Day ten: I’m either going to hit someone or burst into tears
Posted on | December 7, 2009
I’m such a tangle of emotions, I don’t know what I am.
I am full of anger. No, not anger. Fury. Definitely fury. And I am sad. Terribly, terribly sad. But I am also awash with pity.
Grandpa Chef: “Dirty Jew!”
Motorcycle Chef: “What did you call me?
Grandpa Chef: “Dirty Jew!”
Motorcycle Chef: “When I was little, I was always so confused when the other kids would call me that. I was clean; I washed.”
I am Jewish. And, while I have run up against my share of anti-semitism, it’s been years since I have encountered any anti-Semitic sentiment. That is, until culinary school.
The first anti-Semitic incident here was Other Guy who spent the better part of a week using the phrase “Jew nose” whenever he referred to me. Which was quite frequently.
I ignored him in the hopes that, when he did not get a rise out of me, he would eventually stop out of boredom. He did.
The latest incident happened today, during our lecture on pricing. Only, this time, it was Make Up Girl. See, the Chef was talking about the incredible mark-up of non-alcoholic drinks at restaurants, such as soda costing pennies to make but being sold for two or three or more dollars per class. In response, Make Up Girl, who was sitting behind me, said: “They Jew it up.”
You ever take a gulp of something really, really cold on a really, really hot day? So cold and so hot that you can feel it travel down your throat and your esophagus and into your stomach? A horribly icy trail that leaves you both chilled and nauseous?
That is how I felt today.
Welcome to culinary school.
“Poor little bunny”
The first, and only, time I have ever eaten rabbit was just a few weeks ago. My husband loves rabbit. And, a few weeks back, we went to an Italian restaurant. I ordered mussels. He ordered rabbit.
So, I tried my first rabbit. And, you know, I don’t really see the appeal. I found the meat on the drier side and not incredibly flavorful. Not, say, like a good steak.
He all but swooned.
Fast forward to today where I learned how to fabricate rabbit.
Although the rabbit is, anatomically, fairly simple (at least in terms of how it is fabricated for consumption), I found it more complicated than, say, the duck or the other items I have learned to fabricate. No, complicated is not the right word. Delicate. Or fussy. There just isn’t all that much meat so you have to proceed carefully to make sure you end up with enough to eat!
Now, here is the interesting, horrifying thing I learned: By law, they have to sell you the rabbit with it’s kidneys attached. This is to prove it is a rabbit and not a cat. So where are the kidneys in a cat in comparison to those in a rabbit? The Chef did not know. So who knew what I was cutting up (Dear heaven, let it be a rabbit, not that that is much better).
(Horrible irony, but as I write this, my kitten is sitting in my lap, purring his crazy purr, as I rub his chin.)
So, for those of you that want to try to fabricate a rabbit, here is how I did it.
First, I removed the liver and the heart, which were loose, then I removed the attached kidneys. These I will use later this week in the stuffing (which we will roll inside the saddle meat – hang on, I’ll tell you how to get this meat).
Next, using my boning knife, I cut off the forelegs. This I found tricky. But the way to do this is to cut around the shoulder (move the leg until you can see the shoulder blade; this is where you cut). Once you see that shoulder, it’s easy as anything. Then, I cut off the back legs. To do this, I placed the rabbit on its back. Then I splayed the back legs and cut them off, feeling for the joint to make sure I cut in the right place.
Okay. Now you have all four legs, separate. So, next, you want the saddle. This is the meat on the sides of the rabbit.
Place the rabbit on it’s stomach, then score the rabbit (cut partially, but not fully) at the top and the bottom of the saddle. So where do you score? See the point closer to the head end of the animal where the tenders some to a point? You can feel it, as well as see it. Put your first score there. Then, see where you cut your hind legs away? Just above the pelvic bone? Well, put your second score there.
Into each of your two scores, one at a time, place the heel of the blade of your chef’s knife and slam it down using the heel of your hand. Be careful, of course. If you use enough force, this will cut through your two scores nicely, leaving you with the saddle.
To get the meat off the saddle, cut on either side of the spine, angling your boning knife so you cut down and around the spine.
You now have two pieces of meat that have a thick end and a thin end. Cut away the very thin end (the belly meat). Then trim up your piece, cutting away any silver skin (it is easiest to fillet this much like you do with fish) and excess fat. The belly meat, the carcass and any other leftover bits can be used to make a rabbit stock, if you like.
The remainder of this week will be dedicated to cooking this meat, as well as the sides to go with it. Certainly I’ll tell you all about it.
My husband can’t wait.
Comments
10 Responses to “Day ten: I’m either going to hit someone or burst into tears”
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December 7th, 2009 @ 8:18 am
I guess this is why the people in the food industry I’ve met, both front and back of house, are more often than not, extremely passionate about their work and very thick skinned.
Perhaps working in close proximity with one another for prolonged time at high intensities encourages both the best and worst of personalities to emerge.
That said, I eagerly await more details on what dishes your rabbit will become. I have only made rabbit once and am considering adding it as an alternative to turkey for Christmas
December 7th, 2009 @ 11:10 am
I’ve never understood anti-Semitism. Of course, I don’t understand racism at all, but anti-Semitism leaves me totally mystified. Sorry that people are stupid.
And after hearing why the rabbit has its kidneys attached, I may well never eat rabbit.
December 7th, 2009 @ 2:08 pm
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December 7th, 2009 @ 2:19 pm
That’s entirely unacceptable behavior and you have every right to be upset. Make Up Girl is bad enough, but you can potentially excuse that as ignorance, to an extent, at least.
Other Guy, however, should have been kicked out of the culinary school for that.
December 7th, 2009 @ 8:07 pm
I’m sorry you have to deal with this at school. I’m Jewish as well and I hope my fellow students will be able to show a bit of class. I’ve rarely encountered anti-semitism so it surprises me to hear people acting so obnoxiously.
On a separate note… it will take some getting used to, working with rabbit. I had a pet rabbit as a child! I’ll get over it, I’m sure.
December 7th, 2009 @ 9:52 pm
We had rabbit quite a bit as children. It seemed to be mostly like chicken. But then again, it was a child’s palate, tasting something fried that resembled chicken. I haven’t eaten since then. I am intrigued about the need to have the kidneys attached. Is there really a problem with cats being killed and sold for meat? Whoa!
It is shocking to read about classmates using racial slurs as if it is part of their everyday world. It is sad to read that in 2009 there are people who are able to verbalize those kinds of thoughts so easily and without embarrassment.
I am speechless beyond that sentiment.
December 11th, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
I never let racial slurs slide. They are inexcusable. As a white, middle class woman (not jewish but not christian, either), I get the impression that white folks are more likely to take what I say to heart than they would the person the slur was directed at. I guess they figure it isn’t offensive unless “one of them” finds it so.
December 23rd, 2009 @ 1:05 pm
That sucks. I found that I came across my first racism in this country attending college. I was horrified to hear the stuff they were saying about mexicans. I just was so sad to hear how stupid people really can be.
January 9th, 2010 @ 9:19 pm
I have just discovered this website, really enjoying it. My comment about the racism is that in any school or work environment it is of course, inappropriate but also illegal. Why is it no one has mentioned this?
July 27th, 2010 @ 6:16 am
[...] to attend school. Although they later leaked my blog, balked at my writing about, for example, the anti-Semitism I encountered, and reneged on their promise leaving me, still, making tough decisions on how to [...]