Occasional Paper- Cooking

I have always hated cooking. Not the solution to the entire ordeal... just the process of it all. The collection of items, the numerous checks to make sure that every part of the recipe is accounted for, the actual cooking practice, and finally... the cleanup. Overall, cleaning up the mess that accumulates after cooking is the major component that causes me to dislike this art completely, which seems ironic seeing that I am Italian.

A few months ago, I had the chance of visiting the Children's Museum in Greensboro and toured the Edible Schoolyard. Being a new native to Greensboro, I was fascinated with the exhibit and garden, as well as the location in downtown Greensboro. Preferring the science concentration over English for my Middle School major, I was fascinated with the museum. I enjoyed the programs and activities that they provided inside the building, but I especially enjoyed walking around the garden. As mentioned before, I hate cooking, but after seeing how their Edible Schoolyard has developed and assisted in other school programs, my feelings towards the making of food changed. While at the museum, I was given the opportunity to pick any of the foods that were available and in season. I partook by picking out peppers, tomatoes, and seasoning. Furthermore, I put the foods together inside the museum's kitchen and developed my own dish, which turned out to be salsa. Though I dislike the cooking and cleaning process, I did enjoy making a little dish at the museum. I believe it has something to do with the overall atmosphere of the garden, as well as the fact that these foods were fresh from the garden. Also, the idea that the garden provides educational importance when it comes to science, I am up for trying anything that I could incorporate in the classroom... yes, even cooking :)

After visiting the museum, I was reassured that science is still everywhere, even in things I personally don't like. I tell my students this all the time, but I need the revelation myself as a teacher sometimes. Understanding that cooking is a science in itself, between the chemical mixing of ingredients and physical changes from the access of heat from a stove top or oven, I was happy to configure that cooking was a science topic that I could bring up in class and spark students' interests, even if it got messy. In fact, the dirty work is what makes science so fun. Overall, visiting the museum gave me more ideas to use within the classroom, including a future trip to the Edible Schoolyard itself.