Cuisine Team a Success with German Dinner

As a member of the Cuisine Team, I helped to plan a large dinner for about 30 or more people with a traditional German theme.  We made Wienerschnitzel, Kartofeln Salat, Saurkraut Salat, Spätzle, and Schwartzwälderkirschtorte.  I, with the help of Jonathan Mitchell made the Wienerschnitzel.  I also contributed by bringing along some of my things from Germany as decorations and creating the flyer sent out via email.  This event was particularly close to my heart as I am a German major and it applies to all the German classes I have taken thus far.

French Dinner Creates OH La La Effect

For our second Cuisine Team dinner on November 10th, 2013, we attempted French food.  I created the flyer as before which was too large of a file to include here.  I with the assistance of my suite mate, Megan Starkweather, cooked Beouf Bourguignon.  The others made Quiche, Salad, French Bread, and Crepes.  It was an extremely tiresome experience as the steps were very complicated and difficult.  In the future, I intend to leaving French cooking to the French.  This event is a part of my servant-leader duties, in that it is my service work to the Global LLC.

 Japan Represents in International Education Week

On November 13th, I attended “A Taste of Tea” presented by the Japanese Honor Society.  This consisted of a tradition Japanese Tea Ceremony with commentary from an American women who had lived in Japan as well as a sampling of Japaneses snacks and tea.  The ceremony was very intricate and required much practice.  However, as is inherent to Japanese culture, there was a certain understatement and simplicity to the event.  I particularly enjoyed examining the tea bowls, some of which were from Japan, and some of which had come from other places around the world but were being used for tea.  This applied well to my BIC World Cultures III class where we have currently been studying Japanese culture in great detail.

 Celts Pull Off a Great Do in Austin

On November 2nd, I attended the Austin Celtic Festival with Ginny Gallardo.  It was definitely worth the drive and money.  We were able to see a troupe of Bagpipers perform as well as listen to a great Celtic band from Dallas called Flashpoint.  We were also able to do some great shopping, purchasing jewelry, books and other things related to Celtic heritage.  It was particularly meaningful to me that they had cards with clan tartans and crests on them that I was able to buy for my own Scottish last name.  We also sampled some traditional Celtic fare in fish n’ chips.  I have a pretty good idea now of Celtic food if we should ever chose to do it for a Global dinner.

International Discussion Promotes Awareness

On October 30th, I attended the “This is my Story, This is my Song” cultural discussion.  It was a very small group consisting of two young men from Mexico, and a girl who was half Hispanic and half Caucasian.  There were only two people to view the discussion, myself and a girl who had lived in an African country.  One of the main points of the discussion was that it was difficult being Hispanic in a largely Caucasian school.  They also spoke that American culture is always on the go, whereas most people in Hispanic culture take things slow and spend more time together.  This applied most to the Global class where we have talked a good deal about our cultural differences.

Other Side of Waco Tour Amazes

On October 16th, I attended the Other Side of Waco Tour sponsored by Mission Waco.  We took a small bus around Waco looking at the poorer areas that many people had never seen before.  We were informed on many ways in which we could help people, such as supporting local businesses.  We were also shown the inside of Mission Waco and the cafe and store which sold only products that paid those who made them fairly.  They also talked about some of the after school educational programs which Mission Waco sponsored in order to keep people off of the streets including a music programme for young people and a community theatre programme for adults.  This could be said to be nearly a required element of the Global class this year in that it gave a first-hand account of what we have been learning about poverty all semester.

Sherwood Forest Renaissance Faire in Austin Amazes

On February 22nd, I attended the Sherwood Forest Renaissance Faire outside of Austin where I listened to bagpipers, watched jousting and generally participated in Medieval culture.

North Texas Irish Festival Promotes Culture

On March 1st, I attended the North Texas Irish Festival at Fair Park, in Dallas.  I ate traditional Irish cuisine of cabbage and corned beef.  I also listened to several Celtic bands and did some shopping.