More Student Impressions; Cooking and Being Part of a Group
Cooking for the Group
Preparing a dinner for 14 people was something I felt I could do – I live in a big household and understand how appetites work – but working in a small kitchen with two additional people suddenly made the idea intimidating. I acknowledge that I have control issues, which were more apparent when the three of us, were arguing over how to prepare the dish, how much we need, and dividing up assignments.
Thankfully, we were able to establish our roles based on what needed to be done. Ethan, in my opinion, took over as leader inadvertently with regard to what we needed to do and who could do it best. We were making chicken alfredo pasta – without the chicken, due to allergies – and were able to determine what needed to be cooked first. Pasta, meat, then the sauce in the end. I made it clear several times – maybe once should have been enough, along with asking if they heard me – that pasta took the longest to cook, and was assigned to preparing the water first.
Caroline handled crushing the garlic for the sauce, opening the seasoning packets, chopping up the meat sausage and kielbasa – and prepping an appetizer for the others while they waited. Ethan was in charge of cooking the meat and sauce, which meant that we had to share a tight space while I stirred the pasta and he made sure the meat didn’t burn. I kept fearing that these circumstances would lead to conflict like the minor instance in the beginning, but we each made an effort to communicate with each other. There were calm reminders as to what roles were given to who, assistance given when needed, and warnings when personal space had to be invaded to move a pot or transfer cooked meat into a bowl. At one point, I had to transfer pasta from its pot into a strainer in the sink. Ethan was also near the stove area. With just a few words, we were able to communicate movement and necessity, allowing the pasta to be moved without incident. Caroline observed that we acted like a well-oiled machine. Her compliment is what helped me remember the moment better; the acknowledgment that we demonstrated teamwork to a level that didn’t need many words was something I thought incredible. And so, in that cramped kitchen, the three of us were able to finish making dinner by around 6:30, our desired goal. I also learned how to make alfredo sauce.
Patrick Blake
Making Doughnuts
“Concrete Experience Learning Style:
A preference for learning by participating and doing.”
INTERPERTATION:
To me, this means that some of the best experiences are outside of the classroom. When a person participates, it is not only about learning new things, but also doing hands on activities.
EXPERIENCE:
Today, I walked to a local home and made doughnuts. It was a wonderful and leisurely walk. The walk took around 15-20 minutes. When you walk places, it really can give a person an appreciation for what cars can do. At the home, the lady who owned the house showed us how to make doughnuts. We watched her as a group mixed the ingredients. Next, she made the dough and rolled balls into coils. After, she flattened it out with her hand to make a doughnut shape. Once she demonstrated this, we had a chance to try making twenty or so doughnuts on our own. As a group, we were all in close quarters, since the kitchen was pretty small. Due to both Annie and Cael being experts at doughnut making, they were able to offer tips, or help if needed. Annie helped me with making a ball that was floured enough it would not stick to my hands and Cael was able to tell me that if “You squish the circle from the center going towards the edge, I could get a larger doughnut.” Annie also told me that “Roll it out like a large coil, as if it were ceramics class.”
Through doing the doughnut activity, I felt like this was a good experience of a “Concrete experience learning style.” People were able to show their area of expertise. While doing this, some of my group members learned some Spanish. Since the doughnuts had some glaze, it stuck to my hands. Therefore, someone in my group asked how to say the word, “This is very sticky.” I also learned some words for a bunch of ingredients in Spanish. A few faculty members who work at University of Georgia, Costa Rica translated the ingredients from Spanish, to English. Overall, this was a very good experience!
Not only did I walk off with satisfaction of having a good doughnut, but I also walked off with a little food for thought.
Megan Freeman
