So, naturally, I started this assignment wondering what kind of folk knowledge (knowledge that can only be imparted interpersonally, if that's a word) I could possibly pass on to someone. (Is it ironic that I’m doing this
assignment immediately after my blog post about how bullying is a form of passing on folk knowledge? Don't worry, it didn't make the list.)
Here's the list of ideas I had:
1) solving rubik’s cubes.
2) Running track (proper form, etc.)
3) Playing the piano (waaaaaay too
complicated for a short lesson)
4) Flipping a tortilla. Bingo.
 |
| Loving the dough, essential to any good tortilla. |
As soon as the idea of tortillas came into
my head, I knew that was the one I wanted to do. I immediately started craving warm, fresh
flour tortillas straight off the frying pan, with butter, with cinnamon and
vanilla ice cream, with a huge, steaming pile of beans...long story short, I wanted tortillas immediately. I went
to Taco Bell for lunch and came away a little disappointed, and I knew right then that my
hankering for tortillas wasn’t going anywhere until I made myself some.
Well, I found myself a friend, Cassandra,
who happened to be interested in learning to make tortilla shells. I had the
ingredients, I had a pan heating on the stove, I had my guinea pig (I mean,
volunteer), everything was set! Oh,
wait, no. We didn't have any rolling
pins. Well, I’m supposed to be passing
on folk knowledge, and I’ve made
tortillas without rolling pins before, it just makes the process more interesting. We like interesting in this class, right?
 |
| "Yay, I caught one!" |
Well, she came by my apartment, and we got right into it. First, I showed
her the recipe to make the dough (it’s very simple), then I taught her how to ‘love’
the dough balls. This is where the folk knowledge first comes in. You see, some people
think that they just need to separate the dough into balls, and then they are
confused as to why they end up with an inferior product. You have to love your tortilla shells!! And you show that love by massaging the dough
balls after you’ve pulled them off the main lump. This is what separates novice from master.
Rolling the shells is more or less like
rolling anything else; not having a rolling pin complicates the process
slightly, because you have to find another implement (I favor a tall glass,
personally. I got lots of experience
with glasses on my mission, living in under-equipped apartments), but in the
end, it’s all the same. The real trick
comes in cooking the tortillas; there’s a trick to knowing when they’re ready
that is virtually impossible to describe in words, yet it’s very easy to show
someone else, if you already know what you’re looking for. The other fun trick
to show off is actually flipping the tortilla in the air, a skill that I
have refined and am rather proud of. I
remember when I used to have competitions with other missionaries to see who
could flip a tortilla the most times…*ahem*…To her credit, Cassandra was a very
fast learner, she managed to flip a few of her own tortillas without dropping
them (although to be fair, she did land
them on their sides, which made them fold up the wrong way).
And there you have it! Voilà one student who has learned a new life skill that she can pursue, hone and sharpen, until one day she might rival her master. Most importantly for me, though, I finally get to savor my *favorite* homemade tortillas for the whole weekend…mmmmmmmm…I like this kind of homework!
 |
| The look on my face, the posture, I look bored, but actually, I'm just relaxed; in my native element so to speak. |
No comments:
Post a Comment