Final Blog!!!!!!!! (Lecturer related material at the end)

Today is my last blog for this semester, I do hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and the journey I have gone through in this experience. I have grasped a whole new understanding of what cooking means for me, and I am excited for what my future cooking experiences will bring.

To finish off here are a few of my favourite old time pictures relating to cooking, enjoy!

See you next time! 

           

(Lecturer material)

My Feedback links:

 http://breannaquinn.blogspot.com/2011/09/participation-in-occupation-two.html?showComment=1318244701395#c5912468148528487900 =Comment on post 1.

http://rhiannhikuroa.blogspot.com/2011/09/participation-in-occupation-ii.html?showComment=1318245301728#c7749607174402505533 =Comment on post 1.

http://jooneill.blogspot.com/2011/09/ergonomics.html?showComment=1318246018436#c3054812317814435345 =Comment on post 2.

http://shilmonipo1.blogspot.com/2011/09/eegonomics.html?showComment=1318247742840#c1532584429636200304 =Comment on post 1.

Reference List:

Ephron, N. (Director). Powell, J. (Actor). (2009). Julie & Julia [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures.

Fitzherbert, J. (1882). The book of Husbandry. Reprinted from the edition of 1534, ed. W.W.Skeat.London: Published for the English Dialect Society.

Jungersen, K. (1994). Te Whare Pora (The house of weaving): Reflections on weaving and Occupational Therapy. Occupation, 2(1), 35.

Puketapu-Hete, E. (1989). Maori weaving. Auckland:Pitman.

Rongoken, L.(1992).Tivaevae: Portraits of Cook Islands quilting. Daphne Brasell Associates Press: Wellington.

William. (1883). Facts: Or, the Experiences of a Recent Colonist in New Zealand. Published by William, Willow Grove, Yalding, Kent.

(References I found related appropriately)

 Creek, J, & Lawson-porter, A. (2007). Contemporary issues in occupational therapy: reasoning and reflection.Chichester.John Wiley & Sons ltd.

 Haley, L., & McKay, E. (2004, March 1). Baking Gives You Confidence: Users Views of Engaging in the Occupation of Baking. The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(3), 125-128.

Harder, F. (2009).The Developmental Stages of Erik Erikson. Retrieved September 18 2011 from: http://www.learningplaceonline.com/stages/organize/Erikson.htm  

 Mulligan, M. (2009). Marx Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. Progress Publishers Moscow. Retrieved September 17 2011 from: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/preface.htm

Connecting with culture through cooking

At the beginning of this semester an Indian friend gave me her traditional butter chicken recipe to try. Initially I didn’t think much into it however as I embarked off into the adventure of trying something new, purchasing the special ingredients, hearing stories from her culture and creating the recipe in the kitchen, I really got an understanding of the influence food and culture can have on a person due to the sense of belonging it can make you feel. I began to appreciate that it was special to receive a traditional recipe which had been passed down from her ancestors in India.  When talking with her about the herbs and spices I learned about the nutritional values and antibiotic properties they can have to benefit your immune system and well being which I had no idea about before. When cooking the recipe I found myself following the instructions precisely, following each method to the best I could where I didn’t want to miss a single step or moment. I felt more connected and in control when cooking on this occasion where I didn’t want to miss out on a single taste, smell or texture as I gained a new perception of this culture. 


The experience opened up a door of opportunities where I discovered treasures of hidden passions that I was not aware I possessed. Cooking recipes from another culture was something that I had never taken the time to do so the experience has enabled me to view this aspect of cooking through a whole new lens and I now endeavor to continue trying recipes from a variety of cultures in the future. Perhaps I could share some kiwi recipes that have been passed down to me from relations…

I am thankful to my friend for providing the motivation, vision and support I needed to progress my cooking skills and understanding to a higher level.

I want to share this quote from Jungersen (1994) which relates to my experience of connecting with culture, where it symbolizes how an individual connected with culture through occupation. “The arts and crafts is a subject that I feel passionate about and relates directly to my own explorations as a weaver over the last 25 years. This work also represents a stage in my own  somewhat tentative journey into my Ngai Tahu ancestry, which since I have come to my ancestral home of Dunedin has provided me with the opportunity to attempt to integrate my extensive academic exploration into “things Maori” with direct experience of “things Ngai Tahu”. For me, weaving has been the thread that has linked me to my Scandinavian origins (where several of the women are weavers), and now more recently, my Ngai Tahu origins”.

I want to finish of with a quote I find represents how culture can bring people together which is something I have learned to appreciate through this experience: “You have that handle of the basket, I have this handle of the basket,Let us together uphold the Mana of weaving"                                                                                          (Puketapu-Hete, 1989).

