Good bye Rensizzle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

An unforgettable day metting a wonderful chinese-cuban senior and her husband

Brianna's oval shaped Pizza

Girelle satisfied with her pizza while everyone else is still working!!

My Pizza dough

Today ( Friday,30,2011) was our last and awesom day throughout Rensizzle week. Many of us came 8:00 A.M to make the dough with Girelle, so that by around 11:00 we would have made our pizza's.But before making our pizza'a Ana gave us a presentation about racism, which was quite interesting:) Our pizza'a came out really good. Jenny was trying to be creative and made a heart pizza, Brianna made an oval one, and the rest of us mostly made circle or old country style, which was very neat. I invited CJ over and she said that the pizza tasted great. Overall this Rensizzle week was the best, and I hope there will be more groups like this next year. Thanks to Girelle who brought about this rensizzle group, and thanks to Carol, Ana, and Laura's mother for joining us:)                             

Erica and Marcela working so hard to get that perfect circle:) 

 Jenny's Heart shaped Pizza  

  I hope everyone enjoyed rensizzle week!!    Saoussan Elghouass:)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                            

Nahuatl Song

Sadly, our last day of Rensizzle has come to an end. Thank you all for such a wonderful week. I hope we take Ana's suggestion to get together often to cook and bake.

Some ask me to post the song in Nahuatl that Yao taught us on Wednesday. Here it is:

Huey Tonantzin, Tonantzin

Huey Tonantzin (2x)

Enpalmenoami Toyolotnantzin

Tlazonkamati, Tonantzin (2x)

Grand mother Earth

Giver of life, with my heart I sing

With my mouth I say I love you

Fernanda's late post -__-

 

Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute was the exciting day of the week for me. At the center we learned the history of Santeria. I was very connected to lady that was talking because she was part of this religion and I have learned history of Santeria. Santeria to me plays a BIG HUGE  part of my life. I also learned how to dance also the fact that every dance step has a meaning to the dance. the lady that was talking gave ME a GIFT. it was a book called "The Alter of My Soul". I don't like to read but this cook is very interesting and I love it!!!!!! 

Exploring The Hidden Culture of Corona

Today our group traveled to a place that makes freshly made tortillas. We got a full tour of the building and we were able to see where they make the tortillas. They allowed us to make our own tamales and tortillas! The experience was so much fun and so unique. The food was delicious and filled me up so quickly. I had chicken tacos for lunch and an Oreo ice Popsicle for dessert. I really enjoyed my time with everyone today, yet again!

~`Erica Faith`~

Colorful Culture

Yesterday on March 28^th, 2011, we got to travel to Girelle’s house and cook food dishes from a few different cultures. The combinations of aromas filled the entire house and were delicious. We cooked chicken, rice and rosewater and chocolate pudding. We also made a fruit salad! The puddings originated from Mexico and The Dominican Republic. Girelle combined both types of recipes which combined milk with rosewater to make it creamier. I liked Girelle’s version better! Through this experience, I learned how to cook more complex and colorful dishes and I had the chance to enjoy really good quality time with everyone in the group. I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

~`Erica Faith`~

Field Trip to Tortilleria Nixtamal

These are all the tamales we made

Today was awesome even though I got to Tortilleria Nixtamal a few minuets late. I loved the way it was styled, half factory and half restaurant. The owner of the restaurant took us downstairs where all the corn was soaked, then grinded into a powder like texture. The grounded corn is used to make tortillas and tamales.At first we watched one of the workers, showing us step by step on how to make tamales, and then we had the opportunity to make some of our own.

The lady showing us the process in making sweet tamales:)

After seeing all these wonderful machines and making tamales, we went upstairs for lunch.It was amazing because the food looked small; you'd never think you'd be full.

Laura's Mother joined us for the day :)

 

Saoussan:)

The corn grinder 

Ubiquitous History

As students and teachers it is easy to get caught up inside history textbooks. I am thankful for this week because our experiences have been reminded me, again and again, that history is not set in stone as written in textbooks and that examining our own cultures and histories help us reaffirm our identities and make our lives richer.

History was alive in the voice of Yao as she explained that at least one million people speak Nahualt, the language of the Aztecs, and that millions more use the Aztec calendar and practice its religious traditions and dances. The Aztecs came to life again as Laura taught us how to dance their music and salute the four winds. The Aztecs became real when we made tamales and tortillas like the ones Sahagun described 600 years ago. 

When we prepared ceviche and chicha yesterday, we re-enacted a culinary tradition that has digressed little from its original Inca roots. Pairing chifles with our ceviche demonstrated that, although tragic, the encountered between Incas and Spaniards also produced good things. 

Today, the African Diaspora was no longer confined to a chapter in a book. We experienced it as we listened to Melody explain why people of African descend stay connected deities like chango, ochun, babalua and yamaya. Dancing slave music from Trinidad, we celebrated African culture in the Americas with our hands, feet and laugh.

In school we were taught about feet binding, indenture servitude and the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Today these three “concepts” became real through Dona Caridad. Born in Cuba to Chinese parents, Dona Caridad spoke of female relatives in China whose feet had been bound in hope of marrying into wealth, how her father came to Cuba from China to work as an indenture servant, how he won the lottery and set up businesses that made him rich, and how his fortune was confiscated after the Cuban Revolution and replaced with monthly food rations and a $60 dollar allowance. Her talk ended with a reminder to work hard and steadily, for this is the only way to take ownership over our own histories.

-Girelle