Part of being in Peace Corps is learning to be more resourceful with what you have. We don’t always have everything we need and so a little creativity is at times necessary. This was demonstrated in a primary school I visited in September. I created a post titled, “Grateful Reflection” which describes how they use the resources they have to teach children in different and creative ways. The axiom holds true; give a person a fish and they will eat for a night, teach the person to fish and they will eat for a lifetime. Peace Corps subscribes to the philosophy of “teaching people to fish”.
So with that philosophy and the examples I have seen on the island so far I’ve had to be creative in the way I help people as well as how I deal with everyday life. I'm learning to "fish".
This is what I want to do: Heat leftovers.
This is what I want to avoid: Using my propane because I want to conserve it for only essential cooking.
Here’s what I have in the kitchen: My propane stove and matches to light it, an electric kettle, a toaster, a refrigerator. I have bowls, pots, pans, glasses, and flatware, as well as assorted cooking utensils e.g., big forks, spoons, strainers.
The situation: I made spaghetti last night and I want to warm it up and eat the leftovers for dinner. How will I do this given the information above? Tell me what you would do, and then I will tell you what I did.
Writings of Saint Lucia, Ghana and life in general. A Peace Corps Volunteer in St. Lucia, visiting faculty in Ghana and grandma for life. This is a look back at the details of my travels and a document for my grandchildren. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. This blog does not express views of U.S. Peace Corps, Webster University, my family, dog or any institutions named or linked to these pages. It's life observation as I interpret it.
9 comments:
put it in the toaster? :)
Kevin
use the electric kettle to heat the water to its scary boiling state (I was terrified of the electric kettle in Beijing)....pour a thin layer in a small pan (preferably some sort of metal one that can create heat)...
...put your plate of spaghetti in the water (thus make sure not to fill the water up too high)...
...if you have plastic wrap or foil--cover--if not (and even if you do)...
..just take a second pan and cover at least the plate with it so that it holds the heat in and warms the food
Kevin! I always love solving problems with you, but spaghetti in the toaster? Nope.
Come on, you and I make such a good problem solving team - you can do better than that!
use the kettle to heat water to boiling, then pour it in a bowl and place the spaghetti on top *in a plate or a larger bowl* and heat the spaghetti that way. You can also use the left-over hot water to make tea or something else so you're not wasting it.
You might also want to cover the spaghetti while it's heating to keep the heat contained. Put a paper towel *or equivalent* over the spaghetti while you have it covered to reduce the amount of condensation that drips down from the cover.
You could always heat water in the kettle by putting it behind the fridge (something has to get hot in order for the insides to be cold). Then just use the water somehow to warm the spaghetti?
You didn't like Kevin's answer? I did--Go Kevin!!! And how about going to www.flagshiphomesstlucia.com and checking out the homes for sale on St. Lucia Island--They have all the modern conveniences one would ever want--problem solved! PS: They have great pictures of your island and an entertaining blog to wade through. Actually there's a lot of things happening on your island making living on it a state-of-the-art, cushy experience (if you've got the money). You have pristine waters, volcanoes, mountains and a rain forest on the island--No wonder it's a famous get away for the rich and famous. Anyway, I transgress. How'd you heat up your spaghetti? You could have put it in a ziplock bag and popped it in the tub with you while you were bathing/showering...
Sara and Jenna are right! I boil water in the kettle, then put the water in a pan, then put the container of spaghetti in the pan and cover - works great!
Sara, congratulations on your nomination.
Jenna, when are you going to Beijing? Are you still thinking of Peace Corps?
Barbara, I'm going to check out your website - sounds like a good one. There are some beautiful places on this island. The western side houses the famous Pitons and a huge volcano. There are beautiful rain forests too.
Karen,
I think you should run hot steamy water from the faucet over the spaghetti noodles to get them hot. Then heat the sauce in a pan on the stove.
Then you'll have nice not spaghetti.
Linda
Yes, I'm going to Shanghai* in January, a little over a month away now--I keep thinking "this is like the 6 wks invitees have to get ready!!!!!" Haha. I'll be there in Shanghai teaching for a year. But absolutely I'm still thinking about the Peace Corps. I would call to reactivate my application now if I could, but its too soon to be nominated for the time I want to depart. A campus PC recruiter suggested calling my recruiter in March to reactivate it--though since I leave the first we of January, I may call like a day or two before I leave to reactivate it!!!
I CAN'T WAIT!
I keep it inside a lot, but I'm basically just busting with excitement--I don't know how I keep myself contained!!!
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