References:

Puketapu-Hete, E. (1989). Maori weaving. Auckland:Pitman.

Jungersen, K. (1994). Te Whare Pora (The house of weaving): Reflections on weaving and Occupational Therapy. Occupation, 2(1), 35.

Making new connections and understandings with cooking. . .

This week I set myself a challenge to prepare a three course meal for four friends at my flat.  The challenge was going to be tough as I would be preparing and cooking in the tiny kitchen environment, I would be using my small student budget to supply three courses for four people, and because I had to turn the messy lounge into a nice dining area with a pleasant ambience to entertain the guests in.  Taking on this was essentially a decent responsibility for me, however the activity was a way to express myself and give the gift of nice food to my friends who I cared about and who I knew were studying hard for their exams. The activity would essentially be proving the opportunity to care and show respect for my friends, to communicate and share my sense of self, belonging and meaning that I have when cooking and fundamentally to express a sense of beauty.  

In preparation for the evening I felt I was running around like a headless chook. From deciding on recipes, to purchasing the groceries, to arranging the lounge, to frantically cleaning the flat and to prepping the food, certainly made me feel a real sense that I was a domesticated house wife!  Throughout the evening I went from being frustrated and stressed, to then slowly composing myself which enabled me to enjoy the process and express my creative cooking skills by producing delicious food and a wonderful evening. Reflecting on the experience really made me realize and understand how cooking  enables me to express who I am as a person as I enjoy caring for others, cooking unique foods, bonding with friends and shearing stories over a delicious meal. My friends have always said that I identify with the role of a true housewife, and my dinner party really enabled me to express that domesticated role within me.

This experience I felt related well to the article “Are we selling out on domesticated life”. Fitzherbert (1882) expressed how women in the first wave of the early European settlers to New Zealand were required to return to a domesticated level of organization after relying on servants to provide for them. These women who had supervised servants before had to learn to cook, clean, do laundry, and ultimately care for their families which was necessary for their survival. I feel I am lucky to have learnt my domesticated cooking and cleaning skills from a young age where I don’t need to rely on others to do things for me. I also enjoy these tasks and don’t perceive them to be activities of labour, but that of a therapeutic way to express myself. These essential life skills and knowledge I have already gained will support me in the future when I have my own family to cook, clean and care for.

To finish off, here is a quote for those of you out there to ponder who can’t yet see your need and connections with cooking and other domesticated tasks….. “It is wonderful how, in a few months, you will find labour a pleasure and health a thing to be felt and a cause of thankfulness” (William, 1883). So stick it out and you may be surprised as to what cooking can bring to a person’s life :)

References:

Fitzherbert, J. (1882). The book of Husbandry. Reprinted from the edition of 1534, ed. W.W.Skeat.London: Published for the English Dialect Society.

William. (1883). Facts: Or, the Experiences of a Recent Colonist in New Zealand. Published by William, Willow Grove, Yalding, Kent.

The cooking continues. . .

At the beginning of this week I was very ambitious and decided that I was going to do a Protein diet all week, which in my mind at the time involved eating meats, boiled or steamed veggies, salads and fruits. I made this goal for a number of reasons.                                                                              1)  As I am swimming lengths at the pool daily I want to cut down on carbohydrates and fatty foods so that I can achieve my ultimate health goal of loosing weight.                                                                        2) I wanted to test myself to see if my mind and body could fight the temptations that I knew would be in my way.                                                                                                                                                 3) I wanted to see if I could undergo a healthy diet on the tight student budget that I have. Here’s how it went…

The purchases: The ingredients I purchased to make into dinner meals over the 7 nights included chicken breast, rump steak, pork chops, packet of mixed veggies, spinach, yams and eggs.  The meats blew my measly student budget before I had even begun with buying the lunch ingredients that I desired. I had to turn my thinking cap on where I made the decision to hunt down a cheap veggie shop somewhere in the Dunedin suburbs. BINGO I managed to find one! I managed to score some good deals on avocados, tomatoes, a lettuce, cucumber and some fruit.

The process: Actively cooking my dinners and lunches were  simple because I am very confident with cooking and have trust in what I make! However, my toughest challenge was dealing with the Temptations that surrounded me all week. Firstly living on great king streets “fatty lane” didn’t help with the smells of the takeaway shops wafting into the flat, slithering their way up my nostrils. On some occasions other flat mates would be in the tiny kitchen cooking up delicious fatty foods that looked overwhelmingly better looking than my boiled vegetables. On one of the evenings a friend was having a birthday b.y.o which I was invited to, this meant I had to pick wisely from the menu and watch everyone else indulge in way better looking food. It is now the time where I fess up to where I made two mistakes, I gave into the temptation of a hotdog and to the cravings of a mouthwatering snickers bar. Yes I messed up but I did get back on the band wagon and kept going on the diet. There were some opportunities or positives that I got out of the experience. I found I could reach out and get support from my friends to help me though it when I was finding it difficult. I became aware at the end of the week that my energy levels were increasing and I wasn’t feeling as bloated and overly full after meals.

