Chinedu Echebelem I learned a lot of new interesting things on my two service learning experiences; which were mostly surrounded on the topic of St. Joseph Altars. I learned a lot about the importance of the different items that are displayed on St. Joseph Altars, and the origin of this celebration as a whole that emerged from the Sicilian immigrants who migrated here to southern Louisiana. During my first service learning experience, I learned how to make cuccidatti and the Italian sesame seeded cookies. These cookies are displayed on the altar; the sesame seeded cookie can be made within minutes, while the cuccidatti can be designed to symbolize things such as a cross or heart. The sesame seeded cookies incorporated many common ingredients such as flour, sugar, Crisco, and eggs, but one “secret” ingredient that was used was some kind of licorice extract. After all the ingredients were mixed together we had to roll the dough thin and cut them into equivalent rectangles. Afterwards, we poured seeds on top and in the oven they went. The cuccidatti was also simple, but more work was required. The dough was tougher and thicker to thin out, and depending on how you wanted to shape your dough, the fig had to be inserted into the center of your shape. Then, you put your remaining dough that has been thinned out on top, and cut from the top, only one layer deep. Another thing that I learned a lot about was the fava bean. It was also known as the lucky bean, because in Sicily during the famine the fava bean was the only crop that survived and many lived off of this crop. It is now said that if you carry around a fava bean in your purse or pocket, you will never go without money nor will you go hungry. During the service learning on St. Joseph’s Day, I learned about the organization and how the events are carried out during the service at the St. Joseph’s Day Altar. Not one altar is the same in terms of the things that may be displayed, but the altars do reenact the actions of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph sitting and eating at the table.
I baked both times for the Service Learning project. The first time, I made a cuccidati. It was pretty easy and it was very enjoyable. I learned that the cuccidati was very symbolic as well. I thought it was interesting to say a prayer each time you pressed down with the tool to seal the cuccidati. The shapes that we were allowed to make were symbolic. I chose to make my cuccidati in the shape of a heart, while others made doves, crosses, canes, and wreaths. I interpreted my heart to symbolize the love that St. Joseph has for the people that pray to him. For the second Service Learning project, I helped make some sesame cookies. This was really fun. We got to use a mixer and add the ingredients, including the secret ingredient, which was anise extract. The person that we helped make these cookies told us a story that when a family member of hers passed away, their family baked these cookies for people to take home after the funeral. The cookie was a signature of that family member that passed away. I like this cookie has so much meaning to her. So that day, we made and bagged these cookies. The cuccidati were put on the St. Joseph’s Day altar and the cookies were put on the side table where visitors could grab a bag as they were leaving. Some cookies were also put upon the altar. I learned a lot about the Sicilian culture. I learned the meaning and history behind the St. Joseph’s Day Altars. I learned a lot about tradition. I learned that preserving traditions is important, because it gives life a larger meaning for you. When you have a tradition, you are more connected to everything around you. This connection is better than to live life without a point.
On the two service learning projects that I went to I learned many things. On the first one that I went on, I honestly was not expecting much out of it. I was expecting to just sit there and listen to people talk about St. Josephs Day. I was not excited about going and I thought that it was going to be boring. When I got there I actually had a good time. We made a type of cookie called a cuccidata. A cuccidata is a cookie that is made out of homemade dough and a fig filling that is then put in a freezer and then baked later on. I had a good time learning how to make the cuccidata and I learned how to make them on my own. I learned that there is more to just making the cookie that makes it special. There is a lot of different history that goes into not just the reason the dish is made, but the certain things that you do while you make the dish. On the second service learning project I went on, we had to make a different type of food. What we did was we took, once again, homemade dough and rolled it into a line. Then we sprinkled seeds on the table and rolled the dough over the seeds. After that, we cut the rolls into equal parts and cooked the treats in an oven until they were ready to eat. I learned from this project that there are many more things that are put into the making of these foods than just the physical ingredients.
The first service learning project I went to was when we made the cuccidata. At first I wasn’t expecting to make anything. I thought we were just going to be decorating like some kind of cookie. I didn’t know that we were going to get our hands messy but I thought it was pretty fun. I liked how I was able to interact with new people. I thought it was pretty interesting how the lady that taught us how to make the cuccidata knew so much about the culture and history of the St. Joseph alter. Whatever shape you made your cuccidata into symbolized something. People made crosses, hearts, and circles. I made a cross. Usually when I have been to a St. Joseph alter by my house I never knew what all of that meant. I wondered why there was so much food and so many decorations but now I understand who St. Joseph was and why there was a day to honor him. The second service learning project I did was set up the St. Joseph alter. It was in the St. Joseph Hall. I have been in there a couple times. I like how we were able to make room to make the first St. Joseph alter for Xavier. All the girls did the decorating and put cookies into little bags while the guys carried stuff around. In my opinion I think that we made a pretty good alter.
My service learning project for Freshman Seminar was very educational. I learned about a New Orleans tradition that is not talked about much. Even some native New Orleanais did not know about the practice. When St. Joseph altar was first talked about in the class I thought it was going to be another boring lecture like in history class. But the hands-on aspect of the project is what made it fun and interesting to learn about. During the very first class about the St. Joseph’s altar, we researched the traditional foods that go on an altar like fish, fava beans, and certain breads. It was boring at first but as we got into the project I realized how important it was to realize their historical significance and why we still put them on the altar today. One major culture shock I got from this project was that New Orleans has a large Italian community. I did not know this prior and I realize that New Orleans is its own melting pot in its own right. Like New York, my hometown, New Orleans is a mixture of different cultures and languages from around that world that meet in one place. The two volunteering projects were also very fun and filled with educational opportunities. The class actually had a chance to make the pastries that we researched. Making cuccidatas and sesame cookies was a tangible learning experience that was very fun. It also gave us a chance to get to know and interact with others in the class. Seeing everyone’s different cuccidatas gave us a peek at the different personalities in the class. On St. Joseph’s Day, when we saw everyone’s effort, cookies and cuccidata’s together on the altar. Our altar had a lot of character, with the different cuccidata’s, and a lot of color through the fresh fruit and fresh flowers. Seeing the final product made me prod that I was a apart of this service learning project, while also learning a lot about New Orleans tradition.
