We're three-fifths through the duration of the course but halfway through the content. From tomorrow on, we'll have 9 hours a day instead of the usual six, and tomorrow comes with the added bonus of a written exam after an already long day. I've just learned that the graduation ceremony includes publicly announcing the top five ranked students in the class. I'm angling for neither the Grande Diplôme nor a pretigious internship at a Michelin-starred restaurant, so there aren't really any consequences of a rank for me. Am curious, however, as to see whether the hints we see in class (how quickly someone finishes, how good their presentation looks from our point of view, the comments we hear from the chefs) have any correlation to the final ranking.

I've only gotten to see my own practical grades once and rarely/sometimes hear the chef critiquing others' plates; furthermore, since we're permanently split into two groups for practical, I only see half the class at work. My knife cuts are generally good; the biggest criticisms for me have been not enough salt (as with everyone) and the thickness of various sauces. Thickness I've worked on considerably to the point that it's not a frequent concern anymore, but salt's another story altogether. Another pattern: I do much better with things I've worked with at least once before, such as doughs, seafoods, and rice. A giant veal chop (and mine could fairly have been said to be 200% the thickness of everyone else's) proved to be one of my more recent not-so-hot dishes.