Week 5 Part 2

Outside the classroom of Week 5, we encompassed a variety of experiences, ranging from taste testings to nutritional presentation techniques.

Another day with Orientation, aka more time with Gregg! We were selling meal plans at breakfast time again. “Get out there so people can see you,” we were told. Get in a position where people have to walk passed you. When they see you they will be reminded of why you’re there without actually saying anything. Being Day 2 of Orientation, we have preached about the meal plan so much we don’t want to bombard them. They have the information they need and if they have questions, our faces will be familiar enough they will know who to come to.

How can I apply this to the real world besides selling UGA Meal Plans? My collegiate career is coming to an end faster than I thought it would. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. Grad school applications will soon make their way to my plate. I have to find ways to differentiate myself from others to create an impact that will leave program directors remembering me and what I will be bringing to their program. Going beyond grad school, standing out there when I’m looking for a job. Embrace the accomplishments and share innovative ideas, building blocks to new success.

Later in the week, Erin and Chef Sam invited us to their taste testing for their five-star event they are hosting in the fall. Recipes were created specifically for this event, which is why the tasting was needed, had to try out the new stuff! This wasn’t a small tasting either, several chefs from around campus were attending as well as Katherine (the RD). It seemed like a reunion of some sort but we were all there to explore the food’s aromas and sensations. A table was set up in the middle to model as if it were in a real five-star restaurant. It really made the atmosphere come to life as well as the extravagant floral centerpieces and silver serving platters. Even without the food in the pans yet, it still looked fancy.

Once all the food was in place and everyone had their seats, we waited for something. We waited for the first person to a make a move towards the food. Finally, we got the show on the road and made our way through the line. Because there was a multitude of food to test, Lexie and I split many dishes to keep our portions sizes low, more room for tasting! Every dish I tried I enjoyed for the most part. There were some that had overpowering flavors and others that needed a little extra kick. The dessert was absolutely amazing. Some people grabbed dessert with their first plate, others waited to fully prepare themselves for the sweet delight they were about to experience. Who would have thought a dining hall could give an authentic, high class five-star environment. UGA students are very lucky to have several special events during the year to make their dining experience one to remember.

Food, food, and more food! We may have been outside the Manager Academy classroom but we found our way to another class. Katherine and Lindsey teach a Peer Nutrition Educator course over the summer. The topic of the day was how to use food as a prop in a presentation to make it more effective.

Why are cooking demos so effective in a presentation? They offer several different opportunities to the audience to take advantage of. For example, it is an opportunity to learn how to make new things they can apply in their homes. It is also an open environment to ask questions about how different things are made and what could be used as a substitute. A cooking demo adds more to the experience than watching a cooking show or reading a cookbook. More senses are engaged because they are able to taste the food and smell it. We learned the mouth has different taste receptors it can detect but the nose has 480 smell receptors. There are fancy names for these receptors but we’re going to keep things simple. Back to why cooking demos are fantastic in a presentation. Most importantly, it empowers the audience. If we can make it, so can they. Another reason to make sure the recipes are healthy because they will (hopefully) be brought into the homes of the members of the audience.

By the end of the class, I was able to pick out different pointers I would use in my own presentation and other I would either take out or change slightly. We all have different way of portraying information. A neat exercise they had us do was to breakdown a recipe into different topics that could be discussed using those specific ingredients. The recipe we were given was peanut butter, apple, and a whole wheat bagel. Tasty combo, yummy! Various topics were brought up, some I wouldn’t have thought of. What would you discuss using those three ingredients? Here’s what we would talk about:

• Healthy breakfast, breakfast on the go
• Incorporation of whole grain
• Increase fiber
• Eating healthy in the dining halls
• Increase fruit intake
• Increase caloric intake
• Decrease added sugar

Lindsey and Katherine created a challenge to help us incorporate our creativity into the dining halls food. We were given a meal time and three different food groups to incorporate into a dish or plate. I didn’t know the ins and outs of the dining hall like the others but I tried my best. My meal time was dinner and I needed a grain, fruit, and protein. First, I went upstair to grab a tortilla, there’s my grain. Back downstairs I went to the salad bar because they usually have some type of hummus on the menu every day. Today they had black bean hummus. More protein! I spread it on my tortilla kinda like a pizza sauce, but not. Scratch the whole pizza idea in your head because we’re about to make a wrap! Up the stairs I went, again. Grabbed some chicken and lettuce from the taco station but it needs something else. But what else could I add to give a lot of flavor. Basil! Luckily it was just a few stations over. The wrap was coming together quite nicely but I still felt like it needed a last touch. Sure, why not, squeezed some lemon juice on top. If you were there, you would have been looking at the “Triple B Wrap”. The three b’s stood for basil and black bean, hold the applause. By the looks of the judges faces, they seemed to enjoy it. Maybe I’ll be signed onto a record, oh wait, wrong kind of wrapper (rapper).

Though the week was in the classroom for othe most part, we were able to adventure to other areas of Dining Services. All instances allowed me to gain personal development and opened my eyes to topics and experiences I can use in my future