Project for IDeATe: Intelligent Learning Spaces at Carnegie Mellon University

Prompt: Make something that represents you as a learner, your learning experience, why learning is of interest to you, etc. This project is to showcase how you communicate and through what mediums. Use what you are comfortable with.

With this project, I wanted to highlight the importance of learning in my daily life, extending beyond the academic realm. While cooking might be perceived as a routine task, over the past year, I've engaged in a personal project to learn recipes and cooking techniques from around the world. There are so many learning opportunities in cooking, and dedicated practice has deepened my understanding of the subtle yet impactful elements—such as temperature, chemical reactions, flavors, time, knife skills, and cultural techniques.

My approach to learning how to cook closely parallels my academic learning process. Initially, I meticulously followed detailed recipes, much like learners who need to follow examples and repeatedly read texts to grasp new concepts. Learning is a gradual process, and it always took a few remakes of a dish before I felt comfortable with my own learned knowledge. As my understanding of learning deepened, so did my comfort with my culinary skill set. Once the foundation of learning is laid, it opens the door to experimentation, challenging established norms, and embracing creativity. Yet, the journey is ongoing, and there's still much I want to learn. Even now, tackling a dish from an unfamiliar cuisine requires guidance, and the prospect of discovering new things remains exceptionally exciting.

Food is a way for me to share with others what I have learned. Even when I complete a dish, questioning if the vegetables are overcooked or if I used too much salt, the friends and family I share my meals with never seem to notice the mistakes inherent in my learning journey. Learning is iterative and it is slow, but I find the process of seeing (and tasting!) myself improving to be very rewarding.