Lessons learnt:

1)   - Have self discipline when it comes to something you want to accomplish

2)   - Mistakes will be made, however clean up the best you can and keep going

3)   - Be persistent

4)   - You can’t always do I alone, sometimes you need help from others

5)   - Don’t sit around complaining, take action

Through my experience this week I can relate them to some of the essential messages shown in the movie ‘Julie and Julia’, particularly the message of “Stop complaining and take action”. For Julie she was sick and tiresome of her job, where nothing was ‘sure’ in her life. Instead of sitting around complaining Julie decided to do something with her life and take on the challenge for a year of cooking her way  through the cook book Mastering the art of French cooking and blogging about her experiences. I can relate to this message of ‘stop complaining and take action’ as I have moaned and groaned for weeks to my friends and family around me about how unhappy I am with my body and how I need to diet, where finally I took action in my life and set myself this diet goal which was a great step for me, and I endeavor to continue it in the future. Here’s a nice quote where Julie is expressing to her husband about why she loves cooking and the meaning it plays in her life. “Chocolate cream pie! You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That's such a comfort” (Ephron, 2009).

References:

Ephron, N. (Director). Powell, J. (Actor). (2009). Julie & Julia [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures.

Affordances continued....

This week we discussed in class aesthetics, spirituality, health and how these connect with each other in the activities we do. I now wish to share an example of how this week’s simple task of baking connected me with others, my loved ones, and how the tastes, smells and textures triggered fond memories and past significant events that have influenced my life. Enjoy :)

This week’s cooking task was to create a cake for my friend’s birthday. In preparation of creating the cake the immediate aesthetic properties of baking rushed into my mind- the tastes, smells, thought of delicious melted chocolate, lashings of cream, coloured icing and the appealing texture.

When planning the recipe, design and what ingredients I could use I felt a sense of connection, where memories triggered in my mind of moments where in the past loved ones have taught me many cake making skills and where they have shared successful recipes. My desire was to create a black forest gateau, layered with berries, cream and chocolate. This desire triggered the memories of where Nana shared her delicious chocolate cake recipe with my mother. I was immediately on the phone to mum to hunt down nanas famous chocky cake recipe! I chose to use the cherries that I had already preserved in a jar as the berries in the middle layer. I felt a sense of connection here to as in the summer holidays I had spent time with nana preserving this fruit, where she taught me the ways of preserving fruit so I could bring some down to Dunedin to eat during the winter months when peaches, cherries and nectarines are expensive.

 Throughout the process of cooking the cake I felt my view on health influenced the activity profoundly. I felt like I was under controlled conditions with “Bad Rachel” whispering one thing in my ear, “Lick the spoon, do it”, whereas on the other shoulder “Good Rachel” whispered “Don’t do it, think of the calories!”. I was constantly aware in the back of my mind about my current diet ambitions to lose weight and that licking the bowl and nibbling at the delicious, chocolate smothered, gooey batter wouldn’t do my stomach roll any good. However in contrast to this, the endurance of the activity would be doing my health a great deal. Transporting the groceries from the supermarket to the flat certainly gave my arms a work out, and the crushing of the four chocolate bars using the rolling pin certainly gave my hands and poor fingers a run for their money!

In relation too occupational therapy intervention, Haley (2004)  states that the activity of baking enables clients the opportunity to acquire new skills and, importantly increase confidence while producing an end product, which essentially stimulates the clients to attend  treatment sessions, influencing on there health and wellbeing in a positive manner. The engagement in baking also influences  participants' desire to add structure to their daily routine which was also positive impacts  there health and wellbeing.

 

<--- The finished product! A bit rough on the appearance side of things, but man did it taste good!!!

References:

Haley, L., & McKay, E. (2004, March 1). Baking Gives You Confidence: Users Views of Engaging in the Occupation of Baking. The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(3), 125-128.

Affordances

Hello! Today is about Affordances…so what ordinary activities bring about!

Being occupied means we bring about changes in the world. The activities that we engage in also have the ability to shape our nature, bringing about changes in us (Mulligan, 2009).  Essentially, when we take part in the human form we are also formed!

In reflecting on my cooking experiences this week, I  used the three groups of ‘communication, connection and good /bad aspects’  to establish what the task of making pikelets ‘brought about’ for me this week. Have a wee listen to my story to see if you can make the connections, enjoy!

