Adios Blog

Blogging is a daily thing. I've learned that keeping yourself updated as well as checking your online accounts on the regular are pretty important. It gets you in a habit, and I think with all the social networking and blogging that goes on in the cyber world today, it's becoming a natural thing. You also have to think about the fact that what you put out on the internet can and will be seen by everyone that follows you or happens to stumble across your site.

Cooking, eating and writing all tie in somewhere. With our class, we ate or read about food and cooking and transferred our experiences onto paper into appealing descriptive works.

If this class were to be offered again, my suggestion would be to cut down on the writing assignments. Although the class is actually really fun and interesting, as well as all about writing, an overload of work on top of all other classes can put a damper on the enthusiasm and motivation for this class.

Adios Blog--Ysabelle

By writing these past blogs on this site I have learned how to show rather than tell. This has improved my writing and made me more conscious of a better way to write. Also through writing about all these experiences with food and food related items I was able to explore more abut each topic. Writing about it in these assignments forced me to think more in depth about what I was writing about and in turn, it made me learn more.

Cooking, eating, and writing can all be forms of self-expression. They also can work hand in hand together. They are ways of recording and creating memories.

For another Discover course similar to this I would suggest breaking up the longer readings like the ones by MFK fisher. Other than that, all the hands on activity, explanations, and guest speakers made it easy to learn and it was memorable.

Adios Blog--Prof. Whitman

I appreciate my students for "playing along" with this experiment in inquiry through writing. I wasn't fishing for compliments when I asked them to comment on the class: I want to figure out what worked and what didn't. This semester was a first draft. If I offer the class again, I'll have a chance to revise.

ASSIGNMENTS
From a product point of view, I consider many of the blogs and almost all of the restaurant reviews and profiles successful (and often excellent) freshman writing based on field research and questioning. I would definitely keep these two big projects. The "book exploration" project was probably too demanding for a freshman class, requiring work at the very top of Bloom's Taxonomy--synthesizing and creating. Next round, I would probably have students pick a book at the beginning of the semester on a certain type of cuisine (say, Indian or Japanese) and write a basic book report. Then I would have them pursue that "genre" of cooking through the restaurant review and the profile, which would become the culminating project. I would give more time for arranging interviews.

I overestimated the tech savviness of incoming students and dropped the wiki assignments in the face of general confusion. To avoid shell shock next time, I would probably start much more slowly and roll out each venue one by one: Blackboard, blog, wiki. (I would start more slowly by having us watch Julie and Julia in class, too.) I agree that it's confusing to move from BB to the public blog and wiki, and yet I'm torn because I like Blackboard's journals for private conversations with students and the blog and wiki for inserting us in the public foodie conversation. I need to think about this.

Reading, reading. I considered my nonwriting homework minimal and easily accessible since it was all online. Yet pop quizzes suggested that many students either didn't do the reading or (despite some guided journals) didn't engage with it deeply. Hmm. Maybe I should have more small-group discussions around the readings. The Jeopardy! group quiz seemed fun and lively, so perhaps I can find more games to reinforce reading comprehension.

CLASSES

How can I make classes more "active"? I wish Jose had specified his highs and lows. Field trips topped my list (see the world!). I think the follow-up assignment for William-Sonoma was probably the most dynamic because everyone had a task during the trip, to find a tool. Next time I would have the class write a collective letter to Chef Boots after the dining hall trip with feedback and recommendations for dining improvements.

I appreciated that our guest speakers tried to link their talks to our course content. Many of them just presented info, however, so I have to think about how to make those visits more interactive. At least Bonnie Wolf got this quiet class talking.

Other fun classes for me: the peanut butter sandwich making, the tasting food in class and practicing writing about it, the group presentations on movies. Hmm. Do more in class. Instead of reading from Eric Schlosser about food additives, I might bring in some processed foods and have students do an activity based on the monstrous ingredients they find on the labels.

I started out reading aloud excerpts in class. The idea was to reduce homework without reducing exposure to interesting ideas from John Updike, Barbara Kingsolver, etc. But I got tired of the sound of my voice and the unreadable PowerPoint slide. (Note--get a room where you can have a PP in focus and visible with some lights on for note taking. Movable furniture would help, too.) Maybe I should assign every student a short excerpt to read and stagger those mini-readings over the semester.

ACCLIMATING TO THE ACADEMY

My students deserve to feel proud of the writing they produced in this class. Most of them have shown that they can handle the writing demands of WI courses (16 pages of revised writing) that await them between sophomore and senior year. I set the bar high, and most rose to it.

Several students had major difficulties with deadlines (and following directions in general). Faculty are debating this now: how should professors balance flexibility with standards? Bobbie and I led a class discussion on how to extricate yourself from academic doo-doo, and I was glad that some students after that e-mailed me when they were having difficulty. But my SILENCE IS DEADLY point didn't sink in across the board: a few students never realized that the time to ask for an extension is before the paper is due, not after the deadline. They may be in for a rude shock when they leave the safe harbor of DISCOVER.

I'm so glad I had Bobbie as my right-hand woman letting the class know about the midnight tricks of registration and so much more.

Adios

To be honest, coming into the course I thought it was going to be pointless; after all I am an Info Technology and Business Major. However the college experience, especially here at a liberal arts school, should push students to learn new things, and explore. In saying that, The Art of Writing/Culinary defnitely upheld its course subject which is to discover. I learned about foods and people like Mary Fisher who were so passionate of writing about food.In cooking/eating and writing I see a connection being made between how much work goes into it, the preparation and also with the presentation. Cooking and eating also allows you to be creative just like writing. I definitely approved on my writing as a whole, being careful to show and not tell which can now be applied to many of my courses. I would recommend having the class maybe at Ballston at a lab since the class uses so much technology.

