CABRINI STUDENTS COOK UP CONVERSATION
by Marianne McGowan
L earning English has been an exciting challenge for ESL students attending Evening Class at Cabrini Immigrant Services in Dobbs Ferry. These students and their teacher look for every opportuntiy listen, speak, read and write English. So, when an invitation from pastor Joseph Gilmore arrived asking us to cook and share a meal with his parishioners of the South Presbyterian Church, you can only imagine how thrilled we all were! This was the plan. Our Evening Class students were to be responsible for preparing a Latin recipe. The South Church parishioners were resposible for developing a shopping list from the recipe and doing the actural purchasing of food. Then, believe it or not, we would all cook together. Can you picture this? It was difficult for us to imagine, but it happened! On Tuesday evening, October 29th, nine of us walked up to the church and met, for the first time, eleven South Church parishioners. Then, our sleeves were rolled up and our hands washed. We were ready to cook. The entree was a Mexican Chicken Fiesta Salad which was to be the heart of our Friendship Supper. This is what the church kitchen looked like. Our students were paired up with a parishioner and the pots began to boil. The chicken was chopped and dipped into fajita seasoning. The greens were washed and dried and you could hear the sounds of chopping, dicing, slicing and shredding from all over the kitchen. An eavesdropper might also hear some wonderful conversation interspersed with some hearty laughter. A photographer might focus her lens on a cook wiping tears away from her eyes as she sliced the onions or on the cooks stirring the steamy pot of corn and beans. Truly, a miracle occurred in the kitchen that night. A recipe, which was meant for fifteen people, was multiplied to feed twenty... and there were leftovers besides! Soft candlelight and flowers adorned our supper table which was simply, but elegently, set. Wine was generously poured. Quiet prayer and then wonderful conversation followed. Our students met neighbors who became their friends. They practiced English and taught a little of their native language as well. Truly, this was a wonderful evening for all and one which must become a tradition in the years to come.
November 2002 |