Thursday, December 8, 2016

Final Assignment Anthology

  This semester, I wrote blog posts in many different genres and styles. I learned how to adapt my tone and writing style based on the formality and audience of the different posts. My posts fit into the course theme of “Food, Feelings, and Film” because many of the posts were about food. While a few were about my feelings based on different films, the majority were about food: food places on campus, personal anecdotes about family meals, or reflections about articles and videos about food. Writing these assignment blog posts helped me feel better prepared for the larger assignments in this class because I got practice writing about food, and testing out different writing techniques. I chose these specific blog posts to revise because I feel that they all show a different side of my writing style. They are all of a different genre, and have very different writing styles, despite all being about food. Every Year was my very first blog post of the semester, and it is a personal anecdote about home and family. The Buzzfeed video reflections show an informal side to my writing. The Eat Drink Man Woman Voiceover allowed me to be creative in my writing and to write about something with which I was not too familiar. I included the Cox Hall blog post because it was my favorite of the semester. Since I wrote for my high school newspaper, this style of writing is something that I am pretty familiar with and enjoy writing. I also included my last assignment of the semester, the Proust Cooking Show script. This was one of the hardest assignments for me to write, but I think that my revision really improves the piece. I have arranged the posts chronologically because I wanted to show my improvement throughout the semester.  


Original: Every Year



Original: Cox Hall



I feel that my writing process has evolved throughout the semester. In my first blog post, Every Year, I wrote how I did in high school: all in one sitting, without any revisions. As the semester progressed however, I learned how beneficial it can be to write something, take a break, and come back to it later to revise and reread. That is how I was writing in the last few blog posts. I feel that these specific blog posts are reflective of our course learning objectives because they reflect my writing in multiple genres, they show my ability to analyze the work of another person and create something new, and these posts show the growth in my writing throughout the semester.
One of the most powerful changes that I made to my first blog post was the addition of just one word. In the original, my opening sentence was “It’s the same every year,” but I changed it to “It’s the same tradition every year”. I wanted to add this word because it sets a warmer and more inviting tone to my blog post. In my post, Buzzfeed Video Reflection, I completely rearranged one of the sentences during my revision. The original sentence was: “While some of the dishes supposedly originated in those countries, the people tasting the food said that the meal did not look or taste like the authentic version,” but I changed it to: The people tasting the food said that the meal did not look or taste like the authentic version, even though the dish was said to have originated in that country”. I felt that in that paragraph, I had used a similar sentence structure multiple times in a row in the original. I knew that by changing just one sentence, it would help break up my thoughts and the paragraph would flow more nicely. My revision of the Eat Drink Man Woman Voiceover helped me realize the importance of specificity. In the original, I wrote: “To make my chicken broth, I let the raw chicken and boiling water rest in a pot for a long time”. In my revision, I changed “for a long time” to “for a few hours”. I decided to make this change because it makes my voiceover seem more realistic by being more specific. After submitting my original version of my Cox Hall blog post, I noticed that my sentence structure is very repetitive. I used a lot of long sentences, and didn’t break it up with shorter ones. In my revision, I worked on fixing that. In my original, I wrote: “Especially for freshmen, who are required to purchase the unlimited meal swipe plan for the Dobbs University Center, having to spend the precious and very limited Dooley Dollars can be a disincentive to eating there”. In my revision, I changed it to: “Freshmen are required to purchase the unlimited meal swipe plan, which only comes with a small amount of Dooley Dollars. Having to spend the precious and very limited Dooley Dollars can be a disincentive to eating at Cox Hall”. Not only does my revision add more detail and clarification to the point I am making, but it also helps add variety to the sentence structure that I use often throughout the blog post. Finally, in my Proust Cooking Show Script blog post, I changed the parts were I quoted Proust. Since it is a script and will be spoken, it is important to actually say that I am using Proust words instead of just quoting them on paper like I did in the original. In my revised version, I began each Proust quote by explicitly stating that I was quoting Proust.
            Overall, these blog posts helped me recognize some common problems I make in my writing. One of the most common mistakes I make is having little variation of sentence structure. Now that I know this, I will be more conscious about varying my sentence structure while writing my first draft.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Cox Hall Revision

As I walked into Cox Hall on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, I was immediately hit with the sound of hundreds of people in conversation, and the smell of various kinds of lunch food. Since the dining hall serves everything from tacos to coffee, the cavernous room has a refreshingly unique smell that is inviting and makes my stomach growl. Cox is open, light, and inviting, even during the lunch rush.
I went around 12:30, which was the main cause for the long lines and lack of seating. I waited about 10 minutes to pay for my food. Walking into the dining area, I realized eating during the lunch rush was a mistake. Every table in Cox is a long rectangle that fits 8 people. Being just one person, I felt awkward sitting alone at a table meant for 8 when it was really crowded. Cox is the perfect place to go with a large group of friends because of the long tables, but might not be the best place to sit and eat your meal if you are there alone like I was. That said, I sat at the end of one long table—that already had a few other people sitting at it—just lucky to have gotten a seat when it was really busy.
One of the most alluring aspects of Cox is the variety of food that it offers. With such a large variety of food and prices, it is easy to see why so many Emory students enjoy the food there. It is a nice change from the monotonous meals at the Dobbs University Center (DUC).
Emory students like to eat at Cox for many reasons. Freshman Brittany Calkins says that Cox is her favorite place to eat on campus. “I love the Chick Pea Curry at the Indian place. It reminds me of home,” she said.
While Cox is admired for the variety and taste of its food, there is a major downside to eating at Cox Hall: using Dooley Dollars. “My least favorite part of Cox is that you have to use Dooley Dollars instead of meal swipes,” Calkins said. Freshman are required to purchase the unlimited meal swipe plan, which only comes with a small amount of Dooley Dollars. Having to spend the precious and very limited Dooley Dollars can be a disincentive to eating there.

