Ergonomics

Cooking……..Cooking………..The Melting pot for all cultures, traditions, beliefs and ways to meet centrally………..universally, spiritually......


Cooking is an age old habit, hobby and automatic gear for me. I have had a lifelong love story with cooking, ……like any love story, mine with cooking has had its ups and down. Its rocky days and its chocolates and roses days literally………….!!! I must admit though that by and by, I have learned to resolve these issues, and like wine matured in a wooden barrel over the years, mine has developed its unique flavor, taste and reflective feelings to it. It is an integral part of who I am and how I identify myself. My cultural beliefs, my personal beliefs and my personality and also my spirituality are all linked with: “to cook, how to cook, when to cook and for whom to cook for .”


I could tell great yarns about my personal journey with cooking,……….not that I am any chef in any competition or any Jamie Oliver of New Zealand or any other master chef advertised in the T.V., but I consider myself a self-made chef and my daughter and family think I am a celebrity, no less……!!! Does my confidence and ego good, the need for human beings to feel accepted, special and successful!!!


How shall I describe myself???!!! Self-reflection in words can be very tricky, and very black and white. It’s easier to ponder and ruminate over matters and reflect in the depth of your mind than weaving a tapestry of words and to top it off to publish it for all and sundry to read about who you are!!


However, I shall try to describe myself closet to who I feel I am in relation to my Cooking activity.


I am a doer or let’s just say that somebody who is in the best of her elements when (she is) I am doing, creating, making, performing something…. Or just being…….. Sounds awfully complicated and philosophical, doesn’t it?


Let me explain to you all in simple words, what cooking means to me at this point of my life stage.


Cooking bridges the gap I feel from my adulthood to my childhood. Cooking evokes happy memories from my past and future seems very tangible and real. It fulfills my yearning for my culture and my country. It meets the need for an end…eating and reaching out to people. ………………….. I could go on and on…….


So by now I think you have guess what activity I am interested in performing…………………and if you haven’t then I will spell it out for you…………… I am Cooking!!! Cooking Soul Food and Cooking Yummy Indian Food with all the aroma, goodness of spices and herbs all the works………….so all you wonderful people are welcome to be part of my Cooking Journey and experience!!!


















Hello again……. I am back to talk a bit more about cooking, and the ,……






I have finally got myself to make a posting about my everyday love affair …..cooking, cooking, cooking.


I will try and explain my personal perspective of the nitty-gritty of cooking and all that is involved with cooking a meal. Cooking predominantly satisfies the tummy and also opens the flood gates of olfactory and gustatory senses, but is equally soul satisfying for me, doing more than just filling my tummy!!


We looked in class how we could explain ergonomics and how important ergonomics is to the activity and the person. We divided ergonomics into three components; they are person, activity and environment.


First let me explain briefly what ergonomics actually is. Ergonomics is derived from the Greek words: Ergon, which means work; and Nomoi which means natural laws. Therefore when they are combined together they form a word which means the science of work and a person’s relationship to that work.


Ergonomics derives from two Greek words: ergon, meaning work, and nomoi, meaning natural laws. Combined they create a word that means the science of work and a person’s relationship to that work.


Ergonomics is sometimes defined as the science of fitting the work to the user instead of forcing the user to fit the work. However this is more a primary ergonomic principle rather than a definition. As a therapist we have to be very conscious about the overall health and functional abilities of the client in both the home as well as the work environment. “Examples of occupational therapy intervention in ergonomics include: work-site assessments (job analysis, physical demands analysis), return-to-work programs, job accommodation, modification of job tasks and the work environment to promote function, health promotion programs including stress management and injury prevention programs.” ( http://www.caot.ca/default.asp?pageid=295 retrieved on 22/09/2011).


Person


· I consider myself quite a confident cook and I am adventurous enough to try out new recipes and also make my own new recipes.


· I have cooked since I was 6 years old and I diligently followed age old recipes and steps that were handed down the generations in my family.


· I am passionate about cooking and I am wholly involved in my cooking.


· I have this great sense of belief and need that all my loved ones, my friends, visitors and stray drop- INS, (uninvited, unwanted, unloved, homeless-humans or animals) must all be fed. Everyone on this earth deserves to have a wonderful, warm and yummy meal. No one should go hungry and craving for food…….. you could imagine, me then…..if you haven’t seen me! That I would be a lovely rosy cheeked, well-fed, round and roly-poly mother with an apron tied round my ample middle………… unfortunately…..(I would have loved that! Something very comforting about that image) I am not. I am quite the opposite!!!


