What Does This Mean?

I cannot say with absolute certainty that the kitchen (dining area/kitchenette) of an ESL school is any different than the equivalent room in any other office space. There are lots of objects that are common to both.  I am sure that cutlery disappears with equal frequency.  However, I have the gut feeling that it is different.

The ESL eating area is not packed with nicely co-ordinated, store bought, dishes and plates. Even calling it a ragtag collection of dishes, cups, and disappearing utensils doesn’t seem to measure up.  If I were to characterize it, I would call it a dumping ground for non-offensive kitsch from all over the world.  Often students bring us souvenirs, or departing teacher’s leave things behind that they acquired from students, or in their travels.

Today, as I was cleaning up my coffee cup I spotted the cup above in the drain rack and decided to take a look. I was a little confused by the message and I hope you can clear it up for me.

You see, I had two conflicting thoughts about the cup’s message. Does it mean:

1.  Hey USA! Go out and discover the world around you. Go see that there is beauty beyond your boarders and ideas beyond your thinking.
2. The world is in the USA.
3.  Something completely different but unclear to me.

I am a big believer in travel and exploration. There is a great big world of ideas out there that we need to see and experience.  So, I am hoping it is the first idea that it is trying to get across.

I polled all the teachers I could and more than 90% thought it was the second one.

I have no idea, but I need to mull it over. I would be happy to receive your input.

The other funny thing is that the back of the cup is written in Spanish and conveys a completely different idea–something like, we travel to change not our place but our ideas.

That’s a pretty cool thought.

Over Easy

Cooking shows have come a long way since the early days of television. I especially remember Wok with Yan on Canadian TV.  It was a much simpler time and so different from things like Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef, and the British Baking Show.  With the exception of the original Japanese TV show Iron Chef, I am not sure things are better.

What has this got to do with Today’s Perfect Moment? Everything and nothing is the best answer I can give you.  Hopefully after reading a bit more you will understand.

Today’s Perfect Moment has to do with omelettes. I love making and eating omelettes. On my fantastic bike trips to Vietnam and Cambodia I had them as often as possible.  At home, I have them less often, but I still enjoy them on weekends when I have a chance to have them.  If you follow my instagram page, you have probably already seen photos of them.  You might even have read my post Omelette Revisited.

Today’s Perfect Moment is not about making the perfect omelette. There are lots of perfect ones. My omelette creations are dictated by what I have in the fridge and who I might be making them for.  Usually they are pretty good and sometimes they are even great.  Though I hate to brag, I have to tell you that today’s omelet was great.  Sadly, I didn’t have the forethought to prepare some good sides to go with it.

So if Today’s Perfect Moment is not about the perfect omelette, what is it about? Today’s Perfect Moment was about the perfect omelette flip out of the pan and onto the plate.  Nothing stuck. The omelette was cooked perfectly–the vegetables cooked but not too soft, the cheese melted, but not runny, and the eggs just fluffy enough.  When it came out of the pan it hit the plate in a perfect half-moon without breaking.  I muttered a “Ta Da!” to myself.

Everything comes full circle. This was something I had learned from one of those early cooking shows.

If you want to read more about my cooking adventures, I recommend the following blogs.

The Chicken Sandwich

An Oversight

Turkey, the Day After

Pizza, Free and Delicious

I know bloggers are supposed to take photos before they eat….but it was too tempting.

We have a custom at work that basically works like this. If you have something you want to share (get rid of is also a kind of sharing) put it on the table in the kitchen area.  Over the years this has included books, magazines, VHS tapes, DVD’s, kids books, and even a curling iron.  Sometimes this is because people are generous and sometimes this is because ESL teachers are spreading their wings and flying off to some other teaching destination.  Many of us got into the profession for that ability to travel and work.

In addition to the items mentioned above, there is often food. Sometimes somebody baked a cake.  Sometimes a student gave them food that was either too much for them to eat, they felt like sharing, or didn’t like the food and hoped that somebody would eat it.  They are rarely disappointed.  Other times, there is just leftover food from some function (meetings, guests, orientation)

In today’s case, I walked into the kitchen area and spotted the pizza box. I think I have some psychic connection to pizza boxes.  At that time of day, finding pizza leftover is like striking it rich.  I swooped down upon it immediately.  There were two pieces left in the box.  Despite my diet, I really wanted to eat them both.  However, I showed great restraint and notified my colleague that there was a piece to be had.  In fact, I even let my colleague pick first.  It wasn’t a psychological ploy, but my colleague did, in fact, choose the smaller of the two pieces.

As far as pizza goes, it was delicious. It being free and available after 5:00 only made it doubly so. So, was Today’s Perfect moment:

1. a) pizza
2. b) free pizza
3. c) delicious pizza

If you answered “all of the above” you score perfect marks.

Playing Hooky

I played hooky from school today.

I know I am the teacher, and technically it isn’t hooky, but it feels so much better to say it that way. It means all the indulgences of today (a couple of which I might share with you) feel much better….wickedly better.

Someone asked me why I was taking today off. My only answer was that I could.  So there.

So, far I have enjoyed my leisurely drunk cups of coffee and Pillsbury crescent rolls. Unhurried coffee is an excellent way to spend your morning.  As for the crescent rolls, I’ve had croissants in Paris with a heaping bowl of hot chocolate–this is merely a morning snack.

I have no pictures of the crescent rolls because they weren’t very photogenic. I bought the tube when it was on sale and I am pretty sure it was nearing its expiration date.  They tasted fine, but they couldn’t compete with the food photographs I have seen on WP.

 

Sandwich Mindfulness

So often we are rushed. Rushed to do our work.  Rushed to make better use of our time.  Rushed to finish a project.  Rushed to finish work so we can rush home and rush around before going to bed.

Today, amid the rushing of others, I took a few moments for lunch. I was by myself in the kitchen area.  The world outside the windows looked bright and calm, belying the temperature of the unseasonably cool late summer.  Having read most of an interesting book on mindfulness,  I applied a bit of mindfulness to my lunch.  I concentrated and tasted every bite.  It was a homemade sandwich dutifully warmed up in the toaster oven.  It was delicious.  It was Perfect.