What to do: 

„Conceptualize, plan in advance and eat something different. Eat something

different; that is, eat something completely different, not something that has been just left out
of your diet; suggestions: a different culture, an entirely new creation, or a different manner
or definition of eating. You should understand that this is not an assignment solely about
food, but about the process of eating, literally and figuratively. Again, plan and implement
your plan; report on the results. “
What I planned: I have lots of cookbooks in my kitchen from the times when there was not
Internet and people had recipes either in their head, in books written by oneself or in
specialized cookbooks. My idea was to close my eyes, go to the shelf, grab a book, open it
and chose a recipe. All with closed eye. I gave three chances to me, so I had the possibility
to find a recipe I had never tried before. Then I planned to look if the ingredients are already
in my stores and maybe buy what is missed. If the recipe would result in an amount too big
to eat alone, I planned to take everything with me to my job and share with the kids I am
working with.
What I did: I waited nearly until the last moment.
Two days before the deadline I went to my shelf and
first I found a recipe I already knew, repeated griping
with the same effect, and only the last trial gave me
a recipe I never tried before. It was a strudel. I never
tried to create it because you have to roll a really thin
pastry. Also, I usually make cake only for family
celebration and then I chose a recipe where I am
sure that it will be successful. So, in the end I had
found my special food, I thought. There were only
some nuts to buy, but as mentioned I had not really
much time.
But soon my ingredients where prepared and waited for me on the
kitchen table. I thought: „OK, it’s an experiment. And for class. And if it
doesn’t work it will be still fun. But there was no time left to share with
the kids. Look for someone else? And when the strudel is awful? Maybe
cut 7 pieces for each day of the week and eat 1 piece each day until the
next deadline? To remember?

I prepared the pastry. It had to rest half an hour in a warm pot Why? I prepared the filing, I
cleaned the dishes. Then I took the pastry out of the pot. A whole
strudel for one person! And no birthday and no festival. But why not?
400 gr of nuts. That’s a lot! How to eat that all?
I rolled the pastry. Thin, thinner. 50 x 70 cm. I used a ruler. Thinner.
Measuring. Thinner. 50 x 70 cm. Ready. I placed the filling. I rolled the
strudel. I placed it nicely on the backing sheet. Proud! It looked so
good! Or not? A little bit strange it looks on the picture below. Into the oven. Half an hour. 5
Minutes powdered sugar. Ready!
Good smell! Good taste? I wanted to decorate and then cut
it .
While decorating I returned to what I always do. The only
difference was that it was only for me. Nobody else. I never
made pastry only for me before. Never. Only now. But it felt
not really different. I expected something special. But it’s not.
Sorry! I tasted it and it was awful! It was dry. It was hard. It
became bigger and bigger in my mouth! How to swallow? I
had to drink. Seven pieces! How to eat? And I can’t offer it to somebody else. Not this
quality! It’s no joy. It’s a torture. 
I chew. I swallow. I chew. I swallow. I drink a little bit. It doesn’t help.
There are big crumbs around my teeth. It’s awful. But I eat it all.
Slowly. It takes me one and a half hour for one piece and I feel
completely filled. Tomorrow the same? And the day after
tomorrow? And the next? And so on a whole week? There will not
be much space for other food the next days. And where to keep
it? So it’s not getting bad? With these sticks on top? But I will
try. What an awful experiment! I want back the food I know. And
were I know I like it! And I don’t know what to do now. I can’t
throw food that is still eatable. Eatable? Is it really eatable?
What I learned: This moment I don’t know how the story will end. It was an interesting idea
to choose a recipe with closed eyes. I also liked it to make a strudel and
that I made it only for me. And it was a nice change in daily life that I
decorated it like there was birthday when it was only a quite normal day.
But most important for me is that I like the taste of the food I eat. That’s
more important than all the surrounding circumstances. And quite often I
reach that I like the taste of the food also when I am cooking for me alone
and often, I create new things just out of ordinary food.
In this experiment of creativity, I did something
different than usual. I followed a strict guideline in preparation and
concentrated the creativity on the surroundings. But this is not the best
way to be creative with food. Interesting and satisfying taste comes first.
All other factors are subordinated! I think I don’t have to change
something with my food habit. Not in relation to cooking habits. And the
beautiful or interesting decoration cannot help when to taste of the food is not satisfying!