1) Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed.
This semester I tried cooking chicken at my apartment and failed. I had just gotten a new pan, which was smaller than the usual one I use and wanted to test it out. I first added butter to the pan. While I waited for it to melt I seasoned my chicken. I was in a rush and did not have time to sit and wait for the chicken to cook, so I put it on high heat. The chicken ended up smoking up the entire apartment. I had to use the vent and open a door to try and get the smoke out. Another time this semester I tried cooking the chicken again. I cooked it on medium/high heat. It ended up smoking up the house again, but not as bad as the first time.
2) Tell us what you learned from it.
I learned to cook chicken on medium temperature. If you cook it on high heat it only burns the outside and does not cook thoroughly. I also learned to be patient. Cooking can take time, especially if you are cooking more than one thing. Lastly, I learned practice makes perfect. The second time I cooked the chicken it created smoke, but not as much as the first time. Since then, I have gotten better at cooking.
3) Reflect, in general, on what you think about failure.
Failure can be really hard and embarrassing, especially if you are a prideful person. At work when I mess up on something it can be difficult for me to ask for help, because I feel I am bugging my boss. I have to remind myself my boss is there to guide me and would rather have me ask questions than do the wrong thing. At first when I fail I feel discouraged, but have to remember failure is a part of life and learn from my mistakes. This class has not changed my perspective on failure, but supported my belief that everyone fails. I am more likely to take a risk than I was a few months ago. The entrepreneurship books I read this semester showed me how failure can be a good thing. The Mary Kay autobiography gave examples of times she failed and how she learned from those failures and improved her company.
Hey Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI have also failed at cooking chicken! It is the worst because the food goes to waste and you're hungry. I agree with you when you say practice makes perfect. Every time you'll forget something but the second time or third time around you remember not to make the same mistakes again. I myself can be prideful and also find it difficult to ask for help because of the same reasons as you but this class has really changed my perspective and I learned to accept and grow from my failures.
HI Jessica,
ReplyDeleteChicken is probably the thing I hate cooking the most. I am always worried about it being undercooked so I overcook it to the point of no return. I think it is great that you're learning to be patient and practicing in order to make it perfect. Failure definitely can be a good thing because there is always something you can learn from it.
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ReplyDeleteI have failed many times in the kitchen. Since I have been in college I have consistently tried to bake myself cookies. Nine times out of ten I fail. I have made some awful cookies. The only person that has said they were good was my girlfriend because she had to. I fail because I do not believe in directions and refuse to use a recipe. If I want to make the perfect cookie I should probably learn from my failures and use a recipe. Good luck with your chicken
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to your failure. My smoke alarm has gone off too many times to count. I agree, the books have been the most effective assignment at teaching me how to handle failure better. The second book I read, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams, was literally all about that. I'm glad your book helped you develop less of a fear at failure too!
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