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