I went to two different service learning projects. The first project was in the UC ballroom. I didn’t really know what to expect. I learned how to make a cuccidata. Cuccidatas are one of the food items displayed on the altar. The best part of the experience was to have a women who has done this all of her life instruct us and tell us this importance of this tradition in her perspective. She was a sweet elderly lady along with her daughter. They showed us beautiful pictures of their family and friends from a couple decades ago putting together the altar. Everybody who attended were able to make a cuccidata. People made hearts, crosses, doves, and circles. I made a cross. The second project we went to esplanade’s apartment building pool house where there was a kitchen. We made mini seed cakes. This time our instructor was a Xavier employee who also takes pride in the tradition. We got to make the batter and with our groups and bake. It was really fun because it was a chill environment with my classmates. I made new friends and learned a lot from the service learning projects. In the end, the St. Joseph Altar was made and it made everything we learned come to life.
The service learning events were very interesting. I missed the first event where the cooked the cucchidatia because I over slept. Lucky for me when I went to the second event I got a chance to make the sesame seed cookies and my very own cucchidatia. Baking the cookies was fun and I got to interact with some of the students in our class that I didn't really know. With the sesame seeds first we made the batter. It consists f milk, flour, sugar, and a special ingredient. The batter had to be a perfect and almost feel like play doe to make good cookies. Then we took the batter out mashed it up and then gave everyone some to help mold them into cookies. You put the batter on wax paper and mold it into cookie squares. Then you coat the batter in sesame seeds. Last ou put it on a tray for you to bake. Once they are finished cooking we had to take the out and put them on a rack to cool. Later we put them eat into its own zip lock bag. Then those of us who didn't get to make the cucchidatia the first time made one this time. First we laid out a big hunk of dough. You spread it all the way out. Them you put this big hunk of fig on top of it. Then you put another fat hunk of dough of the top of all of it. Last you cut out different shapes and designs into the cucchidatia and cook it. One guy made one that looked like Toad from Mario. The place where we went had a nice pool. If it wasn't so cold outside I would have jumped in! I learn a lot during the service learning project.
Taylor Reuther I really enjoyed this year’s service learning project. I learned so many new things about the St. Joseph’s Day Altar that I had never even heard of before. I took part in the first service learning activity doing the cuccidata making process. I learned so many interesting things from Ms. Sandra Scalise Juneau and her daughter at the activity that morning. I really enjoyed the whole process of carving and shaping and creating my very own design. I chose to make a circle, which represents everlasting love, which I am a strong believer in so it was pretty close to my heart. I also learned a lot about the fava bean, which saved the citizens while they were in a drought. St. Joseph had provided them with a plant that actually grew and that became their saving grace. Because of that, the fava bean is now a lucky bean. All of the St. Joseph’s Day Altars are pretty different depending on the shape, size or color of the altars. That does not really matter though because at the end of the day, all the altars symbolize hope and thanksgiving. The altars give the people something to believe in and be thankful for as a group. They all look to St. Joseph for things and he provides his believers with these things. The whole experience was very nice and I really enjoyed learning so many new and different things.
The service learning project was very insightful. I learned about things that I never knew occurred; basically the whole St. Joseph’s Day recognition. First of all, I started in the kitchen. Not one of my strong points. Baking the Italian sesame seeded cookies was a new thing for me. However when they were done they tasted great. The process of making them was interesting as well because I would always mess something up and end up being the center of a joke. Sometimes the dough wouldn’t roll the way I wanted it to roll. I guess the dough was my main problem. Then, I made a cuccidata. This was also an interesting experience. I got the chance to express myself using food. I cut a basketball in the middle of my cross on my cuccidata. I also never handled real fig, which I used while making my cuccidata. I also got a chance to help set up the altar. This was a great experience too, because I like seeing teamwork work. I helped set up the room and and organize some of the things on the altar. altogether this service learning project was successful. I would encourage anybody who hasn’t been a part of something like this to try it and learn from it.
The service learning project was not only educational and informative but it was also a very enjoyable experience. I participated in baking cuchidatas for display on the St. Joseph’s Day altar. This was a lot of fun to do. My classmates and I arrived at the hotel and were ready to work. We learned the basics of making the cuchidata and some common mistakes. While learning how to make this historically revered food we also were able to learn about its history and migration from Sicily all the way to New Orleans and other parts of the United States. It was satisfying to do something more interactive after learning about this and other Sicilian practices in class. Being able to physically see and apply what I had learned from class might have been the best and most rewarding part of the whole service learning project for me. Aside from making a cuchidata, I also participated in taking down the St. Jps[eh’s Day altar and restoring the room to its original state. While this might not sound educational or fun, I actually found it to be. I think one could relate this to the concept of understanding something by taking it apart and seeing how it works. I felt like that what I did here. Hauling away each piece one by one I not only saw how much work and detail went into the altar’s construction but I also was able to examine these pieces and think about how they related to St. Joseph's Day and the Sicilian culture individually. All in all, I found this service learning project to be a great way for me to introduce myself to the university and actually making a little history by being students of the first freshman class to achieve what we did with our St. Joseph’s Day altar.
