It was an experience that is hard to forget. The whole car shaking from the bass as an unfamiliar flow was playing in the background. I would never expect polish rap to gain much attention, yet mine. English rap was always in my zone leaving me thinking that other rap from other countries was irrelevant. But there I was, in the backseat of my car, bopping my head and trying to sing along with the catchy chorus presented to me. 

   We have decided to play some “foreign music” that my friends brought back from their trip to Poland, with no one expecting anything from it. There was this playful skepticism in the air as I saw the smirks on my friends’ mouths as the CD was put in the player. The album was named “czerwony dywan” (red carpet) and was by a well known artist in poland. When the music started playing I heard this dominant voice that took control over the whole atmosphere, which seemed to speak to the youth within us. In that moment music became more than just a beat and lyrics. It gave me a deeper connection to my culture and understanding.

    From that day forward I started to listen to more Polish music and discovered different genres of Polish music. There was pop, old hits, rock, and more. I couldn’t get enough. I spent the next months listening and connecting my thoughts to other Polish people. This is how I made many of my friends. Through music I started to learn more Polish words and improved my vocabulary. I also learned Polish slang which helped me connect to the youth in Poland. To this day i go to polish concerts and meet up with my polish friends. Polish music had a great influence in my life and without that CD that was brought from Poland by my friends my life would have been so much different.

• https://open.spotify.com/album/3yzl43mSDPljVeY4GASLi3?si=BoLmC-6eRlG-qGQ1UOgLcQ

Danny lichts text really inspired me to use creativity in my writing. In his short story “Against Recipes” the author says to not be strict with following recipes and that recipes should only be used for inspiration. The author treats cooking as an art and he doesn’t use precise measurements. The reason he says to cook without any precise measurements or techniques is because we should learn what we like and what tastes good for us. He believes that we should experiment and find our favorite tastes. Keeping our cook books out of the kitchen will prevent us from looking at it during cooking and open the door for imagination. Keeping it close to your bed will however let you use the cookbooks for inspiration not as a set of rules. This is why i will follow lichts advice and treat writing as an art. I will not only write because I have to write for a grade but I will write out of my heart using my own experiences. I will use lichts symbolism of cooking for my writing and my daily life. You shouldn’t follow strict guidelines and rules. Live life the way you find it comfortable or right. I will also keep my rubric for this writing close to my bed so I can look at it for inspiration for what I need to do and not get out of track. 

The famous chicken and rice combo. Boring, bland, basic but most importantly nutritious. This simple meal is pushed by many such as  influencers and body builders. They say “Protein is what matters, not the taste”. This is why I eat this meal so often. I cant let the gains go to waste so the right nutrition has to be given to my body. The task is a hard one, sometimes even harder than going to the gym. I push myself to eat it and I repeat the word “protein” as I chew. As much as I hate the meal, I also love it. It is easy and quick to make and very healthy.i can’t count the times i ate the meal but i have never made it myself. So today I will try my best to explain how my mom makes the famous chicken and rice. 

Step one- Wash the rice. I always see my mom in the sink rinsing the rice. I have no idea why she does it but this step has to be mandatory because she never skips this part. I would assume that you should wash the rice till the water turns clear but you do you. 

Step two- Put the rice in a pan. This step is simple enough so i don’t need to explain. 

Step three- Put water into the pan. Don’t ask me how much water to put in cause I have no idea. The amount of water will cause the rice to either be more hard or mushy. Play around and make this dish a couple of times and see how much water is needed for the rice your tastebuds like. 

Step four- Turn on your stove on low heat and put on a cover on the pan. The rice will now steam and this will take time. So while you wait you can now hop on to the next step which is making the chicken. 

Step five- take some pre cut pieces of your chicken and season the chicken with whatever you like. I use this grilling seasoning in mine and it works just perfect. I also recommend using salt and pepper. Don’t be that person who makes unseasoned chicken. 

Step six- put some oil on a hot pan and then place the chicken and let it cook to the way you like it. The longer the chicken will cook the more dry it will be. So I’ll let you decide how long you want the chicken to be in the pan. 

Step seven- I don’t know how long rice takes to make but i think that after you’re done with the chicken the rice should be ready. Before you take out the rice, give it a taste test and check if you like the way it tastes. If it’s too hard then leave it steaming for longer and add more water if needed. If it’s too mushy then opps you’ll have to start again. 

Step eight- combine the rice and the chicken. No explanation needed. 

Congrats you have made the most simplest meal you can make. Don’t worry if this meal doesn’t taste the way you want. Each time you’ll make this meal you’ll tweak and perfect your recipe. Remember cooking is an art. Don’t follow recipes found online. Use recipes as inspiration for your meals. The most important thing is to have fun. It’s normal to mess up sometimes and this is part of the process. Have fun on your cooking journey.