"They're gunna blow!", I think to myself as the controversy escalates into a shouting match between two of my classmates. What at face value appears to be a simple difference of opinion, over one's repeated borrowing of the other's tools, had festered into full-blown confrontation. In ordinary circumstances probably nothing would have come of this, but both students' tempers run high; we're in a high-stress environment, and we're working in close quarters for six non-stop hours per day. With large, sharp knives. Small wonder nobody's killed another. OK, I exaggerate.

An Instructor intervenes, the two return to neutral corners. The transgressor is in deep water and gets called to the NW Culinary equivalent of the Principal's office. This is just another example of the complex social interaction when you stick 12 diverse people in this environment. Culinary Survivor without the insect bites.

The school has a quite strict "no bullshit" policy -- there's no place for hijinks or temper tantrums in this-intense a classroom environment, stakes are too high: at minimum, students could get distracted from their learning in a schooling environment that is incredibly fast-paced; at worst, a student could be badly cut or burnt.

The youngster did grow up some over the course of the semester. He came quite close to getting booted out. The older of the duo? I don't actually remember who it was. He or she continued on too.

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