The service learning projects that our class focused on this semester was St. Joseph’s Day and the altar for it. Each student was required to attend at least two of the service learning projects. The two that I attended were the making and taking down of the St. Joseph’s Day Altar. When I was setting up the altar, I prepared the giveaway bags that were handed to all the visitors of the altars. We prepared the bags with items prepared by the last service project, which was the Italian sesame seed cookie. We also set up the altar by displaying some of the cuccidatas that were made at the first service learning project. So much effort was put into setting up the altar. Two days after the setting up the altar came the taking down of the altar. Not as many people were in attendance to this service learning project as there was for the past projects. We had to take down the altar by clearing out everything on the tables and throwing away items that would go bad in the future, such as the cuccidatas. Taking down the altar did not take as long as setting up the altar. Despite the minimal amount of people who were in attendance at the take down, the process went by fast. We were also very cautious with the process as well. We carefully took down and cleaned the candles, folded all of the clothes that were used, and put the furniture back in its place. After all of the work that we had done, we were offered snacks. It was a wonderful way to end the service learning project. Overall, while participating in these service learning projects, I’ve learned about the many items that are needed to make up the St. Joseph’s Day altar. I also got to experience what it was like setting up and taking down an altar.
I have learned a lot about the Service Learning projects. For the first service project was to make a Cuccidatta. Unfortunately I could not make it but I do know a little bit about its history. Cuccidatta is an important food attributed to the St. Joseph Day altars. You can decorate your cuccidatta in many different shapes. I've seen many shapes made like hearts, crosses, and other designs. The decorations and carvings are highly symbolic. When setting up the altar, many things were placed. You can tell just by looking at it the meaning of what St. Joseph Day was about. Many cuccidattas, beans, and decorations were aligned on the altar beautifully. Putting the goodie bags together was fun. There were many things that had to be put in like a piece of cuccidatta cookie, a fava bean, and a St. Joseph bread. When visiting the altar, you often receive gifts of fava beans and breads. Fava breads are the food that were saved from the Sicilians from starvation during the draught. The bean is said to bring good luck and it is believed that if the St. Joseph bread was kept in the home, the family will never starve. A card that explained what St. Joseph was was also placed in a bag. The goodie bags were given to those who visited the altar. Putting down the altar was mainly about teamwork. We put everything away carefully and everyone that came to see the altar was very amazed.
The service learning project was very informing. The first service learning I attended was the cuccidatti making. We made everything from scratch.We used water and flour to create the dough. Our instructor had already made the fig filling that was used in the cookie. Firs,t we rolled out the dough and put the figs in it. Then we put another layer of the dough on top. Next, we created a shape some people made crosses, some made circles, and some even made a staff. Then, made another design inside the cookie. The instructor gave us an old tool to make some imprints on the outside of our cuccidatti. On the next service learning, we made up the altar. I helped by bringing the flowers and other items from out of the office. I also moved around the furniture so that there was enough room for the altar and the table where the fava beans were. The class reminded me about the true meaning of these lucky beans. I also saw some of my other classmates cut up the blessed bread and also make bags. It then came to me that the bread that they were cutting up was the blessed bread for the altar. Saint Joseph Day became more than just some class project for me. It was something meaningful and taught me something that I never knew before. I am from Mississippi ,and I have never seen or heard about the altar until know. The tupa tupa part was really interesting. I didn’t know that people dressed up as Mary, Jesus, and Joseph for the Saint Joseph Day. All in all, the service learning projects has really taught me a lot. I know now that this class was more that an insight to freshman year. It taught us the food and traditions that go on here in New Orleans.
The service learning projects each were very educational and interesting. They tought me about many different parts of people culture and how to make creative foods. Each Service Learning project had to do with the overall finished product of St. Joseph's altar. The first service learning project was about the cuccidatta. The project showed us how to make cuccidatta's from scratch. A cuccidatta is a famous Sicilian cookie that goes along with Saint Josephs' altar. The cookie's come in many different shapes and sizes. We also help set up and take down The St. Joseph's alter as a service learning event. Throughout this semester the service learning projects have helped me and my class to become more educated about Sicilian culture and St. Joseph's altar and the importance of the altar in our community.
There are several thing that my class and I learned by doing service learning projects. Before service learning projects we have to learn history about the focus of the service learning project. There were several opportunities for my classmates and I to do service learning projects that related to the St.Joseph’s altar. I was interested in making the cookies and the cucchidatia. There was several service learning projects that I would have liked to participate in during previous Saturdays. There were many service learning projects that I failed to make because I over slept. The service learning project that I participated in was when we had to report to St. Joseph’s Building at nine o’ clock in the morning to stuff bags. Our task was to stuff bags with a pray card, fava bean, and bread. Before, we had to stuff the bags we learned what the fava bean, pray card, and bread. The fava bean represents the famine in Sicily. The pray card represents the prayers that were on the altar. I wondered about what made the people start building the St. Joseph altars based on what the fava bean, pray card, bread, and cookies embodies. I had a lot of fun stuffing the bags and we also were learning when we were stuffing bags. I was happy that I participated in this service learning project because this was a smaller project that was incorporated into a larger project. The bags were all placed with the altar and people were able to pick them up when looking at the St. Joseph altar. I wish that I could have participated in things that also contributed to the look and creativity of the St. Joseph altar. During this service learning project I learned that there are several things that are important for the St. Joseph altar.
I think the service learning was very powerful in teaching us new things. Some people never heard of the St.Joesph's altar but they were able to contribute to the coming together of one. The service learning was also good because it got us out the classroom and into an every day environment where we could really relax and be ourselves. It gave us "classmates" an oppurtunity to get to know each other. Some who always known each other but started to really understand one another. Some who never met and finally had the chance to meet each other. I always think it would be great to have an outside experience with classmates. For the service learning it was nice to see how classmates who may have really talked to you lent out a helping hand if you didnt know how to do something. I participated in making the seed cookies and the take down of the altar. Both experiences where great. They were both so great because it was nice to watch everyone work together as one to get to a common goal. Both were equally enjoyable. When we were making the cookies we got to learn family history of someones family and how they make and enjoy the cookies.
