Halfway Point: What Have I Learned?

One of the most rewarding experiences I've had at Staples High School during my time here has been the amazing culinary arts program. Having what I know is a unique opportunity, to take a break from the overwhelming academics and learn such an important life skill, while also being able to reflect, is an incredibly valuable piece that's not offered anywhere else at Staples. Just like Emoni in the book With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo, I express my emotions through the food I cook in the kitchen. It's important to express yourself through the medium of culinary arts, as Emoni does every time she's in the kitchen, when she “slowly layer[s] my guilt, my hope, and a hundred dreams. I don’t know if it means anything at all, but ‘Buela has always said that my hands are magical, and I use them now to put all my feelings into the pan” (Acevedo 273). And while my hands may not be described as "magical", I can still tell you about some of the lessons I've learned myself while putting my own feelings into the pan.

Lesson I: Time management is key!!!

Time management is something that I've struggled with my entire life, as I'm a huge procrastinator. However, culinary has really forced me to face the music and realize that if I'm not efficient with my time and delay everything to the last minute, the product won't turn out as good, or sometimes at all. Being forced to cook within that 50-70 minute period and be completely finished and cleaned up has helped me with ensuring that I'm always on track to finish a dish - and to know when to stop and come back another day to finish the preparation.

Ham, beans, and collard greens soup. This soup was delicious, and I learned a lot about time management (I didn't quite finish by the end of the period, but I learned from my mistakes!)

Tender pork belly sandwich, with pickled carrots and an aioli.

Lesson II: Tweak your dishes to match what you have on hand!

I'm a huge believer in the idea that one should try to waste as little food as possible - and one of the biggest aspects of that idea is using everything you can in the fridge. I try to make meals that focus on the existing ingredients in the fridge, rather than buying a lot of new food every week, and not using it all. This was also a theme I explored in my Freshman year in the Staples kitchen, which I enjoyed! In my food lit studies, this meant that when there was pork belly in the fridge that needed to be used, I edited my recipe to make pork belly sliders, ensuring that as little product went to waste as possible. I found that often, recipes you aren't expecting to make that week or don't even know exist can be the best ones out there! This was delicious!

Lesson III: Balance your meals to try different types from different cuisines.

One of my favorite things to do is to travel, and specifically try foods from all around the world. I think it's one of the best ways to immerse yourself in other cultures and traditions. It's also important that one cooks dishes from all across their heritage, as that provides a deeper connection with one's identity. Here, I cooked one of my favorite Swiss dishes, Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, as I am Swiss, and I wanted to connect deeper with my heritage on that aspect. I want to continue to try, and more importantly, (try to) make dishes from all types of cuisines in order to expand my worldview and perspective.

Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, a Swiss dish with chicken and noodles in a mushroom sauce.

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