Mrs. Wilkinson, English

This semester, my Creative Writing class tried their hand at food writing. In the true spirit of 21st Century Learning, we decided to do some hands-on learning. I asked the students to bring in a special treat to share with the rest of us. We pushed a group of desks together, draped a tablecloth on our makeshift table and arranged the treats. We sampled treats like pumpkin cupcakes, cuttlefish and peanut butter chips, chocolate frosted donuts, Pocky, and Mrs. Pinos’ amazing monkey bread and heath bar cookies.  And we washed it all down with aloe juice and Blood Orange San Pellegrino. But it wasn’t just a party. My students had work to do– a series of questions guided them through the tasting process, the end result of which would be an article. And the main goal of writing about the food was to involve all five senses.

I live near the H-Mart, a Korean market in Upper Darby. I’d made a trip there the night before our tasting to pick up a few household staples like seaweed, Asian pears and sushi rice. While I was there, I thought it would be fun to pick up a few of my favorite Asian treats to bring in for the students. After all, nothing wakes up the senses like trying an unfamiliar food.

I can’t say the mochi (rice gluten cake stuffed with red bean paste– one of my favorite treats) topped Mrs. Pinos’ baked goods. But it certainly proveded the class with a unique tasting experience.

See for yourself…courtesy of Colin Pawlowski and Matt Cornell.