The service learning project I partcipated in was the making of the sesame seed cookies. This Service learning project taught me a lot of things. The whole experience was different. I have never participated in anything like that before. Learning how to make the cookies with my class was fun. I also made a cuccidatta. Making a cuccidatta was weird. The fig was sticky and hard to work with but I enjoyed it. The hardest part was rolling out the dough. I made my cuccidatta into the shape of a heart with sybolizes "God's Love" in regards to St. Josephs Day. Throughout this whole experience, I learned how important St. Josephs Day and its altar was to some people. Learning about it was fun in some aspects. If I could do it all again, I would.
The service learning project was an interesting experience that allowed me to learn something new from a different culture and religion. Before this semester I did not know what a St. Joseph’s Day altar was as well as the religious aspects of it. From this I learned that this is a tradition that originated in Sicily. During a drought, the Sicilians prayed to St. Joseph and he answered their prayers by giving them the fava bean which was able to grow despite the drought. Because of this the people started the tradition of building an altar in his honor to give thanks to him for answering their prayers. When we first discussed making an altar in class I honestly thought that it would not look as nice because a lot of us had never heard of it before so I did not think we would be able to pull it off. I participated in the setup of the altar by preparing bags that contained a piece of bread, a sesame seed cookie, a fava bean, and a prayer card. We made at least over a hundred bags that were passed out during the viewing of the St. Joseph’s day altar. Now that I am familiar with this tradition, I am really anxious to see what the St. Joseph’s day altar for next year will look like since no altar is the same. Overall, I think it was a great experience because I learned something new from a different culture and the St. Joseph’s Day altar turned out to be very nice.
There were four service-learning opportunities that contributed to the making of the St. Joseph’s Day Altar, the first making the cucidata, second making the cookies, third putting up the altar and the fourth taking the altar down. I did not participate in the making of the cucidata or making the cookies, but I did help put up the St. Joseph’s Day Altar. One of the things my group did was fill bags to give out on St. Joseph’s Day. We filled the bags with a fava bean that is representative of the fava beans that allowed the Sicilians to survive the drought after praying to St. Joseph. The fava bean is said to have good luck so it was included in the bags. We also put the cucidata with the religious messages and/or designs on top, the fig cookies, breadcrumbs and a prayer card. I learned a quite a few things about the Catholic faith during the service-learning project. I was unaware of who St. Joseph’s was and I had no idea that the Dt. Joseph’s Day Altar stemmed from Sicily. The St. Joseph’s Day Altar has a lot of things included and each one represents a part of Catholic faith, even the breadcrumbs! In addition to the symbolic things on the altar I learned that all the altars do not have to be the same. People can add things that they feel are fitting to giving at the St. Joseph’s Day Altar so it is very uncommon for any two to be the same. I am actually glad I got to learn something about the Catholics and their traditions even though I’m not one. It’s very interesting and helps me get a better understanding of why they do and celebrate certain things.
The service learning events I attended was extremely interesting. I had a great time learning how to cook something new and learning the history of it. I wasn’t able to make it to the first service learning where they made cucchidatia, but I was able make one at the second service learning. At the second service learning I made sesame seed cookies along with other students that were in my class. We made the cookies from scratch. The ingredients consisted of flour, sugar, Crisco, milk, and liquid licorice. We mixed all those ingredients together to make the batter, which had to be perfect. It could not be sticky at all, but if the batter was sticky we added more flour to take the stickiness away. After the batter was done we had to roll the batter up on wax paper and mold it into small squares and then coated them with sesame seeds on top of them. Finally the cookies baked in the oven for about twenty minutes. When they were done, we let them cool down for a couple of minutes and then place them into small zip loc bags. While the sesame seeds were cooling down I was able to make a cucchidatia. First I had to remove the dough from the zip loc bag and place them on the wax paper where I had to roll the dough out. I had to roll the dough out because it was in a ball and it needed to be as flat as a sheet of paper. After I rolled the dough I placed a chunk of fig on top of the dough. Luckily we were able to be creative and shape the fig into something we want, I shaped my fig into a cross. When the fig cross was on top of the bottom layer of dough I had to place a thin layer of dough on top of the fig and shape the dough into the fig. Lastly I had to cut the excessive dough and pinch the sides of the dough, so there will be no open areas. I had a blast at the second service learning.
The service learning project was something I really enjoyed. I was doubtful at first, thinking that this was going to be a waste of time, but after participating in the service learning project, it really changed my perspective on things. The main thing I learned is that when people work together, it gets the job done a lot faster. This will play a big role for the rest of my life because instead of letting people struggle and work by themselves, I will try to help people and speed up the process to get the end product. Making the cookies for the altar was a fun experience and I met my classmates, who I usually did not talk to in class. I learned that the people around me, who I never knew were great and fun people to be around. Being outside of class really made a big difference in bringing out the fun side of people because you are not bound to do "work" and I really enjoyed their company. Not to mention the service learning project also taught me how to make cookies and why tradition is important. For a long time, I thought these family gatherings that my family makes me go to were a waste of time. Now that I think about it, I should really enjoy these events because it is keeping something that our ancestors did alive which, in a way, is keeping them alive in our hearts and memories.
My service learning project taught me a lot this semester. I have enjoyed doing my hours of service and helping others. Events like this help you get more involved around school. We worked together baking different breads for the alter and fig edible items. It was fun and got to try fig for the first time. I would not recommend fig to anyone because I didn’t really like it. We also took a lot of pictures of our different creations. My piece of fig was shaped like a heart and had distinct layers in it. We also took down the beautiful alter when it was over. We moved a lot of chairs and tables throughout the building. The extra food and other religious pieces on the alter we moved to the chapel. This service learning day was another good bonding time. Working with people outside a classroom setting shows a different side of them. Also it’s a activity to get away from school and making change in whatever your doing. I love doing things to help others and making differences in people lives.
