Welcome to the online discussion forum for English 2000! Here is where I will post discussion prompts, and where you will leave your responses in the Comments section. Your responses all count towards your Homework/Participation average in the class.
A few ground rules:
1. You must respect yourself and others with the words you post.
2. I encourage you to respond to things your classmates have already said, but you are required to read through existing comments so you don't simply repeat what someone else has contributed.
3. Responses are due (and therefore must be posted) before the class meeting where we will discuss the prompt to which you're responding.
To compose your response, simply click on the Comments link below the post. A separate window will pop up. To minimize the risk of losing your responses, I highly recommend that you compose your responses in a word processing program, save them, and then copy and paste into the comments window. When you're ready to publish it, choose "Nickname" under "Choose an Identity" (unless you have a Blogger account), and type your name (first name and last initial is fine). Next, you'll have to fill in the Word Verification letters. Then, click "Publish Your Comment." It may not appear right away, but it will show up eventually.
For your first response assignment, leave a comment on this post and briefly tell us about your experience preparing food in a kitchen. Did you help in the kitchen growing up? Do you have special things you like to cook? Do you not know how to boil water? What kind of cook are you and what does that tell us about you? Your comment is due by class time on Wednesday, January 23.
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23 comments:
My experiences with food are varied. From my early childhood up until my graduation from high school eating out was about the only food experience I had. My family was too busy to cook. My mom and dad left at six and didn’t come home until six in the evening. By the time they got home we were all too tired to cook. Yet every Saturday morning consisted of a homemade American breakfast including eggs, bacon, biscuits, and sometimes pancakes. Today I cannot function without having breakfast. Also every holiday spent on my mom’s side of the family included more homemade food then I could imagine. My mom’s family prides themselves on their cooking abilities. When my mom did find the time to cook at home it was amazing. Her red beans and rice are to die for. My own cooking abilities are limited. I can cook a pretty good breakfast, a nice tuna casserole, and some stuffed bell peppers and that’s about it. Hopefully I can broaden my cooking abilities before I have a family.
Both of my parents are from up north and the food they cook is very bland. Growing up in Lafayette I’m used to eating food with a lot of spice and flavor, needless to say I didn’t get a lot of good cooking skills from either one of them. My stepmother however is an amazing cook. She cooks all types of food especially Cajun food, which I love. Every time she cooks she teaches me something different. I now have a recipe collection from her, which I use to cook dinner for me and my roommates. I also took a nutrition class last semester, in which we got to cook every week and my teacher was an expert in the kitchen. I learned tons of valuable information from her. The class was about 16 people and like in "On Kitchens, Kunefe, and Culinary Diplomacy" my class got very close from sharing meals and cooking together each Wednesday.
I come from a long line of good cooks so naturally I grew up helping out in the kitchen. My biggest hobby is cooking. I love to watch the food network and learn new things. My brother has an Italian Restaurant in New Orleans so I've learned so many things from him. I mainly cook Italian and creole food. My roomate can't even open a can, so I'm teaching her the basics like boiling pasta. For me, cooking is a way to de-stress. I really love to eat and make food thats not only delicious and beautiful. I'm very excited to learn more about food in this class.
My experiences with food are unique because my family owns a gumbo company. As a youngster, I used to go to the "factory" and watch them create different soups, gumbos, and sauces. During hurricanes we used to evacuate to the building and my brother and I would play in the kitchen with all of the ingredients and try to create our own masterpieces. Other than that minor detail, I am a terrible cook. I grew up with a mother who is from Seattle (not the most spectacular cook) and a father who can create anything out of pretty much nothing. Although he rarely cooked because he got home after dinner was already prepared, it is a real treat to eat his creations. I never acquired this cooking sense and can barely cook rice. I can boil water and throw some pasta in there, but a real sense of cooking is missing. I like to eat simple foods, like turkey sandwiches because I cannot cook real food. Although I cannot cook, I like to enjoy exotic foods over traditional American eats.
Growing up, I come from a long line of family that are all mostly from new Orleans and its surrounding areas. Therefore, they all like to cook and they like to cook lots of it. I have always loved preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner with my mom’s big family because I know there is always going to be lots of delicious, flavorful food. I used to be very picky when I was younger, but I have been trying to grow out of that. I still have a limited menu of things that I like to eat, but I have branched out and continue to try new things. I love to cook, although I am not very good at it. I am pretty good at following directions though, so usually when I cook, I will look up a yummy recipe on the food network website or follow one of my moms recipes. I love to make homemade pizzas, golden macaroni and cheese, and recently I have been on a kick of biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast on the weekends. Hopefully, I will continue to learn to cook more interesting foods so that I can broaden my horizons even further!
