Check First!

This is the second time in seven days that I've forgotten to check the settings on my Sony RX100 and ended up with photos shot in the "medium illustration" mode instead of as I saw them on the LCD.

I definitely need to read Atul Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto again and come up with a brief checklist that I go through before using that camera -- every time, no exceptions. It's disappointing to take what I expect to be interesting photos for future reference and then discover when I download them that the details are lost in the "style" of the image.

Instead of supper at home tonight, we attended a cooking demonstration and meal, co-sponsored by the Community Food Co-op and Whatcom Community College. Titled "A Fine French Meal with Robert Fong," it featured both Fong, a local chef, teacher, and restauranteur, and Karina Davidson, a local teacher and frequent visitor to Paris. The 2.5 hour class was "a meal with recipes," as the description said, since most of the prep work was done before the two dozen "students," including Phil and me, arrived.

The menu included a creamy butternut and delicata squash bisque; traditional moules à la marinière; canard à l'orange; an Alsatian lamb, pork, and vegetable bacheofe (a slow-cooked stew); and a chocolate gateau with crème Anglaise and ruby port poached pears. The wine option, which we indulged in, included a glass each of a delicious Sancerre and an Alsatian Riesling, both of which were new to us.

I have another chance to photograph a cooking class correctly in December, when Phil and I attend Robert Fong's "Wine and Food Pairing" class. I'm making a note on my calendar right now to check my camera settings before leaving for that class!

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