Adios Blog-By Hannah Hatcher

The Art of Culinary and Writing has been a very interesting course for me. I have learned some facts about culinary, such as new words and meanings. I liked researching food writers, such as Julie Powell, Julia Child, and Fisher. The field trips also contributed to the course; it was fun exploring William Sonoma, Whole Foods, and Common Goods City Farm. The writing aspect was informative; I learned how to develop my writing style and what makes a strong paper. The blog was good; it was nice seeing what other people had written and it kept us connected. Overall, this course was fun and interesting and I would definitely recommend it to incoming freshmen.

Adios Blog--by Anam Mian

I have enjoyed learning about food, not just in the sense of survival but also how it gives us our identity. I have learned to write in a different manner, with a foodie touch. I would have never imagined myself sitting in a restaurant just to analyze it. Although I wish, I had done the restaurant review for Me Jana last Friday, bad experience. Professor Whitman has helped me a lot in understanding the little bits and pieces of writing that we normally surpass and never look over, even though they are essence of the argument. I definitely enjoyed this class, and I would surely recommend it for future freshmen.

Adios Blog--by Rabia Javed

I learned a lot about food that did not know about before. The sites we used to post our work was confusing at times and hard to figure out what goes where. Posting our work on the blog site and wiki site did not really help me; it was easier when we would post our work on blackboard. However, all of the writing we had to do for this class definitely helped me improve my writing skills. I feel like my writing skills are better now than from the beginning of the semester. From the assignments done in class, I saw several different connections between cooking/eating and writing. Some people would write about their food experience in order to express their feelings towards it. For example: Julie making recipes from Julia Child’s cookbook and then blogging about it. If you were going to offer this DSC 101 class again, I would recommend subtracting some of the sites we use such as the blog site and wiki site. This year, we had to work with several different sites for homework and class work which would get confusing at times. So, I think those two sites should be taken out and you should just use blackboard for the assignments because it would be easier to follow along with.

Adios Blog

This class has been an interesting mystery basket that kept me on my toes this semester. I came into this class not knowing what to expect. In the end, I can take away from this class a greater sense of my writing style and what type of writing captures the audience better. Some class time was better than others yet I was satisfied at the way Professor Whitman conducted the class and I enjoyed myself during my time in DSC 101 Food as Muse.

Adios Blog-- K Holzman

Writing for this class has been quite an experience. Because the journals and blogs gave me a chance to exercise my natural writing (aside from academia) the feedback given was more practical. In other words, an english professor can criticize my use of- well- anything (because I'm probably doing it wrong anyway)- but, that type of help in writing is not going to make much of a difference for me. Given the fact that I write for a current career in THIS style the critiquing done to THIS style is what is most beneficial to me. Professor Whitman brought light to mistakes and blunders- stylistically- that I would not have been aware of otherwise. A connection I noticed between food and writing is in detail. Now, when I write a sentence- about anything- I think about the detail I am putting into it... so to speak- can the audience "taste" the flavor I am trying to portray in words. If this class were offered again, I would suggest... well keep Bobbie. She seems to know what's up.

Adios Blog

In dsc 101, "Food as Muse" I have learned alot from writing in journals and blogs. I am more confident in writing then I was before and I think I have improved my writing skills. Also, I've learned a lot from the whole experience in the class. It was a first time experience writing in a blog. Now I see connections between cooking/eating and writing that I did not know before. Cooking/Eating and writing about it is important so we can share with others and "show not tell". Writing about food is a skill that I did not have before. I see the close connections between cooking/eating and writing after this class. Lastly,I would recommend more time to do the big assigments. Also, maybe not having writing assignments due every class. This class taught me a lot about food and writing!

Adios blog by Kamilla

I have learned a lot in this class. When I first saw my schedule I didn’t really care about my discovery class, because I had no idea about it. But now I understood that I was very lucky to be a part of “Food as Muse”. The most positive impact on me was of course writing. Writing a lot. My writing was not so good from the beginning of semester but now I feel that my writing skills became stronger, I know that I’m still not so great but I did improve my writing, no doubt. Also I learned a lot about food, cook books, famous people who were closely connected with food. I think it is very important to know it, because food is everything in our society.
Eating and writing are closely connected. To write about your experiences with food is essential, because we can pass our knowledge and experiments to others. All of us are interested in food, so of course it will be very useful and special to write about it in order for others to know it. That’s why blogs about food, restaurant reviews are so popular nowadays. When we were trying to find a restaurant to visit and write a review, we searched in Google everything concerning our food preference, about restaurants with great food according to other people’s opinions.
Personally I think that our class was really great and exciting. But I think that in this class we should have some tests and study guides for them in order to check our knowledge, not only writing. Because I love preparing for tests, I learn a lot through them. I don’t really like spontaneous testing when we have no study guides. But it’s just my personal opinion. But anyways this class was very useful and interesting, and I really happy that my adviser registered me for it without my knowledge, he was absolutely right.

Wrapping It Up

By Elyssa Giordano

I feel like through writing the journals and blogs I’ve leaned more how to inquire more about what I am writing about. I think I from now on, I will investigate more about what I am writing about as well. I have developed the relationship of enjoying my food more, and not just eating to eat. At the beginning of the semester I found it very difficult to write about cooking and eating. However, now I am very comfortable with writing about cooking, and it comes to me with more ease. I would recommend eating more and writing more in class. It helped a lot more to feed off of the ideas of my classmates. Also, when we broke down our author papers the one day into five questions and talking to partners, it was a lot easier to come back and write my paper after. I feel like I suffered a lot less writers block then usual.