Chinedu Echebelem
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot of new interesting things on my two service learning experiences; which were mostly surrounded on the topic of St. Joseph Altars. I learned a lot about the importance of the different items that are displayed on St. Joseph Altars, and the origin of this celebration as a whole that emerged from the Sicilian immigrants who migrated here to southern Louisiana. During my first service learning experience, I learned how to make cuccidatti and the Italian sesame seeded cookies. These cookies are displayed on the altar; the sesame seeded cookie can be made within minutes, while the cuccidatti can be designed to symbolize things such as a cross or heart. The sesame seeded cookies incorporated many common ingredients such as flour, sugar, Crisco, and eggs, but one “secret” ingredient that was used was some kind of licorice extract. After all the ingredients were mixed together we had to roll the dough thin and cut them into equivalent rectangles. Afterwards, we poured seeds on top and in the oven they went. The cuccidatti was also simple, but more work was required. The dough was tougher and thicker to thin out, and depending on how you wanted to shape your dough, the fig had to be inserted into the center of your shape. Then, you put your remaining dough that has been thinned out on top, and cut from the top, only one layer deep.
Another thing that I learned a lot about was the fava bean. It was also known as the lucky bean, because in Sicily during the famine the fava bean was the only crop that survived and many lived off of this crop. It is now said that if you carry around a fava bean in your purse or pocket, you will never go without money nor will you go hungry.
During the service learning on St. Joseph’s Day, I learned about the organization and how the events are carried out during the service at the St. Joseph’s Day Altar. Not one altar is the same in terms of the things that may be displayed, but the altars do reenact the actions of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph sitting and eating at the table.
Nancy Pham
ReplyDeleteI baked both times for the Service Learning project. The first time, I made a cuccidati. It was pretty easy and it was very enjoyable. I learned that the cuccidati was very symbolic as well. I thought it was interesting to say a prayer each time you pressed down with the tool to seal the cuccidati. The shapes that we were allowed to make were symbolic. I chose to make my cuccidati in the shape of a heart, while others made doves, crosses, canes, and wreaths. I interpreted my heart to symbolize the love that St. Joseph has for the people that pray to him. For the second Service Learning project, I helped make some sesame cookies. This was really fun. We got to use a mixer and add the ingredients, including the secret ingredient, which was anise extract. The person that we helped make these cookies told us a story that when a family member of hers passed away, their family baked these cookies for people to take home after the funeral. The cookie was a signature of that family member that passed away. I like this cookie has so much meaning to her. So that day, we made and bagged these cookies. The cuccidati were put on the St. Joseph’s Day altar and the cookies were put on the side table where visitors could grab a bag as they were leaving. Some cookies were also put upon the altar.
I learned a lot about the Sicilian culture. I learned the meaning and history behind the St. Joseph’s Day Altars. I learned a lot about tradition. I learned that preserving traditions is important, because it gives life a larger meaning for you. When you have a tradition, you are more connected to everything around you. This connection is better than to live life without a point.
On the two service learning projects that I went to I learned many things. On the first one that I went on, I honestly was not expecting much out of it. I was expecting to just sit there and listen to people talk about St. Josephs Day. I was not excited about going and I thought that it was going to be boring. When I got there I actually had a good time. We made a type of cookie called a cuccidata. A cuccidata is a cookie that is made out of homemade dough and a fig filling that is then put in a freezer and then baked later on. I had a good time learning how to make the cuccidata and I learned how to make them on my own. I learned that there is more to just making the cookie that makes it special. There is a lot of different history that goes into not just the reason the dish is made, but the certain things that you do while you make the dish. On the second service learning project I went on, we had to make a different type of food. What we did was we took, once again, homemade dough and rolled it into a line. Then we sprinkled seeds on the table and rolled the dough over the seeds. After that, we cut the rolls into equal parts and cooked the treats in an oven until they were ready to eat. I learned from this project that there are many more things that are put into the making of these foods than just the physical ingredients.
ReplyDeletePeter Huynh
ReplyDeleteThe first service learning project I went to was when we made the cuccidata. At first I wasn’t expecting to make anything. I thought we were just going to be decorating like some kind of cookie. I didn’t know that we were going to get our hands messy but I thought it was pretty fun. I liked how I was able to interact with new people. I thought it was pretty interesting how the lady that taught us how to make the cuccidata knew so much about the culture and history of the St. Joseph alter. Whatever shape you made your cuccidata into symbolized something. People made crosses, hearts, and circles. I made a cross. Usually when I have been to a St. Joseph alter by my house I never knew what all of that meant. I wondered why there was so much food and so many decorations but now I understand who St. Joseph was and why there was a day to honor him. The second service learning project I did was set up the St. Joseph alter. It was in the St. Joseph Hall. I have been in there a couple times. I like how we were able to make room to make the first St. Joseph alter for Xavier. All the girls did the decorating and put cookies into little bags while the guys carried stuff around. In my opinion I think that we made a pretty good alter.
Mahalia Dees
ReplyDeleteMy service learning project for Freshman Seminar was very educational. I learned about a New Orleans tradition that is not talked about much. Even some native New Orleanais did not know about the practice. When St. Joseph altar was first talked about in the class I thought it was going to be another boring lecture like in history class. But the hands-on aspect of the project is what made it fun and interesting to learn about.
During the very first class about the St. Joseph’s altar, we researched the traditional foods that go on an altar like fish, fava beans, and certain breads. It was boring at first but as we got into the project I realized how important it was to realize their historical significance and why we still put them on the altar today.
One major culture shock I got from this project was that New Orleans has a large Italian community. I did not know this prior and I realize that New Orleans is its own melting pot in its own right. Like New York, my hometown, New Orleans is a mixture of different cultures and languages from around that world that meet in one place.
The two volunteering projects were also very fun and filled with educational opportunities. The class actually had a chance to make the pastries that we researched. Making cuccidatas and sesame cookies was a tangible learning experience that was very fun. It also gave us a chance to get to know and interact with others in the class. Seeing everyone’s different cuccidatas gave us a peek at the different personalities in the class.
