1) Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

2) Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken. developing new skills in the process

During summer break 2023,  I tried developing new skills which is cooking.  Cooking was a hobby that I'm interested in but I couldn't try much during school days. I thought summer break is a great time to practice this skill as I had more time.  Because I was eating a bunch of junk foods since the summer break started, I was craving for healthy meals. Therefore, I tried finding recipes of various healthy meals on Youtube and practice by myself! 

The first meal I tried was 'Shrimp & Chicken Salad Pasta'.  Because shrimp is one of my favorite foods, I was excited to make and eat it. I thoroughly followed the recipe by cutting vegetables, grilling shrimp & chicken, and cooking spaghetti  But in the mid of cooking, I realized that I forgot to get many cherry tomatoes which are the main ingredient of salad pasta and I was worried if the salad pasta would not taste good. Making pasta sauce was another challenge as some of the ingredients were missing and I had to accurately match the ratio of different sauces and seasonings. Fortunately, the salad pasta tasted really good! I also shared it with my sister and she commented that it was a success. I was glad to enjoy great meal with my sister and felt like I'm becoming skillful and healthy at the same time!

With this experience, I've tried making some more dishes. One day, I was feeling hungry and made 'Cabbage & Tuna Rice Bowl'. This is a meal with a great balance of carbohydrates and protein with a very simple recipe. Firstly, I cut cabbage as much I want and fried it with tuna. After some time, I cooked sunny side up egg in the middle. Then I put them on the top of the rice and poured some Sriracha sauce. This rice bowl tasted very good and it became one of my favorite meals! After some experiences, I became more used to cooking and my skills were developed that I could make larger dishes. Therefore, I tried making 'Tofu & Vegetable Rice Paper Roll' and 'Spicy Stir-fried Chicken breast & Vegetable'.  This time, the professional cooker, my mom, coached me cutting some of the vegetables and gave tips on putting good ratio of seasonings for stir-fried chicken and vegetables. After successfully making these dishes, I shared it with my mom and sister. Positive comments they made about my food motivated myself to develop skills further. 

Furthermore, I also tried cooking with my friends. I tried cooking Chicken Alfredo with fresh ingredients at my friend's house. Another meal I cooked with my friend was Chicken Fried Rice. I could learn how to cut the vegetables and season the chicken well. It was fun to learn cooking skills from each other and make good memories together. Through cooking, I learned the value of sharing meals together. From cooking food and having meals together, we could work collaboratively and know the value of food which we put a lot of effort on. I think it is a way to become closer and share gratitude of food together. I want to continue developing my cooking skills by finding new recipes for different foods and share with my friends and family!