Food Experience

For my food experience during the weekend I cooked and ate brownies with friends. I experianced the whole shebang, shopping for ingredients, cooking it and eating it, which was delicious as well as fun! Buying groceries at the store is always amusing for me, as long as I am with someone to talk to so that experience was nothing new, although I had never shopped before with my friend Austine. After that we went to her house to cook, on a side note she was cooking cake while I was making the brownies (mmm funfetti cake) so we had more than one treat that night! I'd have to say the hardest thing about cooking is the wait; you can smell the tantalizing chocolate, the delacate smell of the rizing sweetness but you cannot eat it yet! During that time I actually felt sick and had to lay down, ( I think it was the Code Blue Mountain Dew, too much food coloring is not good to ingest) but I felt better after a bit and watched her snake poke his head around his cage. (Don't worry chefs of the world, I wouldn't touch an animal while cooking!) I washed my hands before taking the brownies out of the oven, just to be safe and sanitary. Again, the cooling off waiting period stunk. But our guy friends that were over now crowded around smelling the baked goods, so we all talked till the brownies were cool enough that they wouldn't fall all the way apart before eating them. They were soft and mushy, and crisp on top with hard pieces of chocolate toping the concoction. If I hadn't put some away for later they would have been gone that night!
- Veronica Petrey

Food Experience--Ysabelle

For my food experience I made the last recipe in the book A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg. It was "the winning our hearts and mind cake, or our wedding cake". I'm unsure if I made it completely right, but it was delicious either way. I bought an oven temperature gauge to see if me oven is running accurately which it wasn't as she says in her section explaining how to use the recipes in this book. My oven was running about 25 degrees too cool, so its good to know now. The recipe called for 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped finely, 1 and 3/4 sticks of unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 5 large eggs, 1 tbsp unbleached all purpose flour, and lightly sweetened whipped cream for serving. I used an alternate chocolate that she said could be used in the introduction of the recipe, but I had to change the recipe a little bit for what was available at my house. I don't know how it was supposed to turn out, but it tasted delicious. It was in perfect timing too because it was my sister's birthday on Sunday. The icing looking part is actually whipped cream that I hand whipped and made myself and I took some liberties with adding strawberries and some of the extra chocolate chips on top. The recipe was pretty fun to make because I used a double boiler in order to melt the chocolate and the butter. The taste of the cake was almost like a brownie cake custard kind of thing but it was delicious and fun to make. It was a very dark chocolate bitter taste but the whipped cream added a sweat and creamy balance. All in all, I consider it a success.

Food Experience- Sarah Naqvi

For my food experience, I decided to cook one of Madhur Jaffery's recipes in her book, Climbing the Mango Trees. I picked "Roz ki Gobi", which means Everyday Cauliflower. My mom makes this all the time, so I wanted to see how Madhur's recipe would taste. I never tried cooking traditional food, so this would be a first time experience. Madhur Jaffery's recipe was very straightforward and seemed easy. Basically, all I had to do was fry the cauliflower and add the spices. And it tasted so delicious, warm and flavorful of the perfect amount of cilantro and green chilies. My mom said, "I am using Madhur's way of cooking Rozi ki Gobi from now on!"

"Everyday Cauliflower ('Roz ki Gobi')
This is one of the ways our cauliflower was often cooked at home. I use a 2-pound head of cauliflower that yields about 7 cups of florets. When cutting the florets, make sure that each piece has a head about 1 1/2 inches wide, has a stem, and is about the same in length, or longer, as the width at the top.

6 tablespoons olive or peanut oil

7 cups delicate cauliflower florets

1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground amchoor (green mango powder) or 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Generous pinch of ground asafetida

1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into very fine julienne strips (cut into very thin slices first, then stack the slices and cut into fine strips)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh green chilies (optional)

Pour the oil into a large frying pan and set over medium heat. When it is hot, put in all the cauliflower florets. Stir and fry them until they turn reddish in spots. Remove them with a slotted spooon and spread them out on a platter lined with paper towels.

Turn off the heat under the frying pan and remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.

Put the drained florets in a bowl. Sprinkle the salt, turmeric, cayenne, coriander, and amchoor over the top. Toss gently to mix. Taste for balance of flavors, making adjustments if needed.

Set the frying pan with its 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. When it is hot, put in the asafetida, and a second later the cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for 10 seconds. Now put in all the ginger shreds and stir for 30 seconds. Put in all the cauliflower and stir gently to mix. Add a generous sprinkling of water, cover, and turn the heat down very, very low. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until the cauliflower is just done and all the flavors have blended. Sprinkle the cilantro and green chilies, if desired, over the top. Toss and serve."

Courtesy of Madhur Jaffrey. Reprinted from Climbing the Mango Trees, published by Alfred A. Knopf.

Fast Food Frenzy - My Experience

I arrived at the Lee center at about 8:10 P.M, 10 minutes after the fast food frenzy had started. It was a whole lot of fun from the moment I got there. There was loud music, food from just about every fast food place you could name, drinks and Guitar Hero for the Wii. The whole thing was hectic, crazy and just plain fun. It ended at about 8:36 when everything started being packed away. It was a lot of fun and it's a shame it had to end so soon.

Food Experience-- KHolzman

Having evolved into the nice ripe age of 18, I though it was only safe to assume that I had experienced it all considering the slim chance of survival in a house filled with testosterone and sharp and/or flammable objects otherwise. I was wrong.

After carefully reading through Steven Gilbar's Chicken a la King and the Buffalo Wing, I decided it was my mission in life to discover an absurd food on my own. And that is precisely what I did. Now, Gilbar covers a large variety of foods in his book however... coffee was not one of them. Imagine the surprise of a caffeine addict to find that the world's one finest creation was not included into this book. So I began the hunt. I searched far and wide for a coffee that had some strange and alluring name. Starbucks, Stop and Shop, K Mart- you name it, I was there. But I did not stumble upon such a find until entering a local CVS.

