Author: Cindy (Page 7 of 10)

From a young age, cooking has always piqued my interest. It was something about the enticing smells that arose from the kitchen, to the way food was able to bring families together in one place. My interest in cooking has never disappeared, in fact, it has only grown as I’ve aged. Asking questions about how a dish was made, from the ingredients to the way it has been prepared, I have been able to learn about many cooking techniques and different types of cuisines. Although the culinary arts are not taught in the American educational system, there were ways I did learn about cooking. In elementary school, we celebrated the diversity of our classmates with a day called Multicultural Day. Each student would bring a dish specializing in their family’s local cuisine to share. I remember waking up on Multicultural Day to an abundance of food placed on the kitchen table, with trays on the side ready to be packed because my father had stayed up all night cooking. The time set aside for Multicultural day, which was usually a science lesson time, turned into a festive session with classmates and their families bringing in food. Everyone worked together to distribute utensils, and students coordinated with each other as they walked around the classroom with their culture’s food in their hands. There were no two dishes that were alike. I was able to see and taste dishes from countries such as Greece, Slovakia, China and much more. I would joyfully walk to other classrooms sharing the food my father had made as well, which gave me another opportunity to see and taste other dishes that have been made. Being able to explore the world from your current location without travelling just by tasting food is something that can be comforting for many.

James Baldwin’s “A Talk to Teachers,” implies that the world holds a great amount of information to learn compared to what you are taught when he says “the world is larger.” Baldwin states revelations about America’s history hoping to help one see their true worth instead of being confined by “any given administration, any given policy, any given morality.” It is the thought of trying to find one’s own self worth, fighting for yourself despite the deeply engraved stereotypes of black people in America’s culture. Baldwin tells students to broaden their horizons and use their right to examine everything to become more educated. The world is your oyster, if you rid all boundaries.

Personally, I wish that the lives of Native American people were a bigger part of the American educational curriculum. As the first people who lived on the land, their culture and story are slowly being erased from our history. The reserves that natives currently live on are a great example of the effects on how America has negatively influenced them. Children are being taught that Native Americans were genuinely happy to give up their land for the white people. The fact that millions of Natives were killed are tremendously overlooked still to this day. I think it’s important to learn about history through different perspectives, as that is the best way to learn about why current situations are the way they are and how it has shaped our lives and how we can try and change it. They say ignorance is bliss, but the more knowledge you have, the greater ability you have, to change yourself, and the world.