Project Icarus Journal #1: Learning and Research Process

Describe your passion.

For so many people, eating desserts are their favorite part of dinner.  To me cooking, baking, creating, and making the dessert is the best part as well as tasting the dessert in the end to see if you got it right.  Whenever we have a party to attend to and we are bringing desserts, my mom gives me the recipe and says, “Make the dessert please.”  I always reply with, “Of course, I love to.”  On my grandfather’s birthday I always make my famous banana cream pie for me since it is his favorite.  I start by stirring the ingredients together for the crust, then pressing the crust into the pan, and putting it in the oven to bake at 340 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then I whip together the cream by mixing 2 cups of milk and 2 packages of banana pudding.  After the pan has cooled off I lay slices of banana on the crust and pour the banana pudding on top of the bananas.  Lastly you lay the cool whip on top of the banana pudding.  After you put the pie in the refrigerator and wait till it is time to serve dessert.  When I see my family members faces light up after eating my dessert makes me smile.  Thanks to that experience I know baking and creating desserts is my passion and I now have to bring the dessert for my grandfather’s birthday from now on. 

What resources will you use for your learning?  And when/ how will you access those resources?

One of my resources is Myrna Ulep, my aunty that bakes and creates almost all of the delicious desserts at family parties.  I intend to go over to her house and make the different desserts and get the recipes while interviewing her.

What questions do you want answered in your research and learning?

• Why do you bake and make all of these desserts?
• Do you feel like the culture really shows in food?
• How are able to bake and make these desserts without a recipe and just by taste?

How will you “take action” on your passion?

            Since I am pretty good at baking and creating common desserts, I felt I could expand.  Since I am not really close to my Filipino family and don’t really know the Filipino culture, I wanted to learn how to make some Filipino desserts like banana lumpia so I am able to learn a little bit about my culture and get back to my roots.