Today's struggles are none like I've experienced in a long time. Long strings of successful bakes and lucky first time trials in Australia reduced to a bunch of less than satisfactory products here in Singapore. At one juncture, exasperated and highly irritated by the soaring temperatures and moisture laden air, it felt as thought I was back at square one. The year and a half of professional training rendered down to nothing, like a piece of chuck reduced to gravy in a pot of slow simmering heat.
It lead me to question myself, could it be the inferior ingredients (diary products and quality of milled flour and nuts as well as the state of couveture), the deadly curtain of humid air hanging around like an unwanted friend or the heat that made working with high fat content pastries an impossible feat... That being said, I now have a new found respect for homebakers and pastry chefs in singapore who dare to strive for excellence in an environment that doesn't quite support its growth. Also,its understandable why good quality french pastries are so hard to come by here, and if they are discovered, their high prices justifiable. At the end of the day, I came to a conclusion. Despite all these oddities at stake, it all boils down to the chef. Instead of shifting the blame to the conditions, I should re-evaluate my attitude. In the evident failures to come, the fine-tuning of recipes being a major concern to befit this alien environment, I shall remain strong-willed cause good things come to those who wait.
on a side note, today I change my headnote from "pastry chef to be" to an official pastry chef. Celebrate yo.. it's my graduation. Thanks to all my lovelies who have steered me on this path and all the rest who have my journey unforgettable.
my love, let's create a revolution.
