2-10 prewriting activity 2: Ingredient Matrix
A specific problem I came across was my own lack of passion in the subject I was writing. While I adored pupusas and the cultural significance of the recipe, I did not care much about why cook books were important and thought that the project was a little boring as a result. And I believe my lack of passion really showed up in full force with my final project. I did well in this specific assignment, but the actual project was lackluster and extremely boring as a result. It did look like I did not put care into what was asked, and I will be honest, I did not. And it is only in hindsight and reflection can I see where I could have done better.
I truly think had I thought about making the project a bit more challenging or even made the more complex version of pupusas, I could have done better. The black beans and cheese variation of pupusas are one of the simplest forms the pupusas can take, and even my own family likes to make versions with meat and some vegetables in them. I could have talked about the chicharron and the importance of that pork had in our culture. Since most farm animals were better alive and working the field, pigs are one of the few that are raised for their meat. It is common to buy pigs for big celebrations and use the meat for filling in pupusas and tamales for Easter and Christmas. As a result, the pork filling is a popular one for big family events. In this I could have talked more about my own family and why we always ate these together during be events. Why pupusas are the national dish of El Salvador, even though it is a humble and readily available recipe.
I am grateful for having talked about the dish. And from what I saw in the class discussion, it inspired someone to want to seek it out and try it for themselves. I am proud to have talked about a dish that connects me to my grandmother and to my culture. I just wished I showcased that passion better. In reflections, I felt that I had to fit into a mold that I believed academic writing had to be impersonal and it is something I still am struggling with even towards the end of this course. I will not lie. I think that my writing could improve if I allowed myself to be passionate about the topic. Even though I know the course encourages writing with purpose, it is difficult to believe that academic writing can be personal. It almost feels wrong to talk about personal feelings in what should be academic writing and that it is best to be almost clinical about the topic at hand. So my question would be “How to allow ourselves to be passionate about their writing in an Academic sense?”
I truly think had I thought about making the project a bit more challenging or even made the more complex version of pupusas, I could have done better. The black beans and cheese variation of pupusas are one of the simplest forms the pupusas can take, and even my own family likes to make versions with meat and some vegetables in them. I could have talked about the chicharron and the importance of that pork had in our culture. Since most farm animals were better alive and working the field, pigs are one of the few that are raised for their meat. It is common to buy pigs for big celebrations and use the meat for filling in pupusas and tamales for Easter and Christmas. As a result, the pork filling is a popular one for big family events. In this I could have talked more about my own family and why we always ate these together during be events. Why pupusas are the national dish of El Salvador, even though it is a humble and readily available recipe.
I am grateful for having talked about the dish. And from what I saw in the class discussion, it inspired someone to want to seek it out and try it for themselves. I am proud to have talked about a dish that connects me to my grandmother and to my culture. I just wished I showcased that passion better. In reflections, I felt that I had to fit into a mold that I believed academic writing had to be impersonal and it is something I still am struggling with even towards the end of this course. I will not lie. I think that my writing could improve if I allowed myself to be passionate about the topic. Even though I know the course encourages writing with purpose, it is difficult to believe that academic writing can be personal. It almost feels wrong to talk about personal feelings in what should be academic writing and that it is best to be almost clinical about the topic at hand. So my question would be “How to allow ourselves to be passionate about their writing in an Academic sense?”