"Fagg's Coffee." I read. I read it again and again until the word lost all meaning. Could it be? Did I find the hidden treasure my heart had so longed for? I had. Elements of trickery and deceit were no match for such a passionate twist of fate. Losing all control, I lunged toward the coffee grasping it with both hands fearing that in some cruel reality it would disappear from sight. Excitement did not begin to describe the toxic emotions flooding my veins. My hands trembled like a virgin as I cradled the sacred find down the isle.

Unfortunately or by good luck (depending on how you look at it), the clean shaven man working the register, in the nice eye liner, was a tad bit light in the loafers. I had the pleasure of hearing him hum outdated show tunes as he unrolled dimes into the register. I glanced at him, then I glanced at the fruits of my labor. Was the coffee worth the inevitable stares, comments, an awkwardness that soon awaited? Was it worth giving up? NO! It was not worth giving up! In no way shape or form was pride or dignity even an option in this confluence of events. I earned the right to have a cup if "Fagg's Coffee" and damn it I was going to have it!

So I placed the item on the counter and reached for my wallet only to hear him grunt; loudly. Being the kind and gentle human I am, I ignored his blatant disgust and handed him my debit card.

"Fagg's coffee?" He sneered. Yes, I can read it too thank you. I look up at him with a look of boredom.

"Excuse me?" I so charmingly reply.

"You are actually going to buy this? You KNOW it says 'Faggs' on it, don't you?"

"What?!" I yell. I grab it out of his hands in angst. "What is this blasphemy! I only drink straight coffee!"

"What?"

"Were you aware they now sell gay coffee? This is not Europe!"

"Ma'am, I was only kidding..."

"You mean to say you do not take pride in the sexuality of our nation's coffee? How dare you call yourself and American! I'm all for gays, I'm all for straights. Hell, I'm all for the undecided. But don't you dare make a homosexual out of my coffee!"

Thanks to the rare stream of luck that seems to follow me, the man understood and enjoyed my caustic sense of humor. Not only was I not escorted out of that CVS in hand cuffs, but he gave me the coffee for free. And let me tell you- that was some GREAT coffee.

Food experience by Kamilla.

On Wednesday I had 2 food experiences which were described in my 2nd book Skinny Bitch in the Kich. My first book Skinny Bitch contains different advises about healthy eating, but not recipes.
On the lunch I went with my friends from Marymount to Vapiano’s in Arlington. Vapiano’s is an Italian restaurant with really great food. I read a lot of positive reviews about this place so that’s why we decided to go there. I ordered pasta with vegetables exactly how it was described in the section “Italian bitch” (“Oh, Italian food, how we love thee. When everyone was forsaking you for “low carb” diets, we never turned our backs on you. And we never will Italian food. We never will.”) I was watching how Vapiano’s staff was cooking it, and it was pretty interesting, I understood the main process of making good pasta. First chef took olive oil, water and salt, boiled it than added pasta noodles (he asked me which type I would like and I picked unusual form called Tagliatelle(long flat thick noodles). At the same time he was frying vegetables and making a spicy sweet sauce. After that he mixed every ingredient. It looked so good and tasted delicious!
And on the dinner I and my friend went to Maté Lounge in Georgetown, DC. It is mostly like a sushi bar, very nice place with great interior design, music and dim lightning. In the book I read a section called “Grown-up appetizers” (“If we were having a dinner party and pretending to be classy, we’d make stuff like this”). And the last recipe was Spicy Sushi Rolls with Avocado and Cucumber. I don’t really love such plain sushi, and I ordered sushi called Rainbow and Mar del Plata. Rainbow Rolls contain tuna, whitefish, salmon, yellowtail, shrimp, eel, crab, cucumber and avocado. And Mar del Plata Rolls contain Lobster, cucumber, soy nori, chives and avocado. Everything tasted like paradise! Usually when we had like girls sleepover in Russia, we always tried to make sushi, so I have an idea how to make rolls, but anyway I love restaurant sushi more.

"What's with the red oil?" (food experience)

My dearest mum in the whole entire world brought me my now officially favourite dish in the western hemisphere of Africa; Kokki with yellow plantains.

Kokki is made from a white kind of white beans that is soaked in water for half a day so the skin is peeled off easily. after that, it undergoes the wonderful process of turning from beans to puree in the grinder. Next, the wonderful red palm oil is poured into the puree along with salt, and bit of water. I loved watching the mixture go from white to deep orange. Then, it's ready to be cooked so, Mum attached then into separate plastic wrappers and aluminum foil. mum explained to me that ideally, the Kokki would have been wrapped in Banana leaves for the food to keep its full scent. Then after an hour of constant check ins and aggravated wait, it is ready!

After one bite of this (not-words-cancpossibly-do-it-honor-kind-of-dish), will be cooking this whenever I get the chance.

Mum... I love you!

Food Experience - Sofie Scarlett

While flipping through Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals, I decided the Green and White Lightning Chunky Chicken Chili was something I needed to try. I really love chicken chili, so I was really excited about it. I went to my boyfriend's house to make it, since I don't have a proper place to cook it here. We got all the ingredients beforehand and I was ready. I did substitute several. Instead of buying a raw chicken, I bought pieces that were already pre-cut and cooked. I didn't want to cut up a raw chicken! Also, I didn't add jalapenos because I honestly just don't like how spicy they are. Finally, once I started preparing my food, I realized I had forgotten to get garlic. I decided it would just have to be left out. I started to cook the chili which was a huge challenge because I was not used to my boyfriend's kitchen and I didn't know where anything was. Since the whole idea of the recipes are that they take 30 minutes to make, we were eating in no time! The chili was very good, but I can't help but think the garlic would have made a huge difference. Next time, I won't forget it at the store!