On St. Joseph’s Day, when we saw everyone’s effort, cookies and cuccidata’s together on the altar. Our altar had a lot of character, with the different cuccidata’s, and a lot of color through the fresh fruit and fresh flowers. Seeing the final product made me prod that I was a apart of this service learning project, while also learning a lot about New Orleans tradition.
I went to two different service learning projects. The first project was in the UC ballroom. I didn’t really know what to expect. I learned how to make a cuccidata. Cuccidatas are one of the food items displayed on the altar. The best part of the experience was to have a women who has done this all of her life instruct us and tell us this importance of this tradition in her perspective. She was a sweet elderly lady along with her daughter. They showed us beautiful pictures of their family and friends from a couple decades ago putting together the altar. Everybody who attended were able to make a cuccidata. People made hearts, crosses, doves, and circles. I made a cross. The second project we went to esplanade’s apartment building pool house where there was a kitchen. We made mini seed cakes. This time our instructor was a Xavier employee who also takes pride in the tradition. We got to make the batter and with our groups and bake. It was really fun because it was a chill environment with my classmates. I made new friends and learned a lot from the service learning projects. In the end, the St. Joseph Altar was made and it made everything we learned come to life.
ReplyDeleteThe service learning events were very interesting. I missed the first event where the cooked the cucchidatia because I over slept. Lucky for me when I went to the second event I got a chance to make the sesame seed cookies and my very own cucchidatia. Baking the cookies was fun and I got to interact with some of the students in our class that I didn't really know. With the sesame seeds first we made the batter. It consists f milk, flour, sugar, and a special ingredient. The batter had to be a perfect and almost feel like play doe to make good cookies. Then we took the batter out mashed it up and then gave everyone some to help mold them into cookies. You put the batter on wax paper and mold it into cookie squares. Then you coat the batter in sesame seeds. Last ou put it on a tray for you to bake. Once they are finished cooking we had to take the out and put them on a rack to cool. Later we put them eat into its own zip lock bag. Then those of us who didn't get to make the cucchidatia the first time made one this time. First we laid out a big hunk of dough. You spread it all the way out. Them you put this big hunk of fig on top of it. Then you put another fat hunk of dough of the top of all of it. Last you cut out different shapes and designs into the cucchidatia and cook it. One guy made one that looked like Toad from Mario. The place where we went had a nice pool. If it wasn't so cold outside I would have jumped in! I learn a lot during the service learning project.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Reuther
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this year’s service learning project. I learned so many new things about the St. Joseph’s Day Altar that I had never even heard of before. I took part in the first service learning activity doing the cuccidata making process. I learned so many interesting things from Ms. Sandra Scalise Juneau and her daughter at the activity that morning. I really enjoyed the whole process of carving and shaping and creating my very own design. I chose to make a circle, which represents everlasting love, which I am a strong believer in so it was pretty close to my heart.
I also learned a lot about the fava bean, which saved the citizens while they were in a drought. St. Joseph had provided them with a plant that actually grew and that became their saving grace. Because of that, the fava bean is now a lucky bean.
All of the St. Joseph’s Day Altars are pretty different depending on the shape, size or color of the altars. That does not really matter though because at the end of the day, all the altars symbolize hope and thanksgiving. The altars give the people something to believe in and be thankful for as a group. They all look to St. Joseph for things and he provides his believers with these things. The whole experience was very nice and I really enjoyed learning so many new and different things.
TaiRhe Turner
ReplyDeleteThe service learning project was very insightful. I learned about things that I never knew occurred; basically the whole St. Joseph’s Day recognition. First of all, I started in the kitchen. Not one of my strong points. Baking the Italian sesame seeded cookies was a new thing for me. However when they were done they tasted great. The process of making them was interesting as well because I would always mess something up and end up being the center of a joke. Sometimes the dough wouldn’t roll the way I wanted it to roll. I guess the dough was my main problem. Then, I made a cuccidata. This was also an interesting experience. I got the chance to express myself using food. I cut a basketball in the middle of my cross on my cuccidata. I also never handled real fig, which I used while making my cuccidata. I also got a chance to help set up the altar. This was a great experience too, because I like seeing teamwork work. I helped set up the room and and organize some of the things on the altar. altogether this service learning project was successful. I would encourage anybody who hasn’t been a part of something like this to try it and learn from it.
Anthony Poche
ReplyDeleteThe service learning project was not only educational and informative but it was also a very enjoyable experience. I participated in baking cuchidatas for display on the St. Joseph’s Day altar. This was a lot of fun to do. My classmates and I arrived at the hotel and were ready to work. We learned the basics of making the cuchidata and some common mistakes. While learning how to make this historically revered food we also were able to learn about its history and migration from Sicily all the way to New Orleans and other parts of the United States. It was satisfying to do something more interactive after learning about this and other Sicilian practices in class. Being able to physically see and apply what I had learned from class might have been the best and most rewarding part of the whole service learning project for me. Aside from making a cuchidata, I also participated in taking down the St. Jps[eh’s Day altar and restoring the room to its original state. While this might not sound educational or fun, I actually found it to be. I think one could relate this to the concept of understanding something by taking it apart and seeing how it works. I felt like that what I did here. Hauling away each piece one by one I not only saw how much work and detail went into the altar’s construction but I also was able to examine these pieces and think about how they related to St. Joseph's Day and the Sicilian culture individually. All in all, I found this service learning project to be a great way for me to introduce myself to the university and actually making a little history by being students of the first freshman class to achieve what we did with our St. Joseph’s Day altar.
