Criterion A: Investigating
Define a clear goal and context for your project, based on personal interests.
The goal I have set for my personal project is to research different cultural foods of Italian and Asian origin and then combine them to create a new recipe that will then turn into a delightful dish. After completing my mind-map of personal project ideas, I decided to develop my cooking skills and create an Asian Italian fusion recipe, which are my two favourite cuisines. I considered this goal to be highly challenging because I have never mixed these cuisines together and I have to use different textures and flavors and make sure that they all work well together to create a delicious but also aesthetically pleasing fusion dish.
I chose this topic because I love food and I like to cook and these are two of my favourite cuisines. Also, I am very interested in how mixing the different cuisines together will turn out and how the different flavors and textures will work to make a delightful dish. Through this project, I hope to gain more skills in the kitchen and have more knowledge on both cultures and the different dishes and ingredients, which they use.
The Global context I chose was “Personal and Cultural Expression”. The global context of ‘Personal and cultural expression’ allows me to explore the following question: How can the combinations of different cuisines in recipes, come together to create a delicious dish? I chose this because my personal project is on two different cultures one which is also my nationality, so this global context is the most suitable one for my topic.
Through my personal project I am hoping to develop my cooking skills and explore ways in which I can improve these abilities for the future. I would like to create a dish that is both aesthetically pleasing but also has good flavors from both of the cultures that blend well together.
The global context of personal and cultural expression has given greater purpose to my project as it enabled me to focus on developing a new fusion recipe.
Identify prior learning and subject-specific knowledge relevant to the project
Asian- Vietnamese, Cambodian and Chinese
• They use a lot of spices in their cooking
• They use sauces like oyster sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce
• They marinate their meat and vegetables in sauces for more flavor
• They balance out their flavors with sugar and salts
• Uses vegetables and rice or noodles
Italian Cuisine
• Pasta- gnocchi, spaghetti, ravioli, penne, fettuccine, macaroni and more
• Pasta sauces- Bolognese, pesto, carbonara, Milanese, Alfredo
• They use a lot of cheese- mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta
• Olives, olive oil, rice, tomatoes, dried tomatoes, garlic, prosciutto used in
cooking
• Lots of sauces and meat
• Popular dishes include- risotto, pizza, spaghetti and carbonara
Popular Asian Dishes
• Fried rice
• Pho- Asian soup
• Spring rolls
• Dumplings, dim sum and wontons
• Stir fry
• Honey chicken, lemon chicken, satay beef, lemongrass chicken, pork belly
• Fried ice cream- dessert
• Egg tarts- dessert
Popular Italian Dishes
• Pizza
• Spaghetti
• Risotto
• Ravioli
• Carbonara
• Tiramisu – dessert
• Focaccia
• Gelato- dessert
• Parmigiana
Subject-specific knowledge
The two subjects that I have studied over the past three years during the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at Roma Mitchell Secondary College that have helped me establish prior knowledge for my project are Food Technology and my language class which is Italian.
In Food Technology Class – In food tech class we inquired how to create a multicultural banquet. Our task was to choose a country represented in our school and then design and prepare a signature dish from that country to be presented at the banquet. In this subject I was able to develop some cooking skills and learn how to create different cultural dishes such as Italian, Asian and Greek dishes which helped me for my personal project as it was some of the cuisines which I am using for my project.
In My Italian Class: Throughout my Italian classes I have learnt about the history of the Italian culture and where their language comes from and about the different dishes and how they make them and when they were first created. This subject has helped me to learn more about the cuisine and culture and how the dishes are created which gave me some background information for my personal project.
Demonstrate research skills.
Throughout this project I have developed my research skills, how to evaluate sources and how to apply this information to the context of my project ( creating an Asian Italian fusion recipe and dish) Before researching and evaluating sources, I had firstly defined what it was that I needed to research, I then identified how I will find these sources, their location and how to access the source. After following this process, I then identified how I would extract relevant information needed for my project and apply it into my outcome.
I had evaluated each of the sources that I had decided research and apply to my project by answering the following questions: Authority – Who is responsible for providing this information and what are their qualifications/level of experience? Accuracy – Is the information accurate? Can it be verified through other sources? Objectivity – Does the provider of this information have any bias towards the information that they are providing? Does that impact the credibility and accuracy of their information? By evaluating each of my sources I was able to identify how each source can be applied and used to my project.
Primary Sources:
My two primary sources for this project were my grandma as she is from the Asian culture and cooks a lot of Asian dishes and also Jamie Oliver who is a famous chef. While researching I was able to come across Jamie Oliver’s book “Jamie Cooks Italy”, I also watched some of his videos on making both Italian and Asian dishes and watched the different techniques he used and how he added flavors and combined different textures and types of food together which helped me work towards achieving my outcome. By using both of these sources, I was able to gain information regarding how to develop my skills and techniques when cooking with different ingredients and textures by watching videos from Jamie Oliver following his step by step guides on how to cook and how to make dishes and work with different textures and flavors and by also going over to my grandmas house and helping her make different Asian dishes and having her give me tips, tricks and also teaching me how to use the ingredients and showing me how to balance the flavors out. Jamie Oliver provided highly effective information which I was able to use and transfer into my project, while my grandmas information was fairly effective as I got to work with her in person and she got to physically help me overcome obstacles and help me improve in different aspects of my project. Overall the information was effective enough and helped me to make my project better.
