GLO Portfolio

Hello mom/guardian :D
welcome to my blog! here is the link to my GLO portfolio.
http://www2.k12.hi.us/~mnguyen/GLO.html

Its a portfolio that shows what i've been working on all year long and how it relates to Hawaii's standards. Throughout my MeneMAC experience, I have learned alot and this portfolio will show most of my hard work. There are six general learner outcomes that are expressed through this website. hope you enjoy my presentation!

Journal #4: Process Paper: How you shaped and produced the “impact activity”

When I was in doing this project, I decided to make a video. I feel this is more effective because I want to show my audience what I have learned from this project. At first I wanted to do a demonstration in class but I didn’t feel that was a lot to show from what I’ve learned these past couple months. A classroom is completely different from a kitchen so I would not be able to show a lot. This is why I decided to take footage of me making a 3-course meal from what I’ve learned. I think that this is more efficient in displaying my cooking skills. I also got the inspiration by watching cooking shows. They make it look really interesting and when I see the food on television it still makes my mouth water so I think I can still reach my audience.

The process of making my video was difficult. At first I didn’t know how to organize the footage that I had. In my first trial, I put together all of my prepping before my final product. This made my video almost 20 minutes long, but from menemac and the professional advice from Mrs. Sueoka, I realized that this would be too long of a presentation. My final product ended up being almost 4 minutes long. I learned that being straight to the point. Using my media skills, I was able to crop down video clips and overlap some footage.

Journal #3: Reflective Journal: Response to your learning

Throughout this experience, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I know that deep down inside of me, I have this need for creativity. I admit that my creativity does not show very often but through this project I have shown my true colors. In the kitchen, I loved being able to make my own masterpiece. It gave me a sense of accomplishment. I know that from cooking, I do have the patience which I never thought I could have. Somehow making food made me feel happier and gave me comfort. The best part was being able to produce this food to my family. The main reason why I started this project on cooking was due to my family. My greatest enjoyment is being with my family. Food is and always has been the thing that brings my family closer. So for me to be able to cook the way I did, just made me love it even more. I’ve also gotten a better understanding of the essential questions in Project Icarus.

My passion is being with my family and being able to express myself through food. It allows me to be creative and it brings joy to me like nothing else has. The thing that motivates me to genuine learning is knowing I have a goal. Having that big dream or goal that I need to reach drives me more towards genuine learning. The more I chase after what I want, the more I learn on the way because I know that with every success there is a mistake that has been made. I feel that you cannot learn if you have not failed. It makes you a stronger person to get back up on your feet and keep moving. In cooking, I think that is the same mindset you must have. After learning from the professionals and researching online, I realize that many cooks, even the professional ones need to take risks and learn from trial and error. It is what makes the person a better chef and that is how new recipes are developed. Some skills that I have learned from this experience is patience, precision and multitasking. These are the three main skills that I feel will help me as a lifelong learner. In the future, when I have my career and family, I am going to need to balance everything out. This will involve multitasking. As I make my way in becoming a doctor or nurse, I know that every move I make will count. This will take precision. Finally, as life comes at me I know I will need patience because I am the type of person who always wants to get to the bottom of things right away. In some cases, this is not the answer and I need to learn how to be patient.

The big question that is often asked is “what is the point of school?” I believe that the point of school is so people will be well educated and it is the point where kids start learning about the real world. If I had a choice, I would still go to school because I think that education is something really important and should be valued more. Back then some people didn’t even have the option of going to school because it was a privilege. I think that we are fortunate enough to live in a country where our education is free. The purpose of school is to make sure that kids have a future. Being scholarly and having smarts will get a person far in life. A lot of times people think that school is a waste of time and do not understand the true meaning of why we have school. I on the other hand appreciate the education I am getting now. Although schoolwork puts a lot of pressure on us, it prepares us for reality and all the stress we face as adults. As high school students, the stress we have now is not as big as how it will be later on. Later on, we will be on our own and we have to make our own decisions. School helps us being on self discipline and lets us figure out a full potential.

Journal #2: Essay: Data and information gathering

My Project Icarus consists of me learning how to cook. In my past experience, I have never cooked, especially not on my own. I have always watched from the sides and admired but never took the initiative to do anything about it. From this project, I wanted to learn more about how to cook my own meals. Before I do this, I must gather data and information about my topic first. Since my goal is to make my own meals, I should gather data on the different flavors that mix well together, what cooking techniques do cooking beginners need, and data on how people with years of experience make food from scratch.