As I began to grow into more of an adult I wanted to learn the "tricks of the trade," so to speak of cooking. I began to help my Mom chop and dice things, mix ingredients, and test if things were finished cooking. I enjoy watching the Food Network, but I have to turn it off after a while because it makes me hungry. Learning from the Food Network helped me to get pleasure from baking. I really like to bake, which is something my Mom does not enjoy doing. I am rather a picky eater, yet my taste buds seem to love all sweets. I can also cook a pretty good breakfast and some appetizers I have learned to do over the Christmas break. Other than that my cooking ability is rather limited. I hope to expand my abilities as a cook over the years.
When I was younger my mom would cook for my family almost every night, but as I got older we all ate together less, which is understandable. My mom cooks very well and does so when she has time, she still cooks every sunday mourning and I come over most Sundays to eat her breakfast still. My personal cooking experiences are not much. I know how to do basic things like make a sandwich or heat things up in the microwave, stove, or oven; but i do not cook much besides that. When i am hungary i always prefer to go pick something up because its always easier and also better tasting that what I could make. When I do go grocery shopping I usually just get canned foods and tv dinners. However I do go to my parents house about once a week to see if my mom has anything for me that I can take.
I have never really attempted to cook anything. Growing up, neither my mom nor my dad cooked (my mom attempted to cook a couple of times but not even the dog would eat it). We have survived on Taco Bell, Dominos, McDonalds, Burger King, Podnuh’s, frozen pizzas, and Hot Pockets. I do, however, stop by my grandparents’ a lot for a home cooked meal. I tend to eat more of my mom’s parents cooking than my dad’s parents because hers cook a wide variety of meals and use more spices. My dad’s parents tend use salt and pepper as their seasoning and only cook vegetables my grandpa grew in his garden (they are health nuts). Both sets of grandparents send meals home with us—my mom’s parents will usually call me and tell me what their having for dinner and ask if I’m coming over, and my dad’s parents will cook a lot of something and bring it to our house.
Growing up I loved breakfast and still to this day it is my favorite meal. I actually think about what I’m going to eat for breakfast before I go to sleep at night…..HAHA I’M PATHETIC! I have vivid memories of my dad and me in the kitchen making grits, eggs, bacon and biscuits. My task normally consisted of taking the items out of the refrigerator or cabinet and putting them on the counter for my dad to cook. I eventually learned how to cook breakfast by watching him every morning. I enjoy cooking a variety of other things but I think it was my liking to breakfast that made me want to learn how to cook. I suppose that what I eat and how I cook is somewhat a reflection of my personality. I am open to trying new and exciting foods and cooking or preparing new dishes is always an exciting task.
Most of my food experiences come from my mom or my mom's side of the family. My uncle is the executive chef at Juban's, here in Baton Rouge and a lot of my culinary experience comes from that and just being there to help my mom in the afternoon while growing up. I always liked to help around the kitchen when my mom got home from work and I picked up many things that have helped me survive college. My mom is always snooping around in cookbooks to come up with new recipes for my family to try and for the most part she does a good job and I just try to help when I can. My uncle on the other hand is an amazing creole chef. I have dinner with that side of my family every Sunday and every Sunday it’s something new. I don’t know a lot about what he what he makes other than that it focuses around creole/cajun dishes and I am never disappointed with what he makes. I like to consider myself a box chef. If it comes in a box with directions I can make it with no problems. I do make some things that are original that I learned from my mom but I don’t do a lot of experimenting simply because I don’t have a lot of time.
My life is pretty much surrounded around food. I am not a very good cook, but my mom is! Growing up, we would rarely go out to eat. Pretty much every meal is homemade. Every Monday night is red beans and rice for dinner. My mom is a fabulous cook, and my dad is not to bad himself; he mostly sticks to cooking breakfast. I live on a family compound with my mom’s two sisters, my mom’s mom, and my dad’s mom as neighbors. As you can figure we get together a lot, and the food is always amazing! When I was younger, my family and all of our cousins would go blueberry picking and then come home and have a contest to see who could make the best blueberry creation. One of my parent’s best friend, who is also Sarah Stewart’s uncle, is Lebanese so I have been lucky enough to enjoy a few creations from another culture. . I enjoy cooking, although I am not the best at it. I think it is fun to start with nothing, and with some work you can create something flavorful and appetizing. I hope to acquire more cooking skills as a get older, and hopefully become a great cook!
