Demo Speech Self Eval

My demonstration speech was on “How to Make Strawberry Short stacks.” College students are busy, so quick and easy dessert recipes are helpful in simplifying our lives. The best part about this recipe is that no baking is needed, which works well because college students don’t have time to ‘cook.’ This recipe is a sweet alternative to making a delicious dessert; simple enough for busy college students to make.

Ingredients required in Strawberry Short stacks are 1 pint of fresh strawberries (rinsed and sliced), 1 can whipped or creamy strawberry frosting, 1 package of poundcake, and 1 container of whipped cream. Start by slicing 3 pieces of cakes from the pound cake horizontally. Then take two of the three pieces of cakes and spread 1 tablespoon of whipped cream on each piece of cake. Add 4-5 pieces of sliced strawberries on top to the two whipped cake pieces. Stack the two cake pieces on top of each other (in layers). Take the third piece of cake and spread 1 tablespoon of strawberry whipped frosting on top. Place the third piece of cake on top of the other two layers. Add 3-4 pieces of sliced strawberries to top layer. Garnish with a whole strawberry or mint leaves to serve.

Overall, I think my presentation went well; I was enthusiastic, the volume of my voice was adequate, my physical demonstration of the preparation steps helped clarify what it was I was talking about, and good eye contact was maintained, switching from audience to preparing my dessert, vice versa. The visual aids I brought also helped my audience understand better the ingredients and steps to preparing Strawberry Short Stacks.

If I was to do this presentation again, I would still pick showing the class how to make Strawberry Short Stacks. Not only did the class enjoy this dessert, but Strawberry Short Stacks is truly an easy alternative to a delicious dessert in minutes! If I was to change one thing about my presentation, though, I would fill in information for one ‘dead time’ slot in my presentation (when I was putting whipped cream on the two cake slices). The dead time there could have been used more effectively. Overall, this presentation went well and the class also seemed to enjoy it.

...Response to Austin Sphon's Blog...

I really enjoyed reading Austin Sphon’s blog on preparing a healthy meal. Not only does his dish sound delicious, but Austin explained his steps to preparing this meal very well. His directions are clear, organized and easy to follow, even for someone that may not have necessarily cooked before. Because eating out can be very costly at times, not mentioning the fact that it’s not always the healthiest option, it’s good to prepare our meals whenever we have the time to do so. What I like best about preparing my own meals is that I know exactly what I’m eating. Unlike eating out where some ingredients are unhealthy or ambiguous, I have a good understanding of what it is I’m consuming; and that’s a good feeling. As agreed by Austin, “after eating this meal I feel content.” It’s a good feeling when we know what we’re eating and when we’re eating right!
Another part of Austin’s blog that I like is the fact that he stressed on “washing your hands after dealing with raw chicken.” I cook a lot myself, too, and it’s always important to make sure that we don’t cause cross contamination when preparing our ingredients. Thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing everything after preparing a meal is just important as remembering to check that the stove is off after cooking. Proper sanitation is important because the next person in to use the counterparts in the kitchen you’ve previously used may assume the counters are clean and may place a fruit or open snack on an area where raw meat was previously laid. By keeping dishes and counterparts sanitized after use, we not only protect ourselves, but our family and loved ones from harmful bacteria, which could make us sick. Great blog, Austin, keep up the good work!

CHECK OUT AUSTIN'S BLOG AT: http://austinspohnlsc100s10.blogspot.com/

"Real" Food vs. "Fake" Food: Canned Mandarin Oranges, anyone?!?

I like eating clementines and tangerines because they are easy to peel and taste sweeter than other oranges. However, because these fruits are not available year round, a little costly, and tend to spoil faster than I can eat them, I often buy canned mandarin oranges (especially during school season because I don’t have as much time to grocery shop).
“Mandarin oranges” is a term that applies to an entire group of citrus fruits (1). Therefore, canned mandarin oranges are peeled clementines, tangerines, and other varieties of the citrus family soaked in syrup. In comparing taste, the processed orange pieces are a lot sweeter than the real ones. This is because mandarin oranges are canned with sugar, water, and citric acid (2). The looks of both versions of fruits are very pretty. However, the canned orange pieces have a brighter orange look to them than the real orange pieces. Because mandarin oranges go through a long process of getting canned, they are washed and cleaned several times. As a result, mandarin oranges lose most of their fragrant smell and real citrusy taste.

