As a culinary grad that entered in college foodservice, it’s only natural that one of the first things I noticed distance learners will miss by not being on a traditional campus is exposure to a diversity of cultures, traditions, and cuisines. And from what I’ve seen in the description of courses and programs online, distance learners have alarmingly few opportunities to study history, cultures, or languages. That seems to be diametrically at odds with globalization and other paradigms shifts that will continue throughout the 21st century.
We’ve all got to eat. It’s not hard to make it fun and enjoyable. If it also becomes ‘educational’ in the process, so much the better!
Chili and barbecue cook-offs and challenges are becoming increasing popular across the country, and, as you might expect, food lovers are starting to take this to the next level with regional favorites. College students instinctively know this is a great way get a little relief from isolation, homesickness, and the monotony of campus routine. On larger campuses with a substantial population of foreign students, this is beginning to get a foothold. (Of course, this has always been an established institution in ethnic neighborhoods celebrating traditional holidays with feasts and festivals.)
You don’t have to in the ‘competition’ to have fun and enjoy these events. You may get more out them by being a member of the public because you don’t have a ’stake’ in winning. It’s probably wrong to focus on taking home prizes, trophies, and cash awards – in my experience everyone is a winner, not the least of whom is the public and community!
There are literally thousands of American regional dishes that are much more accessible every day of the week, 52 weeks a year. You can have an adventure that will last a lifetime – without any pretense or huge expense. Perhaps even better, you won’t have any difficulty getting your friends and family to join you!
As distance learners, you and I are going to continue to enjoy the meals and snacks we’re accustomed to. Traditionally, the first phone call home from traditional college students away for the first time is going to be about how bad the food is on campus and how much they miss their favorites, and by implication the only thing that makes it tolerable is having access to familiar fast-food franchises – at additional cost which lead directly into the second traditional topic – the obligatory ’send money’ request.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you want to do with this, Google is your friend and a great place to start! There are dozens of websites where you can swap recipes and kitchen tips and techniques, so I’m not going to get into that here. I’d rather use this space and your time reading it to encourage you to try new dishes and different recipes; to stay out of the junk food aisles at the supermarket as much as possible, and more time learning your way around the produce section with the seasonal varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables; and to pay more attention to what you eat and how it is prepared, get a little fresh air, sunshine, and moderate exercise every day to make up for the unavoidably more sedentary lifestyle we’ve all gotten into as a distance learners.
Check the schedule on the Food Channel and other cable networks, including PBS (particularly America’s Test Kitchen where they have a variety of segments compacted into 30 minutes and spend a lot of time constructing recipes so you can understand what is going on; probably the next best thing to taking a live course or spending a small fortune on videos, CDs, and DVDs.)