· However, my image doesn’t deter me or make me any less than the well-fed image, I still believe that a loving, caring, comforting home is in the kitchen, and cooking for people is one of the very meaningful activities in my life!!!! (Believe me!! I do try out the food I cook, its just that, I am one of the lucky few, I do not add it to my middle!!)






· Cooking gives me meaning. Cooking gives me a sense of purpose.






· Cooking gives me a role.






· Cooking makes me feel worthy and useful.






· Cooking is a need in me that is deeply ingrained in my being. It is a bridge that has carried me from my past into my present and future……… I reach out to people through cooking and have a sense of belongingness. I have all my senses and abilities intact to be able to cook and try out new recipes. I am able to stand around a long time laboring over the stove and oven. I do not easily tire while I cook. I have cooked for 5 to 6 hours at a stretch and the end result has been very satisfying. The best part is when everyone sits around for the meal and enjoys it.






· Cooking, for me brings cultures together and brings my family together.






Activity


Cooking can be done anywhere…….. You need pots and pans and a fire with the raw ingredients to cook……………..I cook in my kitchen. I have an electric cooking range to cook my food on. I have various pots, pans, frying pans and utensils to cook my food in. I really miss a pressure cooker to cook in as I used to cook in a pressure cooker in the past in India. (Cooking in a pressure cooker has dual purpose. The food is cooked quickly and it saves energy cost as well.) Somehow the food also tastes a lot better as it is cooked under pressure and steam, and therefore it does not lose all its flavor and aroma.


I have cooked in an open fireplace with wood and coal in the past, and the experience is very surreal and primitive. The food smells warm and earthy mixed with the elements of the earth, wood and coal. The whole process is a holistic experience and something I recommend people to do it!


I cook evening meals these days as I am studying during the day. It is a ritual for my family to gather in the kitchen to prepare food and we all pitch in for the cooking activity. We peel, we chop, we, cut, we wash, we fry, we mix the ingredients and we even cry together-due to the pungent onion smell and acid….there is a definite sense of belongingness. We stir and savor the smells together, along with sharing each other’s events of the day and catching up on the hours spent living apart on this planet and sharing ourselves for the betterment (surely not worse off) of other earthlings! It has a very natural flow to what we do in the whole activity. There is an unspoken language that flows while cooking as well, when we don’t use words, we use gestures and intuitions, to create harmonies, like a well-practiced song in a choir. The textures of fresh vegetables and the crunchy carrots, the bright broccoli and the curly cabbage all feel wonderful to touch. It evokes a sense of gratefulness for my life, for our lives, for senses intact, for working hands and fingers, for this wonderful earth we share and all the wonderful amazing things we have been given to enjoy. I don’t believe it should cost the earth to eat healthy. In fact eating healthy should be a very cost effective activity, than buying cooked meals or eating out of cans. Culturally speaking, Indian food is not expensive to prepare, as I cook a lot of lentils and peas and dried beans. It needs a bit of planning and the dry beans and peas have to be soaked overnight, but are cheap and very healthy. New Zealand being a country in the West, there are no great shortages of food and everyone is well fed…although recent statistics show that there are some who go without breakfast and healthy food due to economic restraints. I am one of those lucky few, who are not in this category, as I believe in eating well (not necessarily rich and fancy) but healthy.


Environment:


Kitchen is the hub of all activity….in fact the kitchen is considered the heart, the source of all energy of the house. This is where most of the activity takes place. Of where food is stored, in my house, cooked, the dishes are washed and kept in the cupboards. Even where we eat our meals and hang out. Where I teach my daughter life skills. Where age old legacy is passed down from one generation to another. Even our two cats come and share the space and is definitely one big family of humans and animals finding a common meeting space and pats and purring are all essential for the health of the family! The fridge is one of the big storage of where the goodies that satisfy the tummy are stored, which is a prominent feature of my kitchen. The pantry is just outside the kitchen back door and is very handy as that is where all the spices, canned goods, beans, rice and flour and all the raw goods are stored. Let’s call it the warehouse.


I enjoy the layout of my kitchen and I could find things in it blindfolded and in the dark……..maybe it would be a nightmare to a stranger…..as my kitchen is not predictable and conventional!!!






References:

Dul , J & Weerdmeester (2008) Ergonomics for beginners a quick reference guide 3rd edition,Boca Raton: USA.:Crc press.

Participation In occuption 2

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Welcome back to my blog, of Participation of Occupation 2. 

This semester we are exploring one meaningful occupation that we can immerse ourselves and discover a treasure of hidden talents and dormant passions that we were not aware we possessed..............something very hum-drum that may not have put a sparkle to our eyes in the past, will suddenly evoke interest when we view them through different lenses .................................

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