In my family, it is all about the food. My family always cooked and it was a treat to go out to eat. When I was younger, my mom did most of the cooking, but it was never anything extraordinary. My sister and I were never real big fans of it. When my dad cooked on the other I would be sitting in the kitchen helping him fix whatever concoction. His food was always full of flavor and spice. When it comes to the holidays, my whole extended family gathers and brings their "best" dish and then trys to claim who has the best dish. For me personally, I love to cook. If I had the time I would cook for every meal. The kitchen is where I am least stressed. I love to cook just about anything and love to try and come up with new recipes. My roommates are not cooks at all. If they are going to get a home cooked me, while we are in school, I am going to be the one cooking it. They can boil water, but their specialty is the microwave.
In my family, there has always been dinnertime with more than just the immediate family, but the extended family as well. Children weren’t really allowed to enter the cooking area (unless told otherwise). When it was just my mom, dad, and me, my older sisters always helped out. Even as a young adult I still don’t know a thing about “real” cooking. I can prepare some things like Hamburger Helper (various kinds). The only “serious” cooking that I can do is make lasagna. I love Italian food—pasta being my favorite which explains why I only take interest in preparing dishes such as lasagna.
I don't have much experience in the kitchen. My mom is an amazing cook, and is a master of southern cooking. I always prefered being outside, playing basketball or football with my neighborhood friends. I never lent much of a hand in the kitchen, but I always had a huge meal waiting for me when it was time for dinner. My mom especially likes to cook casseroles. My favorite is her broccoli and rice casserole. She often sends them back to school with. She loves to cook for my family. When I lived at home, she would bring me grits every morming in bed. Although my mom loves to cook, and it's a large part of her life, I've never really had a desire to be in the kitchen. As I've gotten older, and come to college, there are a few things I've learned to cook. The most exciting thing I have learned to cook is a grilled cheese, but I can also grill a few things, and can cook anything that can be heated up in the microwave. Maybe as I get older, when I have kids, I will want to learn to cook like my mom. Until then, I prefer other activities.
I’ve been interested in cooking since I was in middle school. Being that I’m Italian, most of the women in my family cook and are excellent cooks. Growing up, my grandmother pretty much raised my sister and myself; we were raised in a kitchen, and for some odd reason I, not my sister, took up the cooking. I enjoyed being in the kitchen and learning. I do cook some things homemade, but most of the cooking that’s done while I’m at school is done in the microwave! Although I like to cook and I don’t consider myself a bad one, I think I’ll leave the lasagnas to the pros. Sorry, I had trouble figuring this out.
An average dinner at my house consists of chicken, rice or noodles, and carrots or broccoli. If you were to ask any of my friends they would tell you just that. My three sisters and I were extremely picky eaters which made cooking difficult for Mom. For diversity we usually headed over to our cousin's house a few nights a week for Uncle Mitch's delicious treats. This would include (but is not limited to): pizza, fried fish, spaghetti and meatballs, crepes, and any Lebanese dish you could imagine. What started off as a simple family gathering soon exploded into extended family, neighbors, and friends from all over the city. As I’ve grown older I have enjoyed learning from Uncle Mitch and he loves nothing more than to have someone willing to learn his nifty cooking specialties.
I just want to start out saying that I do know how to boil water. When I was younger my mom and dad took turns cooking. My brother and I liked the nights that dad cooked because mom always seemed to burn dinner. So when it was mom’s night to cook, we would always sneak snacks and spoil our appetite so we wouldn’t be able to eat mom’s dinner. My parents never really taught me how to cook; I kind of picked it up from trial and error as I grew. Now I enjoy cooking things like grilled cheese, hamburger, and your occasional spaghetti and meat sauce. I wouldn’t call myself the best cook in the world, but I don’t believe that I am the worst. My family doesn’t ever really get together anymore to eat meals except for the major holidays. However, I do go home every weekend and my dad cooks me something special thinking that his food is what makes me come in every weekend.