Food Experience

Last night my boyfriend and I went down to Wilson Boulevard and decided to stop in at Matsusake for some sushi during the happy hour. Thankfully during happy hour the rolls are so cheap so you order numerous different types of sushi! Normally we get the same thing every time - spicy tuna rolls, spicy salmon rolls, and occasionally the traditional California roll. But this time I decided to be a little on the daring side. We ordered sushi that we'd never tried and didn't ask our waitress what it was ... It turned out to be an interesting dinner. Let's just say my boyfriend got a kick out of all my funny faces. We made a deal that if we were going to get all these exotic mysterious sushi rolls that I'd have to be the first one to try each one. So I did! I wasn't allowed to have any wasabi, ginger, or soy sauce. I was to eat it plain to get the full taste, no distractions. I think it made me realize how comfortable my taste buds get when I am loyal to certain rolls, and shocked they become when I try a new one!

Food Experience-By Asia Phillips

Last night I was inspired by my book, Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook, and I prepared chicken alfredo for my family and I. The book really focuses on how to clean, season and in essence prepare the finest meats. I decided to slice the chicken in sizes as close to one inch as I can. Then I seasoned using ingredients Martha Stewart used quite often, ground pepper and salt, lemon, garlic and rosemary. I made sure to wash my hands over and over again because those were my main only tools. I can infer from other recipes and pictures by Martha that she uses her hands very often also. It was much easier to season the chicken and allow the ingredients to be used evenly. I then buttered the frying pan and allowed the meat to tender and cook. I then put a pot on the stove to boil the fettucine noodles. When both were complete, I empty both the noodles (after draining) and chicken into a roasting pan. I poured the Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce (my cheat!) onto the pan and mixed around the ingredients. Then I sprinkled a small amount of mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top of the chicken and noodles and let all the ingredients bake in the over for 25 minutes. After my mom made garlic bread and broccoli. Dinner was great!

Food Experience-Hannah Hatcher

For my food experience, I ate a Greek salad in the cafeteria. This salad had fennel and oregano spiced chicken over mixed greens, tomatoes, red onions, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and banana peppers. My book is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon so the salad had relevance because it was healthy and nutritious. The cafeteria worker asked if I would like everything in the salad and I said yes. I loved eating the salad because it was colorful and looked appealing. The salad was delicious; the flavors of the items in the salad blended well together and created a wonderful dish. Feta cheese and olives gave the salad a unique and interesting taste. The chicken was seasoned well and it went well with the mixed greens. The salad represented Greek food which is another point of my book. Sally Fallon mentions that each culture has a healthy food. We can learn from people with traditions because they have healthy lifestyles.

Food Experience-- by Anam Mian

The book I chose is about breads, Adrian Bailey spit out a thousand and more recipes just on how to make different types of bread. Although, what I made isn’t found anywhere within her book, it does involve the essence of bread so hopefully this counts. I took a piece of regular store bought bread and flattened it out so it had a very thin outlook, and a smooth texture. Then I hurried and placed cooked and grilled spicy pieces of a meat patty onto it. After I was done placing the pieces, I went ahead, rolled it up, and closed it with a liquid made from dough. After the opening was carefully sealed, I placed the roll along with its fellow twins into the oven for about 5-6 minutes. After taking them out from the oven I let them cool for a bit, then went ahead, and sliced the bread from the middle, to finally be served. Bone Appetit !

Food Experience--by Rabia Javed

For my food experience, I made a dessert dish, Gajar-Ka-Halva, from the book I chose for my final project. While making the dessert dish, I had my mom help me with some parts of the process. Making this dish was a really long process; it took several hours to make the entire dish. My mom and I were exhausted from standing in the kitchen for several hours. Our arms were quite sore because this dessert requires to constantly be stirring the mixture in the pot until it is completed. First, we started off with gathering all of the ingredients and materials so we could easily get everything. Next, we began grating the carrots which took a while. From there, we just followed the steps in the book. Finally, after several hours, the dessert dish was completed. I couldn’t wait to try it since I did majority of the work. Usually when my mom and I cook food, she does most of the work, but this time, I took control. After an hour or so, my family and I tasted the Gajar-Ka-Halva. It turned out really delicious and it was not too sweet; it was perfect. My hard work and the help from my mom paid off because the end dish turned out great.

Florence Pizza - my food experience with pizza

After I interviewed my food person at Vapiano, I walked to the Ballston mall and went down the escalator to get some food. I had left Marymount before I could eat dinner in order to get to my interview on time. Because of this I was quite hungry and wanted something to eat. I decided to get some pizza at Florence, a fast food pizza stall in the food court in Ballston mall. I went up to the stall and was just sort of hanging around because I didn't know what I wanted. The guy at the stall suggested to me that I get their 2 pieces of pizza and 1 soft drink for $5.99. I ended up getting that. I asked him if they had pepperoni pizza, my favorite kind. He said that they would have some in a few minutes "A FEW MINUTES!" I said to him in mock anger. I sat around for a little while until he let me know that my pizza was ready. I got orange crush soda with my pizza. I sat at one of the tables in front of the stall and ate my pizza after I got some napkins and silverware, which it turned out I didn't actually need. I finished eating the pizza and took off with the orange soda still in hand.

