Learning to Learn Through Japanese Cuisine

For my learning project this term, I chose to learn to make Japanese food using open education sources. I found shortly after I was accepted to my Master of Education that I was expecting my third baby, so I knew that I would have to do my courses online. This project was the perfect opportunity to reflect on the learning online process, and evaluate how we can best utilize technology in our practice. There are positives and negatives to online learning, but the more we learn about digital learning platforms the better we become at navigating and overcoming some of these challenges. In putting myself in the shoes of an online learner I tried to critically evaluate the different sources I used for my learning, and in this post I am going to reflect on my process.

Youtube

I usually prefer reading to watching videos when learning, so I don’t often seek out video content. However, some concepts really need to be seen to be understood, so this term I relied heavily on YouTube videos to visually demonstrate the techniques I was learning. One of the challenges I found with learning by watching videos is that it is both too fast and too slow. I know that sounds contradictory, so let me explain. There were times when I was trying to work alongside the video, and they would speed ahead before I was at the next step. Other times I would get annoyed at the teacher for spending too much time on details I deemed irrelevant. This is why it was important to find chefs that were both engaging to listen to, and also to make good use of the pause button. One of the chefs I grew to appreciate is Joshua Weissman, and I have started watching his videos for entertainment outside of my learning. Unfortunately he doesn’t do a lot of Japanese food, but he was very helpful with my tempura dishes. Social media like Youtube has a built in review system in its comment section, and I also find that videos that have a lot of views generally provide excellent content.

ChatGPT

I rarely used ChatGPT before this course, but I have found it to be extremely useful for learning, and generating ideas. I generally used it for dish ideas, grocery lists, and to get me started before I moved to other sources with more details. I really like that you can ask it any question, and you usually get a reasonable answer.

For example, I found it quite difficult to get the tempura texture correct, so I asked ChatGPT to give me an idea of what I could have done wrong, and it offered several suggestions that I took and used to improve my technique.

You have to be a bit careful with the information given by ChatGPT though, for example I used the suggestion of egg drop soup for one of my dishes. I found out later that this dish has a Chinese background, so it is always important to verify the information you are given using outside sources. I have experimented with ChatGPT in areas where I have more expertise this semester, and I have found that it is an excellent tool when you have the background to evaluate the quality of information that is being given to you, but it should always be double checked for accuracy.

One of the challenges we are facing in education is the use of ChatGPT by students who use it to replace their own thought process instead of as an assistant. Students are using AI, so I think it is important that they understand how to use it correctly to improve their learning instead of inhibiting it. Using it in my own learning process has enabled me to identify where students should and should not use this revolutionary tool.

All Recipes

I have used All Recipes for years, and my process for this project was usually to start with ChatGPT for ideas, then go to YouTube for inspiration, but blog recipes really formed the backbone of my cooking lessons and technique. For example, I followed the recipe for California rolls from All recipes.

I like that they include step by step instructions and pictures to follow. One of the sections I find really useful is the comment section and reviews. I find that most recipes with 4 or 5 stars are good and reading the comment section can help you avoid common mistakes.

Blogs (Like Just One Cookbook)

Many of the sources I used for my learning project were excellent, but they didn’t feel very comprehensive. Just One Cookbook was the most comprehensive source I found for Japanese cuisine. Like All Recipes it contains reviews and step by step instructions, but it also includes helpful tips, kitchen tools, and substitutions when you can’t find necessary ingredients. I found this particularly useful because one of my biggest challenges was finding the right ingredients.

Just One Cookbook also has sections that give you some of the base skills for home cooking. For example, there is an entire section on preparing your Japanese pantry. The presence of a more complete education is why I think this blog was the most invaluable resource I found in moving my skills forward in Japanese cooking.

Final Takeaway

I felt like I improved a great deal over the course of the semester. I can make excellent sushi rice, sauces and I have good technique rolling sushi. My biggest challenge is how unfamiliar I am with working with fish, and the challenge of finding good quality ingredients this far from an ocean. In a sense I feel like the end of the semester snuck up on me, and I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be yet, but the beautiful thing is just because the semester is ending doesn’t mean my adventures in the kitchen will be. I plan to continue learning various dishes and techniques online. The video below is just for fun, but I wanted to show my little cheerleaders that were always in the background of my cooking show, and to reflect on some of the highlights. The music was generated by SUNO. Thanks for watching!