My experience in the kitchen has been extremely limited. I would have to say my specialties are Kraft Maccaroni & Cheese and Ramen Noodles, sad...but true!! My mother has always been a great cook, she learned a lot from her mother. My mom's sisters are also very skilled in the kitchen, having learned many things from their mom. Needless to say, as a child my parents always cooked for me. By the time I started high school, I had moved to Nicaragua with my family. We had a maid there and she did a lot of the cooking, but my parents would still cook occasionally. By the time I was ready to leave for college, I didn't possess much knowledge about the kitchen or cooking. I wish now, that I would have made more of an effort to learn how to cook. I have no problems when it comes to boxed foods, but I would love to be able to cook something that doesn't come in a box. The only thing that really keeps me from learning now is that I always seem to be very pressed for time. Hopefully sometime in the near future I will find a way to incorporate more time for that.
Ever since I was little I have loved to be in the kitchen with my dad when he prepares a meal. My dad has always been the cook in my family and he creates some of the best food I have ever tasted. When I was around 10 years old was when I first became interested in learning how to cook and what went into preparing a meal. I started to help my dad do little things like stir the ingredients in the bowl, or chop up a few ingredients. He was very good at explaining how to do things correctly and he had a way of making me very intrigued with the entire cooking process. There are so many things that I love to cook but a real favorite of mine would have to be crawfish pies. I even make the pie crust! I also really enjoy making salads. I definitely know how to boil water---thanks to my dad. I still consider myself to be a beginner cook. There are so many things that I need to learn. Normally, I am a very laid-back person, but when I cook I have to have everything very neat and orderly. It is very hard for me to cook something in a messy area. I always pick up after each thing I prepare before I move on to the next. This describes me in a sense because there are definitely things in my life (not too many) but some, that I need to be very tidy and neat in order to work and function properly. Cooking is for sure one of those things. I cannot wait to learn more about cooking and food in this class.
When I was growing up my mom did most of the cooking. We would eat out VERY rarely and when we did it was usually a treat. My mom's cooking was pretty traditional consisting of things like spaghetti, meat loaf, tacos, and other various pasta dishes and casseroles. When my mom passes away in 2001, my dad stepped in and began cooking for us. He is a hunter and a fisher so our meals consisted of whatever he would kill or catch along with multiple vegetables. His red beans and rice are amazing and gumbo is to die for. I grew up not knowing much about cooking, but in high school I became interested when I stopped eating red meat. My dad bought a vegetarian cook book and we would go through the recipes and prepare them together. I know basics to cooking and enjoy it a lot, so hopefully I can learn more when my life settles down a bit. My 2 roommates are also big hunters and fishers, so when they cook it's like being at home.
Growing up, my mom cooked dinner for us almost every night. Her best dishes (or should I say my favorites) include: pot roast with potatoes, spaghetti, and tacos. As much as I enjoy food, cooking is something I am not experienced in. I used to help my mom prepare the dishes, but when I'm on my own, I have no clue what I'm doing. I do however know how to boil water, because the one thing I do know how to make is Macaroni and Cheese...my favorite! I guess you could say I'm a pretty terrible cook. I hope that doesn't mean anything bad. Hopefully once I get out of college and the sorority house, I will learn to be a great cook! i will ask my mom to teach me how to make all of her specialties so that one day I will be able to cook for my own kids.
My family has come to call me Elly Mae. After years of attempted cooking I have finally given up and reside in the fact that takeout is one of man’s greater ideas. When I was younger my mom and dad asked me to do the simplest tasks around the kitchen. They would ask me to butter the bread and each time I would end up stabbing a hole through the soft part and being asked to fork over the knife. My parents eventually came to the conclusion that I was not cut out to help around the kitchen and I was assigned the task of setting the tables. I excelled at this and my parents would tell me how wonderful I was so at times I entertained the thought of being an interior designer; being older now I realize that they only said these things to erase the scars of my failed cooking experiences and I have no taste whatsoever when it comes to pillows and fabrics. I now frequent take out places such as Plucker’s and Hello Sushi, it does get expensive but that is where my friend Marie Calendar’s comes in. Of course to add insult to injury the microwave in my apartment is not working and I simply cannot stand to wait an entire 40 minutes for my TV dinner to cook in the oven. Needless to say I am picking up a second job to sustain my takeout food addiction.
A personal experience that sticks out the most to me, when I think of preparing food, is making pecan pie with my grandmother, Ma Alice, at around 10 years old. I was excited but at the same time nervous. She is an amazing cook, so I knew I should be fine. She lead me through all the steps in an organized fashion and watched over every measurement and stir that I made. Being with her is one of my favorite times, and I will always treasure the day I cooked for the first time, especially because it was with her. Although I do not eat pecan pie, I must admit it looked delicious and my grandmother agreed.
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