Pharmacology Blog: September 2016

With another month passing by, and a handful of new experiences underneath my belt, I felt a little more secure about my place in New Orleans and the Tulane Pharmacology program. With this new stability came an increased confidence in being outgoing and actively helping others in the Goldring nutrition program. At the start, my volunteering comprised mostly of washing dishes, fetching plates and fielding questions between the students and the educators. After about three weeks volunteering with the nutrition center, I have become more comfortable with my surroundings and have gained a deeper understanding of each of the dishes, and from time to time assist in the cooking  process.Typically the meals are prepared by 4 different groups and can vary from small dishes to large week long meal prep style creations. Although it is impractical for one group to make 4 different meals, I couldn't help but feel that some of the students were missing out on certain cooking experiences. How was one individual supposed to learn how to properly cook the ground beef in spaghetti when their recipe only used vegetarian substitutes? And on the opposite hand, how could the ground beef spaghetti bring out the flavor in vegetables when they only used ground beef? My concerns were easily addressed at the end of class when the different groups came together to present their creations and consume their meals, they immediately began to converse on the strengths and weakness of each dish. Balancing the need for nutritional change against cultural comforts all while designing meals underneath 2.50 a plate is what the Goldring Nutrition center strives to do. I look forward to my next months volunteering here as well as the opportunity to improve both my knowledge and my cooking.

08/30/2016

 The first day of volunteering at the GoldRing Center of Nutrition began as calmly and easy-going as I could have wished for. With the start of the new school season, the class was seeing a lower attendance rate comparatively to previous classes,so much so that second portion of cooking supplies had to be returned to the freezer for another day. Although I expected to be doing a fair amount of cooking and prep work, I ultimately ended acting as a troubleshooting agent and cooking assistant for the students of the class. Rather than chopping vegetables, preparing chicken or skinning potatoes, I was cleaning dishes, washing bowls, and retrieving extra knives. Typically one might assume that I would feel bored or unchallenged given this situation, but reflective of the Goldring nutrition center the skills you learn and obtain are relative to the amount of effort put in . The staff at the Goldring center rewards curiosity, answering questions in an understandable manner while simultaneously posing the pro's and con's. I believe that my first experience volunteering at the Goldring center was a lesson in humility and humbleness. Despite being a student in the pharmacology program, to properly practice medicine it is important to take a step back and create an opportunities for others to best learn.