Secondary sources:
There is a large variety of online recipes and cooking videos that I was able to access and transfer into my project. The websites I accessed to help me develop my cooking skills were thekitchn.com, timescolonist.com,
Digital Photography School, The Photo Argus, Digital Camera World and Photography Tuts Plus. I evaluated each of these sources and the authors of the articles on these sites and determined that the providers of this information were qualified and experienced, did not have bias towards a particular camera type and brand and the information was upNtoNdate and relevant as these articles were all published in the last 5 years. The information given on each of these sites can be verified as accurate as the information provided is verified on other photography sites. (For an example of this see Appendix 2)
The websites I accessed to help me develop my blog creating skills are The Creative Image and Photography Concentrate. I evaluated both of these sources and the authors of the articles on these sites and determined that the providers of this information were qualified and experienced, did not have bias towards a particular Blog provider and the information was upNtoNdate and relevant as these articles were all published in the last 5 years. The information given on each of these sites can be verified as accurate as the information provided is verified on other blog developing sites. (For an example of this see Appendix 3)
Criterion B: Planning
Develop criteria for the product/outcome
Once I had compiled all my research with my goal statement, global context and identification of prior learning and subject-specific knowledge I created 5 specifications for my Fusion Dish. These specifications will determine what I wish to accomplish and provide a guideline for how I know when I have achieved my Personal Project goal. When making my product there are a few guidelines that must be followed in order to have a successful “high quality” product. The detailed criteria for the product can be seen as a chart, this allows the product to be easily ranked according to each of the band levels. If all of the band levels receive the 7-8 mark then the product has been created according to the plan.
My specifications are:
1. My Fusion Dish must have 3 different ingredients from both of the cuisines.
2. My recipe must be presented and written in a presentable and aesthetically pleasing manner.
3. My fusion dish must be aesthetically pleasing and presentable with a variety of colours.
4. The fusion dish must have a variety of good flavors from both cuisines and have a enjoyable taste.
5. Uses different techniques to research the two cuisines and their dishes (including talking to family, talking to my Italian teacher, researching online recipes from professional chefs)
Criteria for success
I then transferred these specifications to the criteria for success rubrics so that as I progressed through creating my product/outcome I could continually self-assess and improve and when I had completed by actual project I could self-assess and ensure I had created an excellent product
Your Goal: To research different cultural foods of Italian and Asian origin, to then combine them to create a new recipe that will then turn into a delightful dish.
Your Global Context:
Personal and cultural expression:
How can the combinations of different cuisines in recipes, come together to create a delicious dish?
Excellent
7-8 Fusion dish is aesthetically pleasing and neatly presented with a variety of different colours.
Uses a variety of different and reliable techniques to research the two cuisines and their dishes (including talking to family, talking to Italian teacher, researching online recipes from professional chefs)
6. The fusion dish has a variety of delicious flavors from both of the two cuisines and has a delightful taste.
7. Fusion Dish has a variety of different flavorsome ingredients from both of the two different cuisines
Substantial
5–6
Fusion dish is pleasant looking and presentable with some colour
Uses a couple different and dependable techniques to research the two cuisines and their dishes (internet, chefs, books) 8. The fusion dish has a range of good flavors from both of the two cuisines and has an enjoyable taste.
9. Fusion Dish has 3 different tasteful ingredients from the two different cuisines
Adequate
3–4 Fusion dish is average looking and is reasonably presented
Uses minimum different techniques to do research on both cuisines (internet) 10. The fusion dish has a few common flavors from the two cuisines and has a decent taste.
11. Fusion Dish has minimum different ingredients from the two different cuisines
Limited
1–2 Fusion dish is displeasing looking and is presented at a low standard
Uses unreliable resources and techniques to commence research 12. The fusion dish has limited flavors from the cuisines and has a poor taste.
. 13. Fusion Dish has limited use of ingredients from both cuisines
No evidence
0 THE STUDENT DOES NOT MEET A STANDARD DESCRIBED IN THE DESCRIPTORS
THE STUDENT DOES NOT MEET A STANDARD DESCRIBED IN THE DESCRIPTORS
THE STUDENT DOES NOT MEET A STANDARD DESCRIBED IN THE DESCRIPTORS
THE STUDENT DOES NOT MEET A STANDARD DESCRIBED IN THE DESCRIPTORS
Plan and record the development process of the project
After developing my specifications for my fusion recipe and dish and placing this into the criteria for success rubric I then created a to do list and wrote down in a book what dates and in what time I wanted to get each job on the list completed by. This way all of the work would get done on time and completed at a high standard. I used my research on the different Italian and Asian fusion recipes and dishes to put together two of my favorite types of dishes from the two cuisines and add them both together to create my recipe and dish. Throughout the process of creating my fusion recipe and dish I was able to stick to most of the deadlines I created for myself but near the end when I had to re-create the dish I had trouble finding time to go back to the shops to get my ingredients and then also finding a time to do it as I was always busy but I did update my process journal regularly.