Late Thursday night Alice my flat mate was sick so I decided to create a kind gift by brewing up some pikelets with delicious homemade jam. Feeling all bubbly and cherry I walked into the kitchen to find the sink was blocked up with disgusting food substances and used dishes water to the rim of the sinks edge. Frustrated at the sight I identified it to be ‘Bobs’ mess in which unethically he hadn’t had the respect to clean up after his chore of dishes for the evening. Clearly after doing the dishes you empty out the mess and tidy up after yourself however Bob hadn’t quite caught onto this as yet. Respectfully I prompted in a kind tone for him to please clean it up as its what you simply do when you have finished doing the dishes chore. Unsurprised, Bob didn’t move an inch. I felt my temper boil and body language tense as I banged and clashed the dishes around, while making up the pikelet batter. I cooked in silence until moments later I expressed loudly “bugger it” as I burned the pikelets continuously. My cooking  failed terribly however I managed to salvage a few nice ones to give to Alice and slide down my hungry tummy to.  I can certainly say that this dirty mess and my behavior brought about a change in me tonight, Mrs Trunchball compared to the Mrs Honey I usually am! ;-) ;-)

On a happier note….The pikelet recipe I chose to use was my Mothers. From a young age I have memories of watching her make this recipe many times, one she would always use when she was entertaining guests or when she wanted to give a kind food gift to someone in need. From these experiences of watching over mums shoulder, helping her crack the eggs and getting out the old school egg beater ready to cream the mixture, I started to learn how to cook and grow a passion for food. This aspect of my life relates to a learning experience a young woman had in the book “Tivaevae: Portraits of Cook Islands quilting” as she to learned how to do an activity by observing her role models in her life. “I was 20 years old when I first tried to make my own tivaevae. In those days we learned by watching women. I belonged to a vainetini group in Avatiu, my mother in law was the president. I watched my mother in law and other women making their own Tivaevae. Then I’d come back home and make my own; that’s how I learned to sew” (Rongokea, 1992).

References:

Rongoken, L.(1992).Tivaevae: Portraits of Cook Islands quilting. Daphne Brasell Associates Press: Wellington.

Mulligan, M. (2009). Marx Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. Progress Publishers Moscow. Retrieved September 17 2011 from: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/preface.htm

The Ergonomics of Cooking!

Hi there, Today is all about the Ergonomics of Cooking!

An understanding of ergonomics underpins the ability to “constantly make slight invisible adjustments to an activity to adapt to the needs of those taking part and ensure that it continues to work for its intended purpose” (Creek and Lawson-porter, 2007). When considering ergonomics the main factors can be broken into interrelationships of person, activity and environment.

Ergonomics In relation to my cooking experiences this week was all about how the activity of cooking a roast was shaped by me adapting and doing the best possible job I could in the tiny, messy kitchen environment that was present! Read below to see these factors more in-depth:

Person: In considering my life stage, According to the developmental stages of Erikson I fall under the ‘Young adulthood categories’. Erikson states that “Our significant relationships are with marital partners and friends” (Harder, 2009). Thus I can relate with as today I was cooking the divine roast for my flat mates and boyfriend as a gift from my last finances left thanks to study link. Thanks to my passion for cooking I felt competent in my cooking skills to produce a winning feed and I must add that I enjoyed the adventure and creativity of sprinkling herbs and a hint of lemon over the delicious chicken thanks to the suggestion of Nana and her fine recipes!

Activity: I reckon I could say I have cooked about 50 roast chickens in my time, making the flow of cooking up the fest a breeze! Turn oven on, put water in roasting dish, plomp chicken in and into the oven, peel and chop veggies, add to the dish, cook for about 1.30mins-2hours and BOOM you have a delicious feed! No cookbook or instructions needed with this one, however time constraints on this occasion were that we needed to have dinner cooked in enough time to let our food digest before we headed to the pool for our nightly swim!

Environment: In cooking up this roast there was certainly a storm brewing up in the kitchen. Dishes were spread out on the bench to the moon and back with no clear space to fit in a chopping board to cut the veggies up on. Thus I had to improvise where I soon found myself set up on the couch with the chopping board on my lap and veggies being chopped and put into a dish on the floor. This did cause a few looks and laughs but what choice did I have due to the never-ending mess! It made for a bit of fun and banter where I got the others involved in peeling and chopping, creating a wee production line!  

References:

Harder, F. (2009).The Developmental Stages of Erik Erikson. Retrieved September 18 2011 from: http://www.learningplaceonline.com/stages/organize/Erikson.htm  

Creek, J, & Lawson-porter, A. (2007). Contemporary issues in occupational therapy: reasoning and reflection.Chichester.John Wiley & Sons ltd.