A Whole New World...

Wednesday I had the opportunity to attend a gluten-free group meeting. I didn't really know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised! The meeting was hosted by a local grocery store dietitian. She and her two student interns for the summer (part of the coordinated program at K-State) prepared numerous pizza crusts and pizzas for the group to try. All were made with mixes, doughs or frozen pizzas that could be found at the grocery store.

My knowledge of gluten free baking is fairly limited. I understand that a gluten free diet is free of wheat, barley and rye products. In replacement for wheat flour, various flours and starches are combined to achieve the desired consistency and properties (which varies by product). Flours and ingredients that are commonly mixed (from what I've seen) include: rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum. My only experience with gluten free baking was making muffins for a friend: they didn't turn out that well either!

I was welcomed by many members of the group: there were over 20 that attended. We all tried the various pizza crusts and pizzas. Some were much better than others. One of the members brought a cauliflower crust recipe for everyone to try. Her recipe included cauliflower, egg, cheese, and spices.  

The group was very supportive of me being there to learn about a gluten free lifestyle and some explained personal challenges with baking gluten free. I was so appreciative of this opportunity to learn more about gluten free eating and can't wait to attend next month!

Sidenote: There was also a sample of a new chocolate chip cookie product that was quite tasty (and that's by my standards)! I included the product label for anyone who is curious!

A Dash of Culture

I greatly appreciate the link between food and culture, but more importantly how that link is different for each culture. Most notably, I have realized that the link between food and culture is one many Americans take advantage of. As a sophomore in the college of agriculture (my former home), I had the opportunity to travel to Tuscany to learn about food production. This truly was a dream come true! I was going to spend 8 days in ITALY learning about food and culture…oh and eating!

As part of the class, we met weekly and researched history and production of the foods we would be seeing, this research was compiled into a presentation for the rest of the class (16 in all) to learn! We also had weekly Italian quizzes, something I wish I would have taken more seriously.

After a day of travel, we landed in Milan, where we would spend a day before heading to Florence. Florence was our base and from there we went out to see various producers including: parmigiano reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, parma hams, gelato, chocolate, and numerous vineyards. We attended two cooking schools in Florence; both were amazing but offered a different perspective on cooking. The first was very serious and professional while the second was much more laid back. While attending the second cooking school, we went to the market. The market gave me a great insight into the culture of Italy. There were fruits, vegetables, baked goods, seafood, and cuts of meat that I had never seen before. The seafood part wasn’t too surprising; I did grow up in Kansas after all!

What I really learned from the trips to the market (we also visited one in Venice), was food is a central part of Italian livelihood. In the US, few individuals sell things they grew or caught themselves. In addition, meals are eaten on the run and not enjoyed as they are in other countries. One of our meals lasted 3 hours, not because we ate that much, but because we were in conversation with one another and enjoying the atmosphere we were in!

        My experience in traveling to Italy was the trip of a lifetime. I was able to learn so much and eat so many wonderful foods! I cannot wait for my next adventure abroad! Please feel free to share comments on places to see and foods to try!

A Day Out of the Office

Yesterday I had the opportunity to help with a kids cooking camp in a neighboring town. It was a great way to see programming in action. As a child in 4-H or just attending summer camps, I didn’t realize how much educational planning is put into each activity. The activity for the children was to make MyPlate Happy Faces. I thought this activity was a great way for the 7-9 year old children to learn about the different food groups and make a healthy snack (they looked a bit silly also)!

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to listen to a webinar on education in food banks. I am very interested in this opportunity as I feel it is incredibly important to educate consumers in addition to giving food items!

Last week I heard back about the first two lessons I have submitted. There were very few changes suggested and I am hoping to finish the outlines for remaining lessons this week!

In addition to waiting for feedback, I completed an outline for blog posts though the end of the year! I have only written blog posts though early November, but if I have downtime, that is something that I can finish!

Past, Present, Future

I firmly believe my past experiences influence my current decisions and therefore my future outcomes. For example, last summer I served as an Orientation Leader for my university! I LOVED IT!! When given the chance to come back,  however, I was hesitant. I knew that I would have a great experience and be able to positively impact the lives of incoming students. I also knew that there were several (4 to be exact) opportunities in dietetics and nutrition that I could also take.

 As an Orientation Leader, I was a bit hesitant the first few days, but quickly warmed up. My intention of returning was to give the experience 110% from the beginning. However, had I been an Orientation Leader, I would not have had the opportunity to learn about the EFNEP program, let alone create what I am hoping to be a lasting nutrition education tool for the educators across the state. In the end, I am glad I chose my present internship with EFNEP because it gave me the opportunity to help with orientation events on the weekends but experience community nutrition.
 
It is so easy to get caught up in the "might have been" situations in life that we (myself included) can overlook the present opportunities.

Those People

Have you ever been around those people? No, not the annoying, rude, or anything like that. Have you ever been around the type of people that make you want to be a better person? This type of person is naturally contagious and you leave the conversation thinking, “Yeah, I can do that”! These individuals focus on the relationship aspect working with others and place great value in knowing their peers. Unfortunately, I am not this type of person, but I GREATLY value friendships with those that are! I have had the privilege of working with two people that are this type of personality. Every day at work I would be challenged in various ways to push myself. The interesting thing about these challenges is I never felt that it was a direct challenge: most challenges were questions that caused me to think deeply about my life and values!

Individuals that unintentionally make you want to be a better person are truly some of the most cherished people I have known.

Questions...

From a young age, I had never really believed in the saying, “There’s no such thing as a dumb question”. I firmly believe that questions are an important way to learn and communicate with others. However, before posing a question it is imperative that one does research on the topic in question. Many simple questions can be answered by doing a little digging. The digging, on the other hand, may turn up deeper questions which answers cannot be found for: this is when it’s important to ask questions. When phrasing the question, it is important to include what has been researched, this serves two purposes. One to indicate to the individual you are asking that you have put thought into the question and are truly interested. Second, it helps avoid a response that directs you back to what you've already read.

Questions are an essential component to learning, but it’s all in how you word the question!