Some Simple Chocolate Pudding Pie

By Elyssa Giordano

For some roommate bonding, my roommate and I decided to make a cake for someone we know who is getting shoulder surgery next week. After a trip to CVS, we decided the easiest

and safest cake to make would be a Chocolate Pudding Pie. We picked up three ingredients, milk, chocolate pudding, and a graham c

racker crust. After we returned to our dorm, we collected a pot, measuring bow, and a mixing bowl. We ran into the issue of not having any sturdy mixing spoons on hand, so we borrowed one from the girl down the hall. Making Chocolate Pudding Pies often around Thanksgiving, I had seen my mom prepare them before, so I had some clue what I was doing. However, this was my first time baking one without her. We began by measuring out the amount of milk we needed and dumped it into the mixing bowl. We then added in the Jello brand Chocolate Pudding. We mixed the two together and poured the filling into the graham cracker crust. After this, we placed the pie into the refrigerator. After an hour, we checked the cake and it seemed to be finished. We unfortunately did not get to eat any since we made it for our friend. However I am almost positive we will be taking a trip back to CVS very soon. We were discussing how simple it was to make, and took about fifteen minutes or less to make not including the time to sit in the fridge. I would love to make some more pie for ourselves and maybe other friends for Christmas to spread some holiday cheer. =]

Mu Cafeteria: Behind the scenes

The trip to the cafeteria was very interesting. I enjoyed learning about how they do things there and what the staff goes through to prepare meals for the students and other guests who come by every single day. It was especially interesting for me because I spent three months last summer working at Mcdonalds. I really didn't like that job and wouldn't do it or anything like it again if I could help it. It might have been very different from that, but i couldn't help comparing the jobs that they do in the back to that one. Another thing that I found very interesting was the massive amount of sushi that they go through every day. I knew that sushi was popular, but I had no idea that the people who come to the cafeteria ate that much of it. The experience of coming to the cafeteria was a really unique one and I enjoyed it a lot.

Eating Disorders by Kamilla

Counseling center, Meg Telfair
Eating Disorders on Campus:
1. Serious disturbances in eating behavior
2. Extreme emotions, attitudes
3. Treatable medical illness
4. Depression
Statistics:
1.13.4 % girls, 7.1% boys disorders eating patterns
2.5 million American have eating disorders
3.15% of young women have “substantially disordered eating habits
Eating disorders:

1.Anorexia Nervosa (extreme weight loss, self-starvation)
2.Bulimia Nervosa (eating extreme amount of food, then make yourself vomiting)
3.Binge Eating Disorder (eating excessive amount of food)
4.Eating disorder Not Otherwise Specified
Usually happens in adolescence, early adulthood.
1-3%- anorexia
1-4% bulimia
20-30% college-age women display bulimia behavior
91% of women surveyed at once college reported attempting to control weight through dieting
Anorexia:
1. Refusal of maintain body weight at minimal normal weight
2. Intense fear of gaining weight
3. Considering themselves fat, even when you have minimal body weight
4. Stop of periods
Warnings:
1.Being too thin
2.Refusal to eat certain food
3.Feeling fat
4.Avoiding meals
5.Excessive exercise
6.Withdrawal from friends

Bulimia:
1.Normal weight
2.Binge eating without regard for fullness
3.Binging followed by purging
4.Extreme concern with weight and shape
5.Disappearing food
6.Signs of vomiting
7.Excessive exercise
8.Swelling of cheeks and jaw
9.Calluses on backs of hands
Binge eating:
1.Eating large quantities of food
2.Feeling out of control
3.Eating alone
4.Shame, disgust
5.Weight ranges from normal to obese
Eating Disorder NOS
-Not anorexia, not bulimia
Physical Complication:
1. Low-blood pressure
2. Dehydration
3. Death
4. Lethargy
5. Heart problems

What causes eating disorders?
1.Combination of psychological, social, interpersonal factors
2.Psychological perfectionism, low self-esteem
3.Interpersonal troubled relationships, difficulty expressing emotions
4.Social, cultural pressure to be thin, concerns about appearance and beauty
5.Genetic susceptibility
The Drive for Thinness:
1.42% of 1st- 3rd grade girls want to be thinner
2.81% of 10 years old are afraid of being fat
3.40 billion dollars Americans spend on dieting
Treatment:
1.Professional help is needed
2.Early diagnosis and treatment increases chances for recovery
3.Nutritional counseling
4.Antidepressants after weight gain
5.Anorexia: restore weight loss first, then treat underlying psychological problems
“Do’s”
1.Do tell the person you care and encourage the person to seek treatment
2.Do educate yourself
3.Do listen the person who has eating disorders
4.Do allow the opportunity to develop her own thoughts, beliefs and identity
5.Your own relationship with food and weight
“Don’ts”
1.Don’t confront as part of a group
2.Don’t diagnose
3.Don’t try to solve the problem on your own
4.Don’t discuss their weight and appearance
5.Don’t discuss food, eating habits or diets
6.Don’t engage in a power struggle
7.Don’t promise to keep secrets
HOW TO HELP?
1. Express concern in a supportive way
2. Counseling center, health center

The Counseling center: 1st floor, berg Hall
Open hours: Monday- Friday 8 am- 5 pm
It’s confidential
Resources off campus:
1.Academy for eating disorders
2.National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Related disorders
3.Eating Disorders Awareness and prevention
4.Eating Disorders Resources

MU Cafeteria: Behind the Scenes (Typed by Ley)

The tour was very interesting. I was amazed that the executive chef worked 70 hours a week. There is a lot of thought involved in the making of the food. I hope a new appreciation of the employees and staff comes in effect soon. I also think it's a good idea that plates are now used instead of trays because it minimizes food waste. I think the Mediterranean diet is a good idea because it introduces greek food

-Hannah

So many improvements to the whole facility! There's new technology and better appliances to improve the service of food at the dining hall. The new induction heater for example, only heats up the pans that are specially designed for it. Also the heater never burns you and only turns on once a pan is put down on it.

- Jose

I really enjoyed seeing how much effort the staff as a whole puts into making the cafe run smoothly. I always see a lot of the same employees here, and although this is their job, you can tell they really love to cook. they pay attention to details as well, making each meal as good as the next one. I also love how much food we do not waste.