Charity Crain
ReplyDeleteThe service learning projects that our class focused on this semester was St. Joseph’s Day and the altar for it. Each student was required to attend at least two of the service learning projects. The two that I attended were the making and taking down of the St. Joseph’s Day Altar. When I was setting up the altar, I prepared the giveaway bags that were handed to all the visitors of the altars. We prepared the bags with items prepared by the last service project, which was the Italian sesame seed cookie. We also set up the altar by displaying some of the cuccidatas that were made at the first service learning project. So much effort was put into setting up the altar. Two days after the setting up the altar came the taking down of the altar. Not as many people were in attendance to this service learning project as there was for the past projects. We had to take down the altar by clearing out everything on the tables and throwing away items that would go bad in the future, such as the cuccidatas. Taking down the altar did not take as long as setting up the altar. Despite the minimal amount of people who were in attendance at the take down, the process went by fast. We were also very cautious with the process as well. We carefully took down and cleaned the candles, folded all of the clothes that were used, and put the furniture back in its place. After all of the work that we had done, we were offered snacks. It was a wonderful way to end the service learning project. Overall, while participating in these service learning projects, I’ve learned about the many items that are needed to make up the St. Joseph’s Day altar. I also got to experience what it was like setting up and taking down an altar.
Anh Phuong Dang
ReplyDeleteI have learned a lot about the Service Learning projects. For the first service project was to make a Cuccidatta. Unfortunately I could not make it but I do know a little bit about its history. Cuccidatta is an important food attributed to the St. Joseph Day altars. You can decorate your cuccidatta in many different shapes. I've seen many shapes made like hearts, crosses, and other designs. The decorations and carvings are highly symbolic.
When setting up the altar, many things were placed. You can tell just by looking at it the meaning of what St. Joseph Day was about. Many cuccidattas, beans, and decorations were aligned on the altar beautifully.
Putting the goodie bags together was fun. There were many things that had to be put in like a piece of cuccidatta cookie, a fava bean, and a St. Joseph bread. When visiting the altar, you often receive gifts of fava beans and breads. Fava breads are the food that were saved from the Sicilians from starvation during the draught. The bean is said to bring good luck and it is believed that if the St. Joseph bread was kept in the home, the family will never starve. A card that explained what St. Joseph was was also placed in a bag. The goodie bags were given to those who visited the altar.
Putting down the altar was mainly about teamwork. We put everything away carefully and everyone that came to see the altar was very amazed.
The service learning project was very informing. The first service learning I attended was the cuccidatti making. We made everything from scratch.We used water and flour to create the dough. Our instructor had already made the fig filling that was used in the cookie. Firs,t we rolled out the dough and put the figs in it. Then we put another layer of the dough on top. Next, we created a shape some people made crosses, some made circles, and some even made a staff. Then, made another design inside the cookie. The instructor gave us an old tool to make some imprints on the outside of our cuccidatti. On the next service learning, we made up the altar. I helped by bringing the flowers and other items from out of the office. I also moved around the furniture so that there was enough room for the altar and the table where the fava beans were. The class reminded me about the true meaning of these lucky beans. I also saw some of my other classmates cut up the blessed bread and also make bags. It then came to me that the bread that they were cutting up was the blessed bread for the altar. Saint Joseph Day became more than just some class project for me. It was something meaningful and taught me something that I never knew before. I am from Mississippi ,and I have never seen or heard about the altar until know. The tupa tupa part was really interesting. I didn’t know that people dressed up as Mary, Jesus, and Joseph for the Saint Joseph Day. All in all, the service learning projects has really taught me a lot. I know now that this class was more that an insight to freshman year. It taught us the food and traditions that go on here in New Orleans.
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ReplyDeleteThe service learning projects each were very educational and interesting. They tought me about many different parts of people culture and how to make creative foods. Each Service Learning project had to do with the overall finished product of St. Joseph's altar. The first service learning project was about the cuccidatta. The project showed us how to make cuccidatta's from scratch. A cuccidatta is a famous Sicilian cookie that goes along with Saint Josephs' altar. The cookie's come in many different shapes and sizes.
ReplyDeleteWe also help set up and take down The St. Joseph's alter as a service learning event.
Throughout this semester the service learning projects have helped me and my class to become more educated about Sicilian culture and St. Joseph's altar and the importance of the altar in our community.
There are several thing that my class and I learned by doing service learning projects. Before service learning projects we have to learn history about the focus of the service learning project. There were several opportunities for my classmates and I to do service learning projects that related to the St.Joseph’s altar. I was interested in making the cookies and the cucchidatia. There was several service learning projects that I would have liked to participate in during previous Saturdays. There were many service learning projects that I failed to make because I over slept. The service learning project that I participated in was when we had to report to St. Joseph’s Building at nine o’ clock in the morning to stuff bags. Our task was to stuff bags with a pray card, fava bean, and bread. Before, we had to stuff the bags we learned what the fava bean, pray card, and bread. The fava bean represents the famine in Sicily. The pray card represents the prayers that were on the altar. I wondered about what made the people start building the St. Joseph altars based on what the fava bean, pray card, bread, and cookies embodies. I had a lot of fun stuffing the bags and we also were learning when we were stuffing bags. I was happy that I participated in this service learning project because this was a smaller project that was incorporated into a larger project. The bags were all placed with the altar and people were able to pick them up when looking at the St. Joseph altar. I wish that I could have participated in things that also contributed to the look and creativity of the St. Joseph altar. During this service learning project I learned that there are several things that are important for the St. Joseph altar.
ReplyDeleteI think the service learning was very powerful in teaching us new things. Some people never heard of the St.Joesph's altar but they were able to contribute to the coming together of one. The service learning was also good because it got us out the classroom and into an every day environment where we could really relax and be ourselves. It gave us "classmates" an oppurtunity to get to know each other. Some who always known each other but started to really understand one another. Some who never met and finally had the chance to meet each other. I always think it would be great to have an outside experience with classmates.
ReplyDeleteFor the service learning it was nice to see how classmates who may have really talked to you lent out a helping hand if you didnt know how to do something. I participated in making the seed cookies and the take down of the altar. Both experiences where great. They were both so great because it was nice to watch everyone work together as one to get to a common goal. Both were equally enjoyable. When we were making the cookies we got to learn family history of someones family and how they make and enjoy the cookies.