Overall, Cox is a great place to eat a couple times a week, but not too often if you don’t want to blow your Dooley Dollar budget.

Proust Cooking Show Revision

Begin with camera in an extreme close-up on one Madeleine

Camera switches to kitchen were Libby stands behind a counter full of ingredients and cooking utensils
Hello everyone! Today I am going to show you how to make madeleines. The madeleine is a type of mini sponge cake that originated in France in the 19th century and, as famous French writer Marcel Proust said, madeleines “look as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell”. Today, madeleines are still a classic French treat that are now sold around the world.

Screen switches to list of ingredients
Voiceover:
For this recipe, you will need:
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Camera switches back to view of Libby in kitchen – eye-level shot
Before you start, make sure to preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Libby walks over to oven and twists nob. Then she walks back to the counter.
Ok! The first step is to grease and flour the madeleine molds. To do this just rub some butter into the mold, and sprinkle a thin layer of flour over that.
Libby does this. Camera focuses on her hands and the Madeleine molds – bird’s eye view
Next beat eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest in a bowl on high with an electric mixer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Libby mixes these together. Music plays while she does this. The only the first and last few seconds are shown on camera.
Gradually add in the sugar and continue to use the mixer.
Camera zooms into the bowl to show this process.
Gently fold flour and baking soda into mixture. Do this carefully because we want to keep the fluffiness of the egg mixture. Then fold in the melted butter.
Camera remains focused on bowl.


Now that we have made our dough, we need to form the madeleines. Carefully pour the mixture into the madeleine molds.
Camera is focused on Libby’s hands while doing this.
Libby puts tray in oven and sets timer for 10 minutes.

While the madeleines are baking, I am going to tell you a little about my most recent experience eating a madeleine. The madeleine reminded me so much of my childhood. Proust had a similar experience as I did. In his eloquent story titled “The Cookie” Proust describes his experience eating a madeleine. He said: “This sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it; perhaps because I had so often seen such things in the meantime, without tasting them, on the trays in pastry-cooks' windows, that their image had dissociated itself from those Combray days to take its place among others more recent; perhaps because of those memories, so long abandoned and put out of mind, nothing now survived, everything was scattered; the shapes of things, including that of the little scallop-shell of pastry, so richly sensual under its severe, religious folds, were either obliterated or had been so long dormant as to have lost the power of expansion which would have allowed them to resume their place in my consciousness”. I hope that you all experience a similar feeling when tasting the madeleines you make today.

Timer dings in background
That would be them!
Libby goes to oven and pulls out tray of madeleines and brings the tray to the counter.
These look fantastic! Carefully take the madeleines out of the molds using a fork to help. Let these cool.
Scene dissolves into a bird’s eye image of the madeleines on a nice platter.

And now we have 24 perfect and delicious madeleines! Thank you for watching, and tune in next week to learn how to make Macarons!

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Proust Cooking Show Script

Begin with camera in an extreme close-up on one Madeleine

Camera switches to kitchen were Libby stands behind a counter full of ingredients and cooking utensils
Hello everyone! Today I am going to show you how to make Madeleines. Madeleines are type of mini sponge cake that originated in France in the 19th century and “look as though they had been moulded in the fluted valve of a scallop shell”. Today, Madeleines are still a classic French treat that is now sold around the world.

Screen switches to list of ingredients
Voiceover:
For this recipe, you will need:
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Camera switches back to view of Libby in kitchen – eye-level shot
Before you start, make sure to preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Libby walks over to oven and twists nob. Then she walks back to the counter.
Ok! The first step is to grease and flour the madeleine molds. To do this just rub some butter into the mold, and sprinkle a thin layer of flour over that.
Libby does this. Camera focuses on her hands and the Madeleine molds – bird’s eye view
Next beat eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest in a bowl on high with an electric mixer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Libby mixes these together. Music plays while she does this. The only the first and last few seconds are shown on camera.
Gradually add in the sugar and continue to use the mixer.
Camera zooms into the bowl to show this process.
Gently fold flour and baking soda into mixture. Do this carefully because we want to keep the fluffiness of the egg mixture. Then fold in the melted butter.
Camera remains focused on bowl.


Now that we have made our dough, we need to form the madeleines. Carefully pour the mixture into the madeleine molds.
Camera is focused on Libby’s hands while doing this.
Libby puts tray in oven and sets timer for 10 minutes.

While the madeleines are baking, I am going to tell you a little about my most recent experience eating a madeleine. The madeleine reminded me so much of my childhood. “This sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it; perhaps because I had so often seen such things in the meantime, without tasting them, on the trays in pastry-cooks' windows, that their image had dissociated itself from those Combray days to take its place among others more recent; perhaps because of those memories, so long abandoned and put out of mind, nothing now survived, everything was scattered; the shapes of things, including that of the little scallop-shell of pastry, so richly sensual under its severe, religious folds, were either obliterated or had been so long dormant as to have lost the power of expansion which would have allowed them to resume their place in my consciousness”. I hope that you all experience a similar feeling when tasting the madeleines you make today.

Timer dings in background
That would be them!
Libby goes to oven and pulls out tray of madeleines and brings the tray to the counter.
These look fantastic! Carefully take the madeleines out of the molds using a fork to help. Let these cool.
Scene dissolves into a bird’s eye image of the madeleines on a nice platter.

And now we have 24 perfect and delicious madeleines! Thank you for watching, and tune in next week to learn how to make Macarons!