Memorable Moments

By Calliope Mills

(clip from movie)

 There is a quote from the well-known children TV show Phineas and Ferb, (technically the special feature movie, called Across the Second Dimension) where the main nemesis character, Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, is once again blocked from conducting his “evil” plans and says, “If I had a nickel for
everytime I was doomed by a puppet, I’d have two nickels–which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice”. The format of this quote has come in and out of popularity on social media for users to recount a similar coincidence of their own, whether it was a negative or positive event. I feel that this format is appropriate for describing my taking of this course. 

At first when I went to write this blog I was going to say that it was a complete outlier in an area of focus for a college class that I have taken–as it doesn’t align with economics, politics, international relations, spanish, or media–but, then I remembered that last spring–in Spain–I also took a class related to experiencing senses, (although with more of a focus around food), and

Picture from the final dinner with my classmates and professor in Spain

connecting it to sociology. In both cases, I glanced at the class description, noted the mention of food, and signed up without further thought. In both cases, the food was not the main focus of the course, but more of a vessel to, at times, enhance the understanding of the subject material. In both cases as well, we had talks from guest lecturers, and small field trips or out-of-classroom experiences to better connect with the subject at hand. Both classes also ended with a dinner between the students and professor. Finally, in both cases, the professor was an absolute gem of a person; they were able to convey such passion for the material and care for the students that any concern I had about the class deviating from my misunderstanding of the course description quickly went out the window, replaced by an open mind and excitement to receive the knowledge and wisdom they had to share with me. 

To relate this back to the initial quote: if I had a nickel for everytime I signed up for a class I thought was just about food but instead expanded my awareness of the world around me as a whole and got to engage with a fantastic professor, I would have two nickels–which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. 

Our Final Banquet

I think that this lovely coincidence can relate back to our 6th sense topic of there being a greater presence out in the world, or a string of fate to some degree. That my love of food brought me to an academic space I didn’t know I would develop a passion for, and the incredible opportunity to form new perspectives and engage with completely new ideas and scholarly topics. I think the universe, or some greater being(s), knew the side-quest path I needed to detour to, and so it laid the breadcrumbs (pun intended) of the allure of gastronomy to get me to the right place. 

The banquet that we shared this past Monday was truly a memorable moment–although the Diet Coke incident will remain a strong contender for most memorable as well–and it will leave me with a better sense of connection to this campus and the people on it. I think that going forward, it will also inspire me to host dinner parties of my own, as they provide a wonderful kinesthetic (and sensual) experience in a time dominated by uninterrupted screen usage.