Week 7
Monday we sat in on a meeting between the creative services staff members. During this meeting each individual discusses their current projects,it's relevancy, and the progress of each. The feedback and input from these meetings helps everyone to stay on track as a team.
We finished the day working in Owen Hall. It's the smallest dining hall on campus. It serves 200-300 meals, which is very small in comparison to Brody Hall which serves between 4000-6000 during the school year.
Even though this facility is much smaller, I really enjoyed it. It was completely different from what I had worked with in any of the previous operations; it operates differently because it is so small.
I was particularly excited for Tuesday because this was the day we were going to visit the MSU student pantry! I requested to see this site because I help manage the Idaho State University pantry in Pocatello, ID. This is much larger, and has been in service a lot longer than the pantry I volunteer in, so naturally I was very intrigued. Unlike the ISU pantry, this pantry is allowed to distribute perishable foods like produce, breads, dairy, and un-canned meats.
The individuals receiving the food items basically fill out a shopping list that is then handed over to the student volunteers who put the order together. This is where the groceries are picked up. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit and asked many questions.
Wednesday we met with one of the clinical dietitians on campus, Peggy Crum. She hosts a "Health-4-You" program in which a certain food item is presented each month and used in a tasty recipe. This is to help encourage eating of healthy foods. This month blueberries were used in a special sauced that is to be used on chicken.
Corporate Chef Kurt demonstrated this recipe and fed it to attendees.
After, we attended another demonstration conducted by Chef Kurt. This time he was presenting to teenagers.
He was showing them how to do "reverse spherification" where one can actually deep-fry sauces! In this case it was a raspberry sauce to go on ice cream.
Reverse spherification in action!
Deep-fried raspberry sauce sphere popped in my ice cream!
Thursday we visited the MSU Recycling Center. I was excited about everything we got to see. I'm very much a "green" contributor. I think I was smiling the entire time. I think its wonderful all the ways MSU recycles.
I was so excited about the water harvesting system.
It makes me happy that all this isn't going into a landfill.
It was my birthday Thursday, and Lary, our coordinator, bought me this cake and gave me a card. It was very sweet.
Week 8
This week went by so fast. Monday we prepped salads to be delivered to the Sparty stores on campus. Then I spent the rest of the day at Owen Hall.
Tuesday we toured the linen service facility. I had a job in housekeeping where we had a smaller, but similar operation. I was excited to see this place. They mostly work with the Kellogg Center, but they also do linens for other areas on campus. I believe CMU also gives them their linen business.
Believe it or not, this is a washing machine!
Later went to the Food Science building to observe the meat lab. Here they kill and slaughter chicken, cows, pigs, etc.
Chickens are hung from these metal hangers.
This machine tosses the chickens around to loosen the feathers.
This machine takes off most of the feathers, and what is left is plucked out by hand.
The other animals are kept here before they are knocked out and killed.
The animals are carried to the different areas of the facility by hanging upside down from these rails.
Wednesday was our last day. We spent it working Green and White Days. Potential students and their parents tour the campus and see everything it has to offer. We stayed busy the entire day. I had a blast working with everyone for the last time.
Thursday Tammy and I went to say goodbye to the people we had the honor of working with for the duration of the internship.
Starting from the top left moving to the right: Corporate Chef Kurt and his interns Mike, Ryan, and Damon. Then food truck worker, Shyann
Second row from the left: Me, Jay, and Stacy
Bottom: Dorothy, Kyna, and Tammy (the other intern)
Friday was a luncheon to celebrate the completion of our internship.
I have been so blessed to have been selected for this internship. Words cannot express how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to be at MSU. The exposure to all the different areas of food service this campus has was more than I could have ever imagined. I had no idea what I was in store for, but I know for sure that had I not been blessed with this internship, and been placed at MSU, I would not have had these experiences. To have so much on just one campus is amazing to me.
Although I am happy to be home, I already miss the people I worked with. Lary, our coordinator, took good care of us, and did his best to fit in activities we were interested in. He was like a father figure to us. He is very professional, and also personable. His knowledge about food service in many aspects was amazing to witness, and I aspire to be like him as I move ahead in my dietetic career. . One of his assistants, Natan, was also very good to us. He helped to make our stay here a comfortable one. He made me feel so welcome that I actually felt like family. He would make a wonderful coordinator for future interns.
Special thanks to NACUFS for making this internship possible for so many students. It is an experience that I know I will never forget. I learned so much, and I cannot wait to use the skills I acquired. It was an honor to be placed at Michigan State, and I feel so much Spartan pride, even though I was only there for a short time. I know I will miss it forever, and I hope I can make it back for a visit.
GO GREEN! GO WHITE!
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