A Word From The Other Parsimonious Chef...: June 2013

Corned Beef Hash A La "Pretty Ricky" with Poached Egg

This past year I have been working as a High School Culinary Arts Teacher for the District of Columbia. To say that it's been fun doesn't do justice to the reality of the experience, so I have decided to share some of my experiences with you in this forum.

When I first arrived it was already one month into the school year due to technical difficulties. I had never taught before so I had no illusions that I'd have an easy time, all things considered of course. Add to this the fact that I had recently come back from working in Iraq, living on the west coast and was in full swing with my bike riding at the time. Let me say that when the opportunity knocked I was not head strong in leaping at it. I still wanted to ride, sleep in late and enjoy the fruits of my labor from time spent in Iraq for the last three years,

On my first day as I was sitting in my room at my desk I was greeted by a young man, whom literally said to me "Open the door you punk @#$ &^%$#@!" I thought to myself "this little &^%#@ don't know me or the fact that I grew up in the mean streets of Port Charles Ur-Ah I mean Fort Washington!" (my General Hospital fans & FW natives will get that) To say the least I wasn't moved at all, this is what I was made for. If this kid thought he was going to break me down at all, let alone day one, surely this little dude had me wrong. So after he said it again and left no doubt that he was in deed directing this towards me I gladly opened the door to set things straight. The exchange went like this; Me- "How are you young man?", "Care to repeat what you just said?" Surely with my size 6 feet 235 he would quickly jump back into place. Student- "You heard me you scared A#$ &^%#@ now step aside and let me in my $%# class!" Me- "You got me wrong little man, I won't tolerate cursing or disrespect!" I think at this moment he stepped on my shoe, based a bit more and then rolled out. I thought to myself this little boy is going to make this a long year! Approximately 1 hour later guess who comes to my class to be taught, of course it's the student! I'm thinking to myself "here we go again!" and then it happens. He comes to class and as the other 6 or more kids in the class start to talk while I'm introducing myself he yells at the others "show this man some respect or he'll take it!" Then he asked me if he could hand out the textbooks to the rest of the class. From that day we have had our ups and downs but he is by far my hardest working young man that I have had the pleasure of teaching.

Next there is another student, this is a young man that is quiet and understated but always so focused and inquisitive. When he asked questions they are never the "run of the mill" question, his questions have depth. On one occasion as I was talking about the upcoming menu item for the week, fried rice, when he boldly asked me if I had to go to China to really learn how to make fried rice like they do at the Hong Kong carry out up the street. What a profound question, really after all couldn't I just peek in and watch or better still just get a recipe for it. I have always maintained that until you actually go to a place there is no way you can claim that you actually know how to cook food from that place. The next thing you know I was showing him pictures of my travels through Thailand and all of the other places that I have been fortunate enough to go to and cook in. What impresses me most about him is the fact that he is unlike a number of young men in DC. If you are from this area you wouldn't be surprised at the amount of young black men that will never and have a desire to leave this area, if even just for a moment to garner a different perspective on things. When I told him of my trips his eyes lit up and he would ask me time and time again to share more travel stories with him. I can't wait for him to see the world, and I know he will, it's all in his eyes. The world is definitely his oyster.

Then there are my female students, one of which is truly the most spoiled girl that I have ever met but she can cook her tail off, one day as I was standing ready to give the "how to" on omelets I turned around to find her on the last step of her omelet, golden brown and literally on the last turn. Naturally I shut up and let her show a few others how to make the omelets.

For the first four months we buried our noses in ServSafe text books and did absolutely no cooking at all. I can't tell you how many times I was called a fake @$$ chef. I would laugh every time I heard it but trust me, I completely understood where they were coming from but I felt that I knew best so we continued on. I simply needed them to know that this was a Culinary Arts class and not Home Ec. No disrespect to Home Ec. but food safety is the most important thing to know about cooking. I think my students understand that now. When we started cooking I asked the kids what was the dish they wanted to start with and the answer was swift and unanimous, Chicken Wings & Mambo Sauce with Fried Rice. They were surprised when I said, "Cool, let's do it!""I have a killer recipe for Mambo Sauce that you guys will love!" Of course that was met with "&^%#@, you ain't Chinese, you can't make Mambo Sauce!" The day that we made it the kids were glowing, happy that somehow we, not me but we (students and me) made Mambo Sauce better than the Hong Kong Carry Out down the street.

