My flight from LAX to YYZ felt short and I slept for most of it. It arrived early (!) and customs etc was impressively fast for Toronto; it seems that they finally have their shit together.
Mom and Dad arrived and we reunited for the first time in like 13.5 months. Then we went back to John and Cathie's for a shower, some food (bagels and cream cheese, what a North American treat!) and a nap.
Later that day we headed down to Stratford for Julia's "dinner lab" aka dinner at a fancy restaurant. We checked into a hotet, watched the snow fall, and had a few drinks before heading to the restaurant. There was an LCBO across from the hotel and a guy busking with his guitar out front! He was there atleast 2 hours in what I thought was a blizaard!
At the dinner the students had to produce a menu by Thomas Keller, a 3 Michelin star rated chef. This was the menu:
Carpaccio of Yellowfin Tuna Nicoise
Peas and Carrots Lobster Pancakes with Pea Shoot Salad
"Tongue and Cheek:" Braised Beef Cheeks and Veal Tongue with Leeks and Horseradish
Tete De Moine with Sauerkraut and Toasted Caraway Seed Vinaigrette
Oven Roasted Pineapple with Fried Pastry Cream and Creme Fraiche
It was all incredible save the cheese course (the sauerkraut was way too vinegary and overpowered the cheese all together... it was a weird combination). Julia was the Sommelier and made sure we got to really taste the 3 wines that accompanied the meal. Afterwards there was coffee and petit fours (mini donuts, almond macaroons to die for! and vanilla crisps) and the student head chef came around to introduce himself and answer questions. Cathie, of course, asked him about the weird cheese course: Did it make sense to you? Because it didn't make sense to me. He replied that the cheese course often comes before dessert (duh) and that the dish didn't really make sense, no. His answer was alittle unsatisfactory, we wanted more info on what Thomas Keller had in mind- perhaps Mr Student Head Chef hadn't done much additional research.
After dinner we went back to our hotel and drank some more and then Greg and I went out with Julia. We met all her chef school friends and had a good time.
In the morning Mom called us (we stayed at Julia's apartment) and we met her and Dad for a greasy breakfast. We were all incredbily hungover. Then we drove Greg back to London and then drove home to Amherstview. I slept most of the way.
That night I got to see Zac briefly before he flew off to BC for the holidays.
It's a little weird to be home after so long away. I don't like the cold. I'm still quite jetlagged and have slept 20 of the last 32 hours. I had a huge stack of mail to go through, all of which was from the University of Texas (still proud to be a Longhorn!). I'm overwhelmed by the clothes I have in my closet; what choice I suddenly have! How am I going to decide what to pack this time?! Julia and Greg don't get home until this weekend so the house is quiet with just my Mom and I around during the week. I get to help her do her Christmas shopping (I'm all done mine) this week.
But most of all I miss Andy.
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