Demonstrate self-management skills
Self-management has not been one of my strengths throughout Year 8 to Year 10 of the Middle Years Program, however the Personal Project gave me an opportunity to develop self-management skills. The areas of self-management that I was able to develop through the personal project are my organization skills, in particular, planning strategies and taking action to achieve both a personal and academic goals. I also developed organizational skills by being able to synthesize lots of research and bring this together to create my Fusion Recipe. Although I was fairly organized throughout my whole project near the end It got a bit hard when I tried to organize things as my schedule for the day wouldn’t match up and I wouldn’t have time to complete what I needed to do, but I always found a way to come across these obstacles and with the help of the development of my organization skills I was able to complete the task I still had to d. My reflection skills developed throughout the personal project, as I had to keep a process journal and record all my reflections throughout the process of creating my recipe and then making it into a dish and having to re-make it until I was happy with how it turned out. By consistently reflecting, I was able to improve each step of the way and in doing so improved my overall project.
Criterion C: Taking action
Product/Outcome
The goal of my project was to create an Italian Asian fusion recipe. I have successfully achieved my goal, the product that I had created to achieve my outcome was a successfully constructed recipe, which got turned into a delightful dish that I then presented to family and friends. I was able to develop a recipe that met most of my specifications of my criteria for success, which I was then able to use to turn into an aesthetically pleasing dish. I was also able to overcome small issues that came along with my development process as well. For example, I was on holiday for most of the 6 weeks and I did not have my laptop or much internet so when I could I had to do research on my phone and update my process journal on my phone so that I didn’t fall behind in my personal project.
In terms of analysis, my outcome met most of my specifications for a higher marking from the criteria of success that I had developed. I was able to successfully create a Italian Asian fusion recipe that was written and presented at a good standard and I also turned it into an aesthetically pleasing dish, meaning that I had successfully achieved my goal. Additionally, I kept my global context in mind by choosing a topic that specifically touched on my background and representing another culture that I am highly interested in and wanted more knowledge on.
Demonstrate thinking skills, communication skills and social skills
In order to complete my Italian and Asian Fusion Recipe and dish, I had to critically and creatively think to solve problems that occurred throughout the process…..
I was able to demonstrate critical and creative thinking skills as I had to think creatively as to how I would present my recipe and also my dish to make it look aesthetically pleasing, and critically when it came to how I would use the two different cultural dishes and combine them together to create one dish.
A difficulty that I had faced, was the challenge of finding time to go to the shops and get ingredients for my dish and then going home to create the dish and getting a group of people to taste test it. This was hard as I needed to make sure that when I was making the dish I had people that were also free and not busy so they could try it and give me feedback on how I should improve on it, this was mostly a struggle because of time management and everyone’s different schedules.
In the end I chose to let my brother, dad, mum, grandma, cousin and aunty try my dish. I chose these people as they all have different types of food they like and different textures and flavours and I wanted to get advice and feedback from as many people as I could so by presenting my food to them I got a variety of feedback that I needed to improve on my dish.
I was able to demonstrate my communication and social skills, as I was able to communicate with my supervisor by adding journal entries so that she could see what I have completed over the time and so I could show her my research and knowledge. I also was able to meet up with my supervisor and talk with her about my personal project and she explained what was going to happen throughout the year and what I needed to do and complete.
Another way that I had successfully demonstrated my communication and social skills was through the choice of presenting my product through a dish in which I got people to taste. With researching tips on how to write and present a successful recipe and turning it into a delightful dish from famous professional chefs online and by researching information, I was able to improve on these skills to achieve my goal (See Appendix for example of tips that were developed).
Criterion D: Reflection
Evaluate the quality of the product/outcome against criteria After completing my product, I am very proud of the work I have done. My recipe was easy and fun to write and is neatly presented and can be read and comprehended easily by others. My overall Fusion Dish that I created overall turned out amazing and I am very proud of myself and the work that I have completed. The dish was challenging to make as I had to think of different techniques to use to cook the different parts of the dish such as the meat being cooked in a different way and different time frame to the pasta that was cooked or the marinate that was made. I had to keep changing the recipe and the ingredients and had to change the type of dish that I was using to fuse together multiple times because it wasn’t working out well together which was another challenging part also making sure all of the flavors worked well together and making sure I had a mixture of both cultural flavors and spices was fairly challenging.