White Jacket Required by Jenna Weber

15).
    â…” cup packed dark brown sugar
    â…” cup molasses
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 tablespoon ground ginger
    Â½ teaspoon ground cloves
    Â¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
    2 teaspoon baking soda
    2 sticks (½ pound) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    1 egg, lightly beaten
    3¾ cups all-purpose flour
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    Preheat the oven to 325°F.
    In a large heavy-bottom pot, combine brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and white pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue to boil for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    Remove pot from stove and add baking soda, stirring to combine well (be careful: the mixture will bubble up here—just keep stirring!). Add butter a few chunks at a time, stirring to combine with each addition. Add egg and stir. Stir in the flour and salt gradually. The dough will be very soft and still warm.
    Roll out the dough ¼-inch thick on a floured surface and cut it into rounds with a cookie cutter or large glass.
    Bake cookies, spaced 2 inches apart, until golden and just set, about 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. The cookies will firm up as they cool.

8
KNIVES OUT
    A S I STEPPED INTO MEAT FABRICATION CLASS ON THE FIRST day, there was only one sound to be heard: the slamming of frozen meat on stainless-steel counters. The kitchen was cold enough to take my breath away. As I walked in and took my seat, I glanced up at the thermostat on the wall and saw that the temperature read fifty-two degrees. The assistant chef, a small woman who appeared to be in her late twenties, saw me looking. “Gotta keep it cold so the meat stays fresh,” she said. “You’ll learn to wear layers in here.” I nodded and crossed my arms for warmth. The chef coat that once felt thick and heavy on me now felt like a layer of sheer cotton.
    â€œGirl, you gotta dress warmer! It’s only going to get colder in here once Chef starts pulling out the meat!” said the girl who was sitting across from me at the counter. She rolled up the sleeves of her coat to reveal another layer of cotton. “The secret is these little boys’ long underwear from Walmart. Got a four-pack for only five dollars last weekend, and they pretty much fix the problem.” She laughed and her eyes twinkled.
    â€œI’ll have to remember that! I’m always cold anyway, but this is brutal. I’m Jenna, by the way.” I extended my hand to her as the other students started to pour in the kitchen now, most of them making jokes about the temperature as well.
    â€œI’m Cat. This is my second time taking Meat Fab, so I know the drill. Seriously, get yourself to Walmart, or just start eating more of what we’re cooking—you’re a skinny one!” Cat laughed again, and I had a feeling we would get along just fine. Coming from Basic Skills, where I had been surrounded by adolescent boys all day every day, laughing with another girl came as a welcome relief. Diego and Frank were in the class, too, but we were no longer bound as partners and they had formed their own guys-only group on the other side of the kitchen. Despite our having formed an odd friendship toward the end of Basic Skills, I didn’t really miss them too much. Just then, Frank looked over in my direction and waved, and I smiled.
    Only a few minutes later, we headed back outside the kitchen for lineup, which felt like second nature to me now. Some of the students in line had been in my previous class, but I noticed quickly that a handful had dropped out, mainly girls. A few people I didn’t recognize at all, and wondered if they, like Cat, were taking the class for the second time. We had two chefs for this class, Chef Sharmin and Chef Zoey, who had spoken to me earlier regarding the temperature in the kitchen. Chef Sharmin was a tall, lanky man who looked to be in his early forties.
    â€œMiss Weber,” he said in a nasally voice when it was my turn in line.
    â€œGood