Throughout school our labs consist of following protocol and hopefully getting the anticipated results. Once in a while we'll stray from this model, but most of the time it's always following the lab report.
It's just like following a recipe. Add this, mix that, and create exactly what you wanted. This is how I started cooking and how most people cook. I always thought that following a recipe was rather straightforward and you should always get something tasty. Heck, it wast just like doing a lab.
In the lab now, however, we have no recipe. We have a goal, we have an idea and we have an arsenal of techniques to try to create something new. In particular, I'm trying to create gene. We're using basic skills and ideas to try to accomplish something new. There is no direct protocol to follow, no one's done this before.
In the kitchen, I'm starting to do the same thing. I have my tactics and ingredients and I can use these to make something completely new, without a recipe. I'm having tons of fun.
Even though my lab work isn't quite cooperating yet, my experiments in the kitchen are delicious.
Tonight I made a balsamic, tomato, spinach chicken. Here's a mediocre photo:
I took a chicken breast and seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic powder & italian seasoning. Then I marinated the spinach and tomatoes in balsamic vinegar, olive oil and the same spices. I baked the chicken for a bit then added the topping. The last few minutes of baking I added a bit of mozzarella cheese and let it melt. Yum.
I wish my results in the lab were as successful as the kitchen. I guess it's easier to use natures products than to try to force nature to do what we want. It's also much more palatable.
Experimenting in the lab is making me a better scientist.
Experimenting in the kitchen is making me a better cook.
I guess life is better when you forget about the protocol.
-K
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