-Elyssa

When we went to the kitchen and saw all the employees working, it really showed how much effort they put in the food. Also, I liked the fact that the chef said that there was improvement on how much food, and how many options. He also mentioned they use less plastic containers to serve students to use; most all of the dishes used are glass.

-Rabia

As we were wandering around, I saw cookbooks from different cultures hanging up above the main stations. It made me first wonder why there were there and whether or not the kitchen gave it out it to students. Then it annoyed me because although I personally appreciated the display of cultures, the food for me didn't reflect that. I much rather enjoy a delicious chocolate filled crepe than read about it.

-Ley

The thing that caught me a little off guard was how un-chaotic the kitchen looked when we went back there. It could have been the fact that they knew we were coming or that the chaos hadn't started yet, but with my experience in kitchens it is always chaotic in there. It made it seem like they had a very firm hold on what they needed to do and that they were prepared to do it.

-Dom

A contemporary dining and serving area with stainless steel appliances and modern backsplash found on a tiny catholic college is how I would describe the dinning hall. Chef Boots and his staff of 50 take pride in what they serve to ensure satisfaction amongst students and faculty. their menu of vegan to cobbler to sushi to lucky charms caters to Marymount diverse population. Safe to say it's Marymount's Best Kept Secret.

- Asia

The real lamps on the pillars really made me feel different. it looked nothing like the rest of Marymount. Overall, MU is pretty plain without any serious modern work but the cafeteria is top notch. I honestly thought for a second that it was somewhere else. Another thing that was new and different for me was the temperature dishes are heated on . Now I know why it is so hot at restaurants.

- Anammian

The fact that Chef Boots worked 70 hours a week AMAZED me. I mean, I can imagine running such a large kitchen would take a lot of work , but I had no idea how time consuming it was. I was also excited to learn that there were in fact, bathrooms on the floor. All year I had been waiting to go back to my dorm NOT ANYMORE! Lastly, learning about measures taken to ensure sustainability really impressed me.

-Katie

Dining Hall trip first impressions (typed by Kamilla)

Ysabelle

It surprised me that Chef Boots works 70 hours a week. I feel too, like Lauren said, that the staff is under appreciated. I think that we are far ahead of the curve by both being Green as well as Fair Trade. I like how the school supports a global perspective in all aspects including dining. This environment strikes me as a hard working group that is reaching out to our local community(farm fresh Fridays) as well as reaching out to the global community(fair trade).

Lauren

So many levels of organization, the team of workers put a lot of effort into the production and presentation of all of our food. They have made so many improvements and really do a great job. I'm ready for dinner.

Guillermo

The detail that struck me was the room that cleans the dishes. It reaches 200 degrees which is interesting. I know that just boiling forks, spoons, etc eliminates germs. The machine that reaches 200 degrees surely eliminates any doubts that there on any germs on the utensils we use.

Veronica

It struck me as i was visiting Marymount's Cafeteria how different this place is versus others, like my old school cafeteria. Here is almost a restaurant quality - in choices, options and even how nice it looks. Other places it's like 2 choices, not specialized food, and dull scenery. The food here sometimes i wish i could have the recipe for! Back in high school i don't think they had recipes, just frozen food that they heated up. And only long tables to sit on.

Sarah

Something that caught my attention in Dining Hall was the vegetarian section. I don't usually see that in many cafeterias so i was surprised to see that they have it. I love how they use different kinds of vegetables, not just corn, etc. It's nice that they don't waste as much food either. Also, vegans can there as well which is nice because they don't have as many options. the vegan/ vegetarian section looks healthy and delicious!

Kamilla

I always cared about sushi station here, just because i really love good sushi. And what did struck me the most about it? I noticed that there are 2 workers there and i shocked to know that girl is like recognizable sushi maker and i don't like her sushi at all. They always fall apart when you put them into soy sauce. But man who looks a little bit Japanese knows his job, his sushi is pretty good actually, thanks God that he is making sushi for today!

Anonymous person:)

One thing that i thought was interesting is hearing sushi described as "a hot spot". I knew that the sushi was popular here, but i guess it never really registered for how much people liked it. I just thought that was really interesting.

Tools of the Trade - Shaun Pour

While we were at William Sonoma, I saw a lot of really neat cooking tools that I had never seen or used before. Although quite a few of them caught my eye, there was one that I thought was really interesting. The one tool that caught my eye more than the others was a citrus zester. Its purpose is to scrape the peel of of a lemon so that it can be put into food to improve the taste a little bit. This cooking tool has a black handle and looks like a fork shaped claw that has holes instead of points to stab food with.

Tools of the Trade - Sofie Scarlett

At William-Sonoma, I noticed a lot of different cooking tools that I had never seen before. It was hard for me to pick just one. The one I had found most interesting was the Beaba Babycook. This cooking tool is a combination steamer, blender, reheater, and defroster. Basically, what it does is turn any food into something a baby can eat. It cooks foods that need to be cooked, such as meat and vegetables. Then, it blends them to a consistency that a baby can eat. This way, you can save money on baby food and your baby can eat the same food as the rest of the family.

The actual tool looks very much like a blender. It was rather tiny, but of course it didn't need to be very large. At first glance, it didn't look like it did everything that it claims to do. But, I'm sure it does. I thought it was very interesting that this device basically made baby food.

Williams-Sonoma

This was definitely my favourite item while visiting Williams-Sonoma because it brought me back to childhood, when grandma used to make Calzone (what we called Pili-pili). We were used to the simple village life so if we wanted something fancy, we had to get a little creative. to mold the Pili-pili, we sat in circles and each person had a fork. we pressed the four fork teeth that the end of each Pili=pili and passed it on until it was completely sealed. Great collaboration and bonding moments. So when I saw that, I had the urge to buy one, and ship it directly to the village so the community could share my amazement that someone actually came up with a way for a machine to do what we considered so much fun.

