Cooking is a vital skill that everyone should learn and improve. It is a fundamental survival skill that is extremely important. As I intend to study abroad, the notion of living freely in a strange country might be daunting. Preparing my own meals will be critical to my health and survival. Fortunately, CAS has given me the opportunity to learn how to cook from my mother, who has over three decades of culinary experience. She will mentor me as I learn various cooking methods and cuisines.
LO1: In ninth grade, I began learning the fundamentals of cookery. I discovered that I have good culinary talents and that my specialty is Indian cuisine. I plan to utilize my CAS experience to improve my culinary abilities and learn about other food cuisines such as Mexican and Italian. Throughout my CAS experience, I will improve on my weaknesses. I needed to work on making food in the time allotted. First, I spent a lot of time cooking, and then I worked on my weaknesses.
LO2: Finding time was a significant challenge for me, given my busy school schedule. My only available study time was during the night because I had tuition from 6 to 8 p.m. Balancing my packed schedule made it tough to allocate time for other tasks, and this proved to be the most significant hurdle. My mother acted as my supervisor and instructed me to gather all the necessary ingredients and equipment for cooking. She made it clear that she wouldn’t assist me in any way, so I had to ensure everything was prepared in advance, including the utensils and ingredients.
LO3: As previously said, finding time in my hectic schedule was difficult. Prior to my CAS experience, I needed to be extremely organized and painstakingly arrange everything. I devised a routine that considerably aided me in keeping my organization. Effective time management is critical, and having a defined itinerary was really useful since it gave me a clear description of my daily chores and obligations.
LO4: Despite the difficulties and obstacles, I completed my CAS experience effectively, paying attention to my obligations without taking any shortcuts. My supervisor supplied me with encouragement, which was critical to my success. My hands were treated to tremendous heat on a few times, causing significant agony. I considered quitting because of the discomfort, especially given my already hectic CAS-related schedule. Nonetheless, I persisted and concentrated on honing my cooking talents.
LO6: Cooking allows you to learn about other world civilizations and their culinary traditions. This experience has given me a better respect for the wealth of food diversity, finding and appreciating the various flavors and ingredients that each location has to offer. I’ve learned that Italian food is based on items such as cheese, but Mexican cuisine uses a range of sauces. This has taught me that each culinary culture has its own distinct characteristics that distinguish it. As a result, in my cooking endeavors, I’ve learned to treat these ingredients with care and to guarantee adequate preparation.
LO7: I was required to make supper in my own kitchen with no supervision. Despite the fact that I had the option to cheat, I opted not to do so. Instead, I committed to the effort and learned excellent cooking skills. This incident strengthened my belief in the necessity of ethics and making the correct decisions on a constant basis. This idea, I think, was implemented during my CAS experience.
In conclusion, I am pleased with my development. I’ve learned how to cook, particularly Indian food, which I feel will be useful when I go overseas to study in the future.