Learning Enterprises Cookbook.

This year, LE will be testing out a fundraiser that has been floating around for years but is finally ready to become implemented. One of your fondest memories during the time you spend in your village will undoubtedly be the food. What better way to remember your time there (and raise us some dough) than through an LE cookbook?!

Think about it. New and creative recipes from rural villages the world over, brought to you by a student-run NGO. People love organic and sustainable agriculture, what can be more earth-friendly than a dish made from a backyard garden in Slovakia or China?

So what do you need to do as a volunteer? Not that much really:

1. Get at least one recipe from EACH of your host families during your stay. If you are only with one family the whole time, try to get at least two.
2. Write it down on whatever while you are over there, but please type it up when you get back. Be sure to include a list of ingredients, how many people it serves, prep time, cook time, name of dish, etc. I can barely read my own writing half the time, let alone some note card you carried with you halfway across the world. You’ll send this all to us when you get back, probably to something like
recipes (at) le (dot) org
3. Keep in mind that the measurements used are likely going to be different from what is used in the States. Write down whatever is used, and then an equivalent. Something like a pinch should be fine to keep, but try to estimate what something larger would be.
Personally, I have a Great Great Aunt who still cooks with this old world measuring cup that probably measures in furlongs or hogsheads or something archaic like that. She makes the best pies with it, but if I was giving the recipe to other people, next to “one scoop flour from old world measuring cup” I would write 1 ¼ cups, or whatever the equivalent is.
4. If you’re only going to get two, choose something that is palatable. Sure, goat spleen was great at the time, but nobody is going to buy a cookbook with that in it. Or, better yet, include the spleen recipe in addition to the other ones you send in, so we can make an “extreme recipe” section or something.
Also, keep in mind that that lots of people will probably be submitting the same recipe as you. If there’s a local delicacy, go for it.
5. Be sure to take lots of pictures! Get a picture of your host mother or father cooking the food, the end result, etc.. The more pictures, the more likely it will end up in the book!
6. Also, keep in mind where you are. We’ll probably have lots of recipes from somewhere like Mexico, but Mauritius where there are fewer volunteers… not so much. So try to keep that in mind when figuring out how many you’ll bring back.

That’s about it really. This should be a fun assignment for you in that not only will you have a tangible memory from your stay, but it also enables you to take an interest and bond with your host family. You may not speak their language, but you can both share in a meal together.



Sincerely,
Brian Conway
Director of Training and Recruiting
Learning Enterprises