15 Full Teachers- A Focus on our UNITEC Gastronomic Visit

Another busy day! Here was schedule for today, Day 1:

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Training Session: The Colombian Education System

11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Visit to UNITEC 

2:15 PM – 3:30 PM Visit to Fulbright Commission 

7:15 PM – 8:45 PM Welcome Group Dinner at El Armadillo

Wow! While today was full of amazing experiences of learning and cultural exchange, I want to focus today’s blog on the phenomenal lunch we were provided by UNITEC and more importantly, on the amazing gastronomic professor that we met, Nicolas Prieto. The way this teacher talked about his approach to teaching cooking to his students was inspirational and so very moving. He focused on what food means to Colombians, including the importance of where their food comes from. He talked thoroughly about each ingredient of the meal his students prepared for us, and brought examples for us to taste touch and smell. His talk with us, while very informal, was well thought out and incredibly sincere. He passionately explained the process of cooking our traditional Colombian lunch called ajiaco. Here in Bogotá it is usually prepared with chicken, corn, potatoes, cream, and guasca. Guasca is a weed that when cooled adds a unique flavor to the dish. Nicolas showed us a guasca plant before cooking. The smell reminded me a little bit of the dandelion that we have growing all over Alabama. As he passed out a guasca sample to each teacher, I was reminded how important hands-on connections and experiential learning really helps cement new understanding, especially across cultures. Nicolas said, “I show this to you because this is how I make bonds with you.” You could tell that Nicholas was passionate about making sure our group understood the basis of each ingredient that went into our lunch and really connected to each part. A true culinary, and teaching expert.

  

He also let us taste banana passion fruit which had firm, crunchy seeds in a juicy center. At first, we were timid about breaking into the fruit, but then Nicolas said, “Do it. Open it. It’s a part of the journey.” To me that resonated in such a special way, as it seemed to be a mantra I could apply to this entire Fulbright experience.

Nicholas also talked About his vision for Columbia’s future and for his gastronomic students. He said, “Several decades ago we tried to hide [that] we are not proud of our country and of ourselves but now it’s changing. We show that [pride] with our food... One of the things about Colombian cuisine is that we haven’t lost our connection with our roots. It is our food. It is our culture...I want to see a generation that is proud of their country, proud of their food. I want my students to fall in love with the kitchen and with cooking. That makes bonds with people.”

"Good food and good eating are about risk"- Anthony Bourdain