Tools of the Trade: Asia Phillips

Monday was my first time visiting a William-Sonoma store. I was in awe of all the fancy and sophisticated cooking utensils and machines. One that caught my eye was a green and creme colored gadget that favored a children's version of a food processor. This tool was called the Beaba Babycook from France. The tab boasted the Beaba's ability to defrost, blend, steam and reheat anything from fruits to veggies to meats while maintaining original vitamins and nutrients. This high-tech green machine was just under $150.00, which is a small price to have your little one indulging in finer eats than Gerber. This item was placed near the cash register to make sure it gets attention and awareness. Fun and easy on the eye for children, with benefits for adults makes the Beaba Babycook a staple for all homes of babies and toddlers.

Tools of the Trade - veronica p.

On monday our class took a field trip to Williams Sanoma, which is a cooking store nearby. They had all kinds of tools in the store (along with GREAT hot apple cider for the season) and our job was to find a tool that we did not recognize. The tool I found turned out to be a simple "Lid Gripper," but until I read the lable I had not had any idea of what it was. To me it had looked like some sort of flat crushing device with a long handle, possibly to squeese something (it was in the vegitable section so I thought vegitables). The black knob on the back could be twisted to make the three odd roundish teeth like grippers to move in and out. But it's simple use is to open jars, and the kind staff pointed out its benefits, how it easily fits on to most size lids and makes it easier for people to open them using the long handle at the end. She said it is exeptionally good for older people with arthritis who aren't as strong as they once were and have trouble gripping things. Very useful, and easy to handle the Lid Gripper was something new to me that I wouldn't mind having, especially with my brothers not around to open things for me!
veronica

Tools of the Trade by Ysabelle Maramag

On the field trip at Williams-Sonoma, I discovered an automatic yogurt maker. It was a machine base with dials like a crock pot and had a clear upper half that housed seven glass jars with white plastic lids. It provides the consumer with seven 6 oz. containers of yogurt in 6-10 hours. I was curious as how this is possible. It seemed like a good investment for yogurt lovers at $50. Apparently you add milk, yogurt culture, and whatever flavoring you want in each jar and put it in the contraption. A helpful staff member told me that this automatic yogurt maker uses heat to activate the culture and produce yogurt. They also told me that the jars come with a dial on top with numbers so the production date is known for proper consumption. I noticed that the price was lower at Williams-Sonoma and it surprised me because I thought of it as a place that might milk every last dollar from the consumer. After hearing the back story on the company though, it made sense. I think this tool is really only meant for those who use yogurt often and know how they want it made. It might be a waste for those who just like yogurt because if you’re in a house by yourself, who is going to eat 35 ounces of yogurt with you. However, I thought it was a nice idea for those who are curious how food is made and it can ensure fresher ingredients and better living because it is in the makers hands. Also, I thought is gives creative freedom because a person could create any flavor that they wanted and maybe create something new and not seen or tasted before.

Tools of the Trade- Sarah Naqvi

Beaba Babycook

The Beaba Babycook is a small bright green steamer, blender, re-heater, and defroster all in one. It is the perfect tool for mothers! With the Beaba Babycook, they won't have to use multiple appliances when preparing food for their babies. It can cook vegetables, fruits, meats, and fish in less than 15 minutes. Beaba Babycook, originally from France, also ensures more fresh and healthy food for babies since no preservatives from store bought foods are used. With the Beaba Babycook, babies can have more flavor and vitamins in their meals. As soon as I saw this cool tool, I was attracted to it. It seems like it will make a mother's life a lot easier. Also, I loved how it also came with recipes. Mom's as well as Babies would be fascinated by the Beaba Babycook!

Tools of the trade

The tool I found interesting was the waffle tongs. At first it seem strange but then i thought how there is an invention for everything. well the top of the waffle tong looked like a fork while the bottom of it was flat. It made it easy to grap and hold on to. Heaven forbids someone drops their waffle using their hands. It was somewhat funny and i find it hard to believe someone would buy this product.

Tools of the Trade-- KHolzman

KHolzman

Food as Muse

Professor Whitman

27 October 2010

Tools of the Trade-- KHolzman

I had the divine pleasure of becoming familiar with the "Rosle Egg Timer and Piercer" during my visit at the local "Williams-Sonoma." Not only is this privileged information useful in everyday conversation and dating ice-breakers, but now I can do things with an egg that most can only dream of.

This handy-dandy gadget is small and metallic and is primarily used for timed egg cooking. The "Rosle" punctures the egg shell with minimal cracking allowing the egg to heat more efficiently.

Why might cooked eggs with undamaged shells become of great importance you ask? Well, according to the well-informed staff members at "Williams-Sonoma," they are ideal for serving whole as well as ornamental displays around easter. I assume that this device may also be convenient for paper weights for those of us who are Jewish vegetarians.

Tools of the Trade--by. Anam Mian

I found this ancient looking tool at Williams-Sonoma called Chinois Bouillon Strainer. The staff member told me that it is mainly used to make soups and various types of sauces. In addition, it helps give them an extremely smooth texture. You pour in the sauce and use the wooden handle to strain it out. To me it looked so neat and precise, I am sure you can use other kinds of new technological based tools to make smooth sauces or soups etc… However, I feel like tools that remind you of the days when technology didn’t exist, make you feel like you are actually working hard, on whatever you are trying to accomplish. There is so much beauty in it. Most of the equipment reminded me of Pakistan, the wooden handles to make garlic pieces, or smash up any other type of ingredient instead of using a food processor or some other type of easy utensil. It made me extremely happy to see that Williams- Sonoma had these kind of rich tools as well, and not just the stuff that belongs to the modern era. These kind of ancient tools are much needed in our society today, because they can help us reminisce on our history, and taste the hard work of our past.