Before my interviews, I wanted to learn a little bit more so I looked up websites online that could help me. I wanted to learn what types of spices and flavors worked well with each other and what types didn’t. I also wanted to know if there were any other basic cooking essentials that I needed to know about. From these websites, I studied a couple of flavors that mixed well together. For instance, in rice, fish or seafood dishes, the top ingredients that work well is mint, mace, and saffron. For stuffing dishes, celery, parsley flakes, and sage blend well. In these websites, I learned so much about spices that I tried making something at home. I tried baking a cake using different ingredients and following the baking directions. As beginners luck, I was able to make the cake look semi- decent. It tasted a lot better than how it looked! Not only did spices and ingredients matter, but the color also matters as well! When it comes to presentation, the food must look appetizing. This was something that I wanted to practice on because I always think that presentation is important. Some basic cooking essentials that I found useful was to always change up the heat of your food accordingly because if you leave food on at one temperature the whole time, it won’t cook properly. Another thing is simmering and boiling are two different types of cooking techniques so I shouldn’t get those mixed up or I might end up ruining a meal. There was a lot more that I learned but these are the most important things that I got from the websites.

The first thing I did was get some resources from actual cooks. I took the time to set up dates with the people in my family whose food inspires me the most. I set up a date with my uncle Brian, uncle John and my mom. At first it was difficult to set up these appointments because everyone was so busy but I managed to get the dates set. There were three days that I could come watch and learn how the professionals do it on the spot. I also had the privilege of helping them out in the kitchen. As I sat back, took pictures and listened, I learned a lot of new skills that could help me with my final product. I learned that when baking, everything has to be exact and precise or the meal will not turn out that well. I also learned how to cut and prep my food properly. I didn’t realize how much work and concentration it took to make one dish. The most important thing I learned was to ALWAYS check on your food by stirring so it won’t get burnt and tasting just in case you needed to add anything more. It truly was a great experience and I felt like real line cook! Although my intention for this project was just to learn to cook, I eventually got curious in how the whole system works. I asked my uncle Brian and he told me that chefs have rankings and the more experience you have, the higher rank you’ll be. Executive chefs make triple digits which I have to admit, impressed me. Cooking was something I’ve always wanted to do and I enjoy doing it so maybe if I keep practicing, I could consider doing it professionally.

Overall, I felt like I did a lot of research! I was getting so into my project that I didn’t mind looking up more and more information. I truly want to continue this because I know there is so much more to learn and I want to enhance my cooking skills. I realized that cooking takes so much prepping time and patience. Patience is something that I’ve always needed to work on and somehow cooking is one activity that I could do to raise my patience. Other then the stressfulness and precision, I feel that cooking is also an art. Being able to blend in flavors is like blending in colors. If I wanted to, I could make my entrees into art by the way I present it. There are so many types of cuisines out there that I want to learn how to make and not only from my culture but from cultures all over the world. This project has definitely allowed me to explore my creativity and given me the opportunity to pursue a hidden passion of mine.

Resources:

http://www.electricchef.com/techniques/spicesseasonings.html

http://eblong.com/zarf/flavorwheel.html

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/cooking/a/flavorblending_3.htm

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/02/mastering-the-art-of-herbs-spices.html http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/cooking/cooking_tips/some_easy_basic_cooking_techniques.html

http://www.culinaryschoolguide.net/index.php/cooking-techniques-culinary-school/

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1534485/five_essential_cooking_techniques.html?cat=22

Journal #1: Learning and Research Process

· Describe your passion.

A passion is something that a person has an intense desire for. For a really long time, I had no idea what my passions were. I always thought that my job was to be a good kid and do well in school. I never thought about what I liked to do personally. As I started to think about this project, I had no idea what my passion was. I thought my passion was dancing but I’ve come to realize that it is only a stress reliever and something I liked to do on my spare time but it didn’t truly make me happy. A couple of months ago, I had this party where all my family came over. It hit me that they all came because everybody knows that my mom cooks food. I’ve always admired how my mom cooks food because not only does it bring the family together but the way she cooks inspires me as well. That’s when I knew that cooking could be one of my passions. Food has always been my comfort object and my emotions are always expressed through the food I eat. Even though I am a complete amateur when it comes to cooking, I truly want to learn more about it so maybe one day I can cook as well as my mom. When I grow up and have my own family, I want to be the one cooking all the food and bring my family together! That truly is my passion.

· What resources will you use for your learning? And when/how will you access those resources? (Appointments, library work, online searches, etc.) ?

o Kandi Phaduangdet

§ Experience in the food industry for 5 years.

o John Cocklin

§ Kitchen Manger for Paparazzi Bar

§ Bar Manager for Paparazzi Bar

§ Cooked for a Uncle’s Fish Market & Grill

§ Worked with Chilies & Ryan’s Grill

o Brian Baradi

§ Chef at “Aaron’s fine dining“ – Restaurant at the Top of Alamoana

§ Chef at Ryan’s Grill for 6 years

§ Technical School for a year and studied culinary arts

WEBSITES:

· What questions do you want answered in your research and learning?

o What type of flavors work well together?

o What are the things that you must know while cooking?

o Is there a difference when you’re baking?

o What are some techniques that can help you cook better?

· How will you “take action” on your passion?

Since I want to just learn how to cook on my own, I want to watch the professionals cook first & take notes, and then I want to make my own dish using what I’ve learned from them. By the end of this project, I want to be able to cook a 3-course meal all by myself.