Can you make bread as good as a Mexican?
I'm always tempted to skip enrichment when they are doing something I already know how to do, or something in which I have no interest. A couple of months ago, they were making bunuelos. We've made bunuelos for decades, and i couldn't see what could be interesting about that - its just a fried tortilla with cinnamon and sugar. Later I found out that they made the tortillas from scratch and showed different variations of flavors. Since we aren't eating grains anyway, I didn't really want to be around the temptation, but after I found out what they did, I realized it could have been interesting.
This week enrichment was on making bread! How odd. Do Mexicans make bread? do they eat bread? I was surprised they didn't ask me to teach cause I'm the only person in the ward that probably ever has made bread, much less that eats it. I almost didn't go, but decided I really should support the program.
So I went and got there at what I thought was the starting time and the women were already busy in the kitchen kneeding the dough. It looked really funny how they were kneeding - not like its supposed to look, so I chuckled a little to myself and wondered if I should offer to show them how to knead dough properly, but I held my tongue. The President asked me if I wanted to learn, and I looked at her strangly (I'm sure) and said, no, I know how to make bread. She was really surprised and asked who taught me. I said, um, I guess my Mom. Awkward silence. I mentioned to her that they were going to be there very late if they planned to bake the bread, since it has to rise 1/2 hour and then you punch it down and then it has to rise an hour and then bake an hour. She agreed that they might be there pretty late.
Well, I went into the chapel and practiced the organ for about 45 minutes and when I came back to the kitchen it smelled really good - yum, the aroma of baking bread! When I saw what they did, it was Mexican breads! Of course! They are smaller breads that kind of look like flying saucers. How silly of me to assume that if they are making bread, they are making my kind of bread. They were making their kind of breads and knew what they were doing and how long it would take. No wonder the president was surprised when I said I already knew how to make bread.
I guess I'm still not used to being in a different culture and still need to humble myself and realize again that I DON'T know everything. I thought it was pretty funny, tho.
This week enrichment was on making bread! How odd. Do Mexicans make bread? do they eat bread? I was surprised they didn't ask me to teach cause I'm the only person in the ward that probably ever has made bread, much less that eats it. I almost didn't go, but decided I really should support the program.
So I went and got there at what I thought was the starting time and the women were already busy in the kitchen kneeding the dough. It looked really funny how they were kneeding - not like its supposed to look, so I chuckled a little to myself and wondered if I should offer to show them how to knead dough properly, but I held my tongue. The President asked me if I wanted to learn, and I looked at her strangly (I'm sure) and said, no, I know how to make bread. She was really surprised and asked who taught me. I said, um, I guess my Mom. Awkward silence. I mentioned to her that they were going to be there very late if they planned to bake the bread, since it has to rise 1/2 hour and then you punch it down and then it has to rise an hour and then bake an hour. She agreed that they might be there pretty late.
Well, I went into the chapel and practiced the organ for about 45 minutes and when I came back to the kitchen it smelled really good - yum, the aroma of baking bread! When I saw what they did, it was Mexican breads! Of course! They are smaller breads that kind of look like flying saucers. How silly of me to assume that if they are making bread, they are making my kind of bread. They were making their kind of breads and knew what they were doing and how long it would take. No wonder the president was surprised when I said I already knew how to make bread.
I guess I'm still not used to being in a different culture and still need to humble myself and realize again that I DON'T know everything. I thought it was pretty funny, tho.
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