There are times when you just connect for reason that are not quite on the surface, I guess it's just something about a yourself that you see in a person that draws you in. I had about 6 students that would be those for me. Each of these young men have so much to offer the world and I think they know that. With one I found out early that if you show him respect , not only will he give it back but will be your staunchest defender. He also thrives in situations where you place responsibility squarely and directly on his shoulders. Another is a handful but he means well. He knows when he needs his space and will tell you so. He also seems happiest when he does something that he never considered he could or would want to do. Yet another, if this dude isn't me when I was growing up! I mean I can see the wheels turning in his head as soon as he hatches out an ill-fated plan. But he is a natural born leader and he knows it. Finally the last is my man, this little baby hulk is going to do quite well in anything he focuses on, the planets are already aligned for that, all he has to do is step up, work for it and claim it.

In mid March I had to leave. Almost as abruptly as that sentence ended. This was by far one of the most difficult things that I have ever done in my life. I'm off to work overseas, more of what I was doing before. When I came I never expected to learn as much as I taught. My kids taught me so much this year. They taught me so much about myself. You see when I came in I had no idea that I could be a teacher. I knew how to model good and appropriate behavior and I know Culinary Arts backwards and forwards but the teaching thing, I just wasn't so sure of. There are too many things to hit on all of them but I will list a few. The ability to see beyond the surface is imperative, most of my students front bravado because they think that they are limited in the book smarts department. If they can set you on your heels first then they never have to be vulnerable enough to show you where they may need help. Take the verbal abuse to peel beneath the layers you will find a fresh mind that wants and needs your help to fine tune. A great deal of my students are used to being pacified and tolerated but not encouraged to learn or challenged. It's easy to place a kid in the corner with a coloring book and let them have at it but unless their calling is not-so-fine arts what good is this? It probably gives a teacher rest for a day or two but how many sleepless nights will you suffer knowing that you are hindering the development of our most precious resource, that child that you are getting paid to teach. My easiest days came when I challenged my students beyond what they thought they were capable of doing. I argue that there is nothing more fulfilling than a kid's face when you see that light bulb go on in their head. You know that look when they realize that they are book smart if they are properly prepared. Quite a few need one on one instruction and time to bond with you. I think this was my biggest asset. I learned early that my kids needed to know that I actually cared about them, that I was authentic when it came to my concern for their well being. It won't happen over night but when it happens you will know it, they just seem to respond in a different way. This isn't to say there will be no more challenges but you will have a foundation to draw from in order to properly address the situations as they arise. Confidence building was my biggest ally. When I gave my first quiz I set out to build the confidence of my students not by giving them easy tests but by giving them a test on items that we had gone over for weeks. Without knowing it they had just picked things up and knew them without thinking, it did wonders for my class. No longer did they fear the dreaded test. Don't get me wrong, they certainly didn't embrace them either but in reality there was no anxiety associated with test or quizzes so when I would let them know one was on the horizon they responded rather "matter of factly" They just knew that if they were prepared they would be fine. Going over the material time and time again gave them the confidence to know that if they just sat down and relaxed they were prepared enough to do well. Finally, for now our kids need to realize that you are preparing them for more than just school. This is high school and life beyond and after the protection of these halls can be great but they can also be perilous if our kids don't understand how to go through the world as young respectful adults. As a result I always carried myself like a friend and teacher but not a peer. As adults it is imperative that we exercise sound judgement and model appropriate behavior at all times. I am always a friend but never their peer, there's a level of game playing that the kids can have and should have but as adults we should always know our place and rise above the tomfoolery of kids. Example and model good and appropriate behavior at all times. These are just a few things that helped me get through 3 quarters at my high school in my first year of teaching. I can't wait to return............ Oh the Places They Will Go, with our help of course!!!!!

On the menu today : School Time Frittata & Corned Beef Hash

These dishes were each made by 9th & 10th Grade students....... Awesome Bunch.