Really, Why Not Go Back to the Inn?

Here's a carrot cake I made last week. The carrots on the outside are made of white chocolate. I solved the problem of cream cheese frosting by using buttercream instead, and it's working beautifully. I've never enjoyed carrot cake in the past, but I really like this recipe, and I'm very happy with the result.


Thanks to Rich and K for coming in to play with bagel dough and make the panda cookies. This picture is of Rich, holding about 30 eggs, and showing off his stuff.

I'm going to address the question of why I don't just go back to work at the inn. After all, I'm very good at it, the schedule is different, but more flexible. I know how to do it already, and I'd have a rent-free place to live. As an added bonus, I'd be able to see all the people I love who stay there, and continue to have great stories about the oddities of the public. My mother would like nothing better than to have me back there, completing the happy image of the mother-daughter business. She has trouble understanding why I wouldn't want to take over the inn when she retires because it's a ready-made business, and a cash cow. But now, ladies and gents, I will tell you why I just don't think it's the place for me.

-The inn requires that I work with people. I don't like people in general, and from a service standpoint, people as customers are sometimes absolutely brainless. I think that as Israel requires that all its citizens must spend some time in the army, all of our citizens should spend some time in the service industry. After all, isn't that one of major money makers? Working anywhere from a hotel, to a restaurant, for at least 6 months, maybe more, would give the average person a very good picture of what it is to serve. It might give them some respect for the people that serve them in the future. This is the same reason I don't yell at telemarketers. It's just their job, not their idea to call you during dinner to talk about alarm systems. I've done that job, and it's evil. But those companies are always hiring, so it's easy to get a job like that. Anyway, one might argue that in most jobs working with people is a requirement, so get over it already. I contest that when the public is involved, not just coworkers, it's a much different story. Most coworkers' traits are known to each other. What pushes people's buttons is clear, and when to approach them about certain topics during the day. When customers, that you've never met before approach, there is no bad time (in their minds), and conversely, often they feel awkward telling you that they need something. Also, going the extra mile, such as arranging something special for a guest, as I did many times, is often seen as just the opposite. It is just expected from the customer perspective, and I have a hard time justifying doing special things for people I don't know, just because they're going to give me money for my services.

-Location is a big factor for me. This is the house I grew up in, in my hometown. I've lived in that town the majority of my life, spending only two years somewhere else. It's immensely important to me to see more of the world, and maybe find the place that feels like I fit in there for being who I am, not just conveniently because I'm from there. A friend of mine recently bought a home in Colorado and when she told me the price, my jaw dropped from sheer surprise that one could get a house with land that cheaply. I realized that that is pretty much possible in the majority of places outside Westchester county. That fact alone popped the bubble I was living in. Other factors in the location arena include community. I'm still not sure that I would want to continue to live in the community. I've gotten past the small town feel of knowing everyone and their business, and them knowing mine. I hate doing errands there during the day because running into people is so time consuming. They want to know what's happening, and they never want to talk about their lives. It's very strange to me, and I wonder why they assume they should get to know about my life when I only see them rarely and they don't really know me and vice versa. These people are probably lovely people, as they are the parents of my high school classmates, old customers of mine from when I worked at the local coffee shop, not prying gossip hounds. I just hate that it can take up to 2 hours to go to the drug store to buy toothpaste and get thrown to the lions in the parking lot because that's where everyone does their shopping. Sometimes it's a boon. I've run into people I haven't seen in a very long time when they are home for 2 days and I didn't even know they were going to be around. That makes me happy, but it's rare.

-Lastly, taking over the inn would be turning my back on food. Yes, there is a lot of cooking at the inn, but at the same time, it's breakfast. Most guests I had would rather eat fried eggs with bacon (which I love myself) or cereal over something interesting. My mother insists that I could operate some sort of food related business out of the inn, such ss catering or making wedding cakes, but to do that would be compromising both the inn and my separate business. I may age a few years, and change my mind about this, but right now, I'm dedicated to food as my career. Yes, it's very hard to do. I'm screwing things up all the time, I'm working crazy hours and doing the job of two people. But I'm also learning so many new things, and I'm improving. I can't look at a recipe for a baked item and know what it will taste like yet, but no one ever said it would be easy. I saw a movie last week where the father character said that easy wasn't a part of the adult's life. That doing the right thing, and doing the hard thing are often the same thing. I fully agree with this, and I need to give the hard thing a chance for at least a year, maybe two. My life will most certainly change as I do this more. Who knows? I could meet some dude who gets me pregnant and then I decide to quit working altogether because I can. But I'm not going to walk away from an opportunity like this right now. My mother's giving me until I'm 30 to change my mind.