The service learning project I partcipated in was the making of the sesame seed cookies. This Service learning project taught me a lot of things. The whole experience was different. I have never participated in anything like that before. Learning how to make the cookies with my class was fun. I also made a cuccidatta. Making a cuccidatta was weird. The fig was sticky and hard to work with but I enjoyed it. The hardest part was rolling out the dough. I made my cuccidatta into the shape of a heart with sybolizes "God's Love" in regards to St. Josephs Day. Throughout this whole experience, I learned how important St. Josephs Day and its altar was to some people. Learning about it was fun in some aspects. If I could do it all again, I would.
ReplyDeleteThe service learning project was an interesting experience that allowed me to learn something new from a different culture and religion. Before this semester I did not know what a St. Joseph’s Day altar was as well as the religious aspects of it. From this I learned that this is a tradition that originated in Sicily. During a drought, the Sicilians prayed to St. Joseph and he answered their prayers by giving them the fava bean which was able to grow despite the drought. Because of this the people started the tradition of building an altar in his honor to give thanks to him for answering their prayers.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first discussed making an altar in class I honestly thought that it would not look as nice because a lot of us had never heard of it before so I did not think we would be able to pull it off. I participated in the setup of the altar by preparing bags that contained a piece of bread, a sesame seed cookie, a fava bean, and a prayer card. We made at least over a hundred bags that were passed out during the viewing of the St. Joseph’s day altar. Now that I am familiar with this tradition, I am really anxious to see what the St. Joseph’s day altar for next year will look like since no altar is the same. Overall, I think it was a great experience because I learned something new from a different culture and the St. Joseph’s Day altar turned out to be very nice.
There were four service-learning opportunities that contributed to the making of the St. Joseph’s Day Altar, the first making the cucidata, second making the cookies, third putting up the altar and the fourth taking the altar down. I did not participate in the making of the cucidata or making the cookies, but I did help put up the St. Joseph’s Day Altar. One of the things my group did was fill bags to give out on St. Joseph’s Day. We filled the bags with a fava bean that is representative of the fava beans that allowed the Sicilians to survive the drought after praying to St. Joseph. The fava bean is said to have good luck so it was included in the bags. We also put the cucidata with the religious messages and/or designs on top, the fig cookies, breadcrumbs and a prayer card.
ReplyDeleteI learned a quite a few things about the Catholic faith during the service-learning project. I was unaware of who St. Joseph’s was and I had no idea that the Dt. Joseph’s Day Altar stemmed from Sicily. The St. Joseph’s Day Altar has a lot of things included and each one represents a part of Catholic faith, even the breadcrumbs! In addition to the symbolic things on the altar I learned that all the altars do not have to be the same. People can add things that they feel are fitting to giving at the St. Joseph’s Day Altar so it is very uncommon for any two to be the same.
I am actually glad I got to learn something about the Catholics and their traditions even though I’m not one. It’s very interesting and helps me get a better understanding of why they do and celebrate certain things.
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ReplyDeleteThe service learning events I attended was extremely interesting. I had a great time learning how to cook something new and learning the history of it. I wasn’t able to make it to the first service learning where they made cucchidatia, but I was able make one at the second service learning. At the second service learning I made sesame seed cookies along with other students that were in my class. We made the cookies from scratch. The ingredients consisted of flour, sugar, Crisco, milk, and liquid licorice. We mixed all those ingredients together to make the batter, which had to be perfect. It could not be sticky at all, but if the batter was sticky we added more flour to take the stickiness away. After the batter was done we had to roll the batter up on wax paper and mold it into small squares and then coated them with sesame seeds on top of them. Finally the cookies baked in the oven for about twenty minutes. When they were done, we let them cool down for a couple of minutes and then place them into small zip loc bags.
ReplyDeleteWhile the sesame seeds were cooling down I was able to make a cucchidatia. First I had to remove the dough from the zip loc bag and place them on the wax paper where I had to roll the dough out. I had to roll the dough out because it was in a ball and it needed to be as flat as a sheet of paper. After I rolled the dough I placed a chunk of fig on top of the dough. Luckily we were able to be creative and shape the fig into something we want, I shaped my fig into a cross. When the fig cross was on top of the bottom layer of dough I had to place a thin layer of dough on top of the fig and shape the dough into the fig. Lastly I had to cut the excessive dough and pinch the sides of the dough, so there will be no open areas. I had a blast at the second service learning.
The service learning project was something I really enjoyed. I was doubtful at first, thinking that this was going to be a waste of time, but after participating in the service learning project, it really changed my perspective on things. The main thing I learned is that when people work together, it gets the job done a lot faster. This will play a big role for the rest of my life because instead of letting people struggle and work by themselves, I will try to help people and speed up the process to get the end product. Making the cookies for the altar was a fun experience and I met my classmates, who I usually did not talk to in class. I learned that the people around me, who I never knew were great and fun people to be around. Being outside of class really made a big difference in bringing out the fun side of people because you are not bound to do "work" and I really enjoyed their company. Not to mention the service learning project also taught me how to make cookies and why tradition is important. For a long time, I thought these family gatherings that my family makes me go to were a waste of time. Now that I think about it, I should really enjoy these events because it is keeping something that our ancestors did alive which, in a way, is keeping them alive in our hearts and memories.
ReplyDeleteMy service learning project taught me a lot this semester. I have enjoyed doing my hours of service and helping others. Events like this help you get more involved around school. We worked together baking different breads for the alter and fig edible items. It was fun and got to try fig for the first time. I would not recommend fig to anyone because I didn’t really like it. We also took a lot of pictures of our different creations. My piece of fig was shaped like a heart and had distinct layers in it. We also took down the beautiful alter when it was over. We moved a lot of chairs and tables throughout the building. The extra food and other religious pieces on the alter we moved to the chapel. This service learning day was another good bonding time. Working with people outside a classroom setting shows a different side of them. Also it’s a activity to get away from school and making change in whatever your doing. I love doing things to help others and making differences in people lives.
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