feet) but because of my injury I cannot walk that far.

I took the wheelchair with me as I thought it would be more easy to move around and for some it yes, but I think I will use crutches tomorrow.

The show seemed well attended.  This was the first day of the Food show and I’m thinking tomorrow (Saturday) could be a different situation.

There are a total of 6 competitors vying for this position of winning and 3 of them compete today (Friday) and 3 will compete tomorrow (Saturday).

Various companies sponsor the competition hence beautiful ovens, proofers etc. are at the disposal of the Chefs.  The competitors prepare all the smaller breads on-site and they can bring all the components for their showpiece but must be assembled on-site.

Judging commences at 3pm.

The criteria for the competitor is as follows:

1 Showpiece – maximum 60cm length, width and height

Standard Bread – 10 baguettes, 5 loaves, remaining dough in 3 shapes

Health/Nutrition – 3 breads

Biological – 3 breads

Typical Bread – using 3 kg flour

Sandwich

Viennoiseries – puff dough (3), raised dough (braided)

There is a total of 500 points for all the products to be produced.

Another component of the competition consists of their work environment.

            Organization

            Sanitation & Hygiene

            Respect to regulations

8^th Saturday

Today was the second day of the competition and the other 3 competitors preparing their work.

There was significant notice in craftsmanship from today’s competitors compared to yesterdays.  When I asked Fred (coordinator of event) if the competitors were chosen at random to which day they would compete or he had a say in who competed on which day and his response was it wasn’t public.. haha   I know what that means.

Since today will draw a larger crowd to the show, it makes sense to have the more creative competitors to display their talent to the crowds.  Of course one doesn’t know exactly how a competitor will perform but Fred knows where each competitor works and knows the history of each of them and has seen their portfolios.  Nothing wrong with this process/system but one could clearly see the difference in their work.

With that said, it was a great day and both days combined very rewarding and exciting.

Despite me being in a wheelchair on first day and crutches on second day, I had plenty of help moving around.  Many of the baking and pastry students were there assisting with this event (similar to our competition events at Humber) so I asked one of them to be my photographer hence a lot of great photos taken.  (Thank You Fiona)

The judging commenced at 3pm on both days and Friday we finished at 4:30 and today we finished at 4:00.  Not sure why or how we finished half an hour earlier today.

I quite sure of who the winner will be based on the outcome of all the competitors work but the winner will be announced tomorrow at 10am.  I won’t be there but Fred will let me know who it is.  He alone has tabulated all the marks and is the only person who knows the winning Chef.

At 6:30pm everyone involved with the competition was invited to a dinner gathering in the north part of the city.  Not far from the Exhibition Centre – near the MRT station Aouzidi.  The taxi picked me up at 6 then we went to the hotel where Michelle is staying and picked her up.

We arrived around 6:30’ish and mostly everyone was there.  The dinner was catered but in a different sense.  Across the street from where we were was a small eatery, so all the food was ordered from there and the workers carried the food from across the street and delivered it to the room we were in on the 6^th floor.  They continued this delivery process well into the evening.  Always bringing something new.  It was very tasty.

Hsaio-I was in charge of the wines and champagne and she had two of her Applied English students manning the wine bar.

The evening was great by mingling with everyone and having some down to earth conversations.  I have made good contacts with the Australian Chefs and the French Ambassadors of the Mondial du Pain organization.  All the judges involved are either professors or working in the industry with their own company.

Tomorrow will be the big announcement who the winner is.  Will post that once I know.

Day 2 Of Bread Competition (Kaohsiung Food Show)

Chef Competitor Showpiece

Chef Competitor Showpiece

Chef Competitor Showpiece