Card StatsVignette
The Culinary Crucible (Part One)
Cafeteria
Culinary Crucible - Trey Making Jalapeno and Chili Pepper Pizza (Part One)
Shortly before getting to work in the kitchen...
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I have to say, Trey, I'm still surprised you signed up for the Culinary Crucible. You're already a great cook. What could you even learn from this? |
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I do know my way around the kitchen, it's true. I bake a lot at the dorm, and since my parents are so busy, I take over meal-making duties when I'm at home. |
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Then why would—oh, wait, I get it. You want the course credit! |
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Good guess, but nope. I signed up to learn how to TEACH people to cook. |
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To learn to teach to... Okay, yeah, I'm confused. |
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See, lately I've been coaching underclassmen who want to make desserts for our unbirthday parties. Usually, I'm the one who takes point on that, but you know how most Seniors leave campus to do hands-on learning during their senior year? I'd like to make sure my underclassmen have their bases covered before I go. But I'm just not great at teaching. I struggle with explaining things. |
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Really? You seem like you'd make a great teacher. You always make perfect sense to me during our meetings with the housewardens and vice housewardens. |
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Heh. That's nice of you to say, but explaining is a lot trickier when it comes to cooking. Like... Here's an example. What do you think "beating an egg" means? |
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Uhhh...punching it? |
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Yeah, see, that's the problem. One of the guys at my dorm said the same thing. Beating an egg means blending it so that the white and the yolk get mixed together. |
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Oh, whoa. I had no idea! |
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Exactly. I apparently use a lot of culinary jargon that means nothing to people who don't know a butter knife from a cheese grater. I've seen guys misinterpret my instructions and botch a whole recipe before. I told someone to measure out a full tablespoon, and he asked me, "How many spoons fill up a table?" He didn't understand that a "tablespoon" was a unit of measurement. |
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Wow. I could see myself misinterpreting that spectacularly if you said that to me. |
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My siblings and I grew up watching my parents cook and bake. Whenever I told my little brother or little sister to beat a bowl of eggs or get a full tablespoon of flour, they'd do it no problem. So I'm never totally sure what counts as "kitchen jargon" that would trip up a beginner. |
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Ahhh, I get it now! And that's why you want to learn how to teach it. |
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Right. Before this, I was stumped. But then I saw how students at our dorm would enter the Culinary Crucible and emerge so much more competent for it. So I figured if I enrolled, I could figure out the secret to teaching this stuff. |
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Ooh. That makes me even more excited for this. I hope I can get good at cooking! |
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I'm sure you've got what it takes. Ah, it's just about lesson time. Let's head to the kitchen. |
Cafeteria - Kitchen
 Head Chef |
All right, Trey, I'll be giving you a basic rundown of what you'll be cooking. |
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I'm ready when you are. |
Head Chef |
First, you'll be mixing and kneading flour to make pizza dough. The dough will need some time to rise after you're done, so you'll get started on a tomato sauce in the meantime. Once the sauce is done, next comes shaping the dough. Then you put the toppings on. After it's assembled, it takes a little visit to a preheated oven, and voilà! Normally I'd go into a more detailed explanation here, but you seem familiar enough already, so I don't think you'll need it. Do you have any questions? Anything I wasn't clear on? |
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Not really. I've made many a pizza at home with my family before—ah, but hold on. The overview you just gave would be confusing for a beginner, I'd think. Could you tell me what kinds of questions other students have asked you about this assignment? |
Head Chef |
Hmmm. Let's see... A lot of kids ask me why we sift the flour first, instead of just pouring it in like any other ingredient. And on the opposite end, there was one time I told a student to start sifting the flour... And he said, "I have to pick through the flour and separate out the good grains by hand?!" Boy, did that ever throw me for a loop! |
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Aha. So some people may know what sifting means, but aren't aware that sieves exist. So it's important to establish a clear purpose and make sure the language I'm using isn't going over people's heads. Are there any other questions that caught you off-guard? |
Head Chef |
Funny you should ask...yours just now! |
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Really? Was it that strange of a question to ask? |
Head Chef |
I'd say so. Heh. I've never had a student question me about questions before! |
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Ha ha. Sorry for throwing you a curveball there. But it's been very instructive hearing stories of students who struggle with this material. Let's keep this going. |
The Culinary Crucible (Part Two)
Cafeteria - Kitchen
Culinary Crucible - Trey Making Jalapeno and Chili Pepper Pizza (Part Two)
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Whew... Do you think that's enough kneading for this dough? |
Head Chef |