According to an article by HealthNewsDigest.com, the canning process of fruits and vegetables locks in nutrients and freshness. In some cases, canned fruits and vegetables are even considered to have more nutrients than fresh or frozen ones. I find this a little bizarre because I thought canned fruits and vegetables are never as nutritious as fresh ones due to important nutrient loss in the course of production. This article is interesting, but it contradicts my views. I think it’s always best to consume fruits and vegetables fresh because one voids all the preservatives and additives found in canned goods. For instance, canned mandarin oranges are preserved in a lot of sugar. Per one cup serving, there are 39 grams of sugar and 153 calories (3). One fresh mandarin orange, on the other hand, has only 103 calories (4). It’s no doubt that most of the calories in canned mandarin oranges come from natural sugars. Some essential vitamins, such as vitamin A and C are also found in a one cup serving of mandarin oranges. Other nutrients, in small numbers, that are also found in mandarin oranges are protein, iron, calcium and dietary fiber. The amount of nutrients in each is 2 grams or less (3).

Though they’re not as nutritious as fresh oranges, canned mandarin oranges offer me convenience and are less costly. When late spring and early summer approaches, which clementines and tangerines will be cheaper in prices, I’ll start buying the “real” oranges. For now, though, canned mandarin oranges are a good substitute.


References:
1. http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/whatmandarin.htm

2. http://kunyutj.en.alibaba.com/product/202732326-200112749/Canned_mandarin_orange_in_syrup.html  

3. http://www.elook.org/nutrition/fruits/2463-1.html  
4. http://www.ehow.com/facts_5144199_mandarin-oranges-nutrition.html  

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Response to Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food begins with the idea that we, as human beings, should increase our consumption of whole fresh foods while decrease our consumption of meat and other highly processed foods. Pollan argues that we used to know how to eat well without guidance from health professionals. However, it was the emergence of the food industry that caused us to lose our roots in healthy eating. The food industry, for example, introduced us to “edible foodlike substances,” with foods high in carbs and sugar. Processed foods, according to Pollan, lack the vital nutrients found in fresh whole foods. Though processed foods may claim to have health benefits, they are anything but healthy. And regular consumption of such foods, including meat, slows down our metabolism, encouraging fat storage and causes us to overeat (Pollan, 2008, 1).

Another of Pollan’s argument focuses on the idea that the more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become. Pollan beliefs this is caused by our lack of nutritional understanding and anxiety. As an alternative to healthy eating, Pollan proposes that we return to our tradition ways of eating freshly grown unprocessed foods rather than eating too much meat and other unhealthy foods. Pollan confirms that it’s important to relearn what healthy foods are and hopefully this can help us “eat more of the right ones, fewer of the wrong, and we’ll live longer, avoid chronic disease, and lose weight” (Pollan, 2008, 20). Pollan believes that by doing so, we can begin to make thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives.

Similar to Pollan’s view on the need for people to reduce their consumption of meat, John M. Berardi, writer of the article – “Meat: Good for us or Disease Waiting to Happen” – also thinks that frequent consumption of meat is bad for one’s health. Berardi provides evidence that eating too much meat and other wrong types of food can increase one’s likelihood to develop cancer. Berardi finds that people who eat a lot of meat also tends to eat less of other healthy foods, such as vegetables and fruits and unprocessed grains. Therefore, their diets then have higher calories and saturated fats and lower nutrients, such as fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals (Berardi, 2009).

**In Defense of Food cover retrieved from here.

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"If taking vitamins doesn't keep you healthy enough, try more laughter." - Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort