Michigan State Weeks 1 and 2

            Our internship at Michigan State is flying by so fast we've forgotten to blog! We arrived two weeks ago, but after our initial day of tours, trainings, and introductions, it’s felt like we've been here all along. We are staying in wonderful on-campus apartments, about a ten-minute walk from Brody Dining Commons, where we do the majority of our work. Brody is the biggest, most impressive dining hall I’ve ever been too; sushi, pasta, paninis, and stir-fries made to order are only a few of the options. We were excited to jump right in and start learning how each station was run. As dietetics/nutrition majors, Macy and I discovered we had many of the same goals for the internship, mainly involving learning how things are cooked, and trying to make healthier versions. We also wanted to set up a day to talk with Brody’s dietitian, to find out more about MSU’s nutrition initiatives.  

We started out working in the back of house at Brody, where we learned about hot and cold prep. I thought this was a good place to start, so that when we did go out to cook at the stations, we knew the work that had gone into preparing everything. While vegetable-chopping in Brody’s sunny kitchen was relaxing, we found the lunch rush of the stations fun too. Everyone here says this is nothing compared to the crowds that come during the school year, but it still gets quite busy.  Here a few things we've done at the stations so far:

·         Boiling Point—the pasta station. I got to watch homemade pasta squeeze out of the pasta machine, and then I learned the methods of making pasta stir-fries for people.  

·         Pangea—omelets and Asian stir-fry. I proudly mastered the omelet flip in the morning. During lunch, I learned how to use the wok, and enjoyed the heat and speed of stir-frying, keeping up with the rush of orders.

·         Sushi—Macy and I learned how to roll sushi, another relaxing task.

 

·         Cayenne—the Mexican-style cuisine. We got to fry tortilla chips in the deep fryer, and make tortillas in a machine that cooks them fast at a high temperature and spits them out at the bottom.

·         Ciao—the pizza/sandwich station. We got to make and serve pizza; we learned that pizza-making can be a pretty slow operation over the summer, until elementary school field trips come for lunch.

·         Veg Out—the vegetarian station. We helped prep and cook veggies, quiches, and pierogis.

In addition to these stations, we’ve gotten to do some of our own creations. When the chefs discovered our passion for nutrition and farm-fresh foods, they started bringing us produce from the student organic farm at MSU. We made up a recipe for a quinoa salad with beans, avocados, and pickled radishes (from the farm).

 We also created some delicious herbed pickles with fresh cucumbers. It’s been fun working together and having the freedom to use our creativity. We are excited for all the opportunities still to come as we settle in at MSU!