Yeah, the surface is nice and smooth. Good work! Let's leave it to rise and get started on the tomato sauce. |
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Ahhh, there's that sautéed garlic smell. Once I mix in the peeled tomatoes and season it with some salt and pepper, the sauce should be ready. Last but not least: put the toppings on. ...There. Done. Chef, the pizza's all set. |
Head Chef |
Good work! Into the preheated oven it goes. Set a timer for ten minutes. |
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I'm on it, sir. There we go. Now all we have to do is wait. Might as well clean up the kitchen in the meantime. |
Head Chef |
Your culinary experience really shines through, Trey. You were the very picture of skill and efficiency! I'm just as excited to see how the pizza turns out. |
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Thank you, Chef. Being here was a privilege and an eye-opening experience for me. I think I'll have a much smoother time showing my dormmates how to cook now. Ah, it's done. Out of the oven it comes. I'll add a few more finishing-touch toppings, and...there. Pizza time. This is one dish that's definitely best served fresh. I'd better get it to the judge, and quick. |
Cafeteria
??? |
Really? I'll be judging Trey's cooking today? |
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Ah, I know that voice. I take it you're my judge today, Vil? |
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Yes, thanks to the whims of random selection. At least with you, I know I'll get something edible. |
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Ha ha. I hope it suits your palate. |
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It's jalapeno and chili pepper pizza. Go on and dig in while it's hot. |
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Wait... What in the world? I was imagining a simple pizza that just happened to have some jalapenos and chili peppers thrown on top, but this is beyond the pale! Slices of chili peppers are placed atop scattered jalapenos like flowers growing in a field of grass. The tomatoes, black olives, and red onions add colorful yet tasteful accents. This is far more voluminous and gorgeous than a normal pizza. It's closer to a decorated cake. |
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Hm... Maybe I went a little overboard with the presentation. But this is supposed to be a complete meal. My idea was to add lots of vegetables, and by extension, more nutritional value. I figured if I was doing that, I might as well pick toppings that'd make it...pop, visually speaking. |
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Spoken like a true patissier. It's just like you to add personal flourishes rather than stick to a recipe. But the thing about pizza is— |
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Oh, right. I made some substitutions, like swapping normal flour for coconut flour, in order to cut down on the fat and sugar content. I know you're a stickler for nutrition and calorie-counting, Vil. This is a pizza that even you can eat with a clean conscience. |
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There it is. You addressed my concern before I could even finish voicing it. You're too considerate by half. It's almost galling. |
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Ha ha ha. I'll take that as a compliment. |
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Man, must be nice getting to dine like a king. |
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Hm? What brings you here, Ruggie? You're judging Kalim's cooking, right? I thought he finished his dish and has just served it? |
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Yeah, well, the guy went overboard and botched the whole thing. He's working with the chef to remake it into something else now. And here I am, so hungry I'm about to faint! |
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In that case, I can offer you something, Ruggie. |
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Oh yeah? |
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I made more than one pizza. The second should be coming out of the oven soon, if you can sit tight for a few. |
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You mean I can have some, too?! Sweet! You're the best, Trey! Thanks a billion! |
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Trey, you really do spoil people rotten. |
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Huh? |
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It's a bad habit of yours, the way you try to stay on top of every eventuality. Let me guess: you also bail out the students at your dorm when they botch their cooking, don't you? |
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Now that you mention it... Yeah, I guess I do find myself covering for them a lot. |
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Whoa, you're one seriously nice upperclassman. I'm so jealous of Heartslabyul! |
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Jealous? I'm explaining that it's a problem. It's all well and good to look out for underclassmen, but you can't baby them. That can rob them of potential learning experiences. There's a balance to be struck. |
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Actually, yeah... I remember that when my parents were teaching me, they would just look on while I worked, without intervening. That's what they did when I produced my first burnt batch of cookies. They were watching me. They knew what would happen. But they didn't stop me or correct me. I guess they were deliberately allowing me to experience failure. |
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So you understand the point I'm making? |
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Yeah. Thanks for sharing your insight, Vil. That was useful to hear. In short, I need to use intuitive language when explaining cooking processes, and then stick to being an onlooker. Yeah, I can put this into practice when I get back to the dorm. Signing up for the Culinary Crucible was definitely the right call. |
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