Hi Guides!
Last Friday marked the very last 集合 for the Year 4s before they step down in June :”) This 集合 took place in the form of a mass Outdoor Cooking (OC) session, which aimed to allow Guides to have a fun and memorable last 集合, promote patrol bonding through OC, as well as allow Guides to learn OC skills.
This OC activity was in the style of a buffet. Each patrol focused on 1 or 2 main dishes and cooked them in large portions so that it could be shared with everyone in the 团.
Dishes:
P1: parmesan pasta
P2: fried rice and stir-fried vegetables
P3: chicken soup with vegetables
P4: creamy herb chicken
P5: hamburgers and sandwiches
P6: roasted s’mores in ice cream cones, chocolate covered strawberries and cookies
Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 1:
Last Friday’s mass OC was one of the best 集合s I have had in Guides thus far. I really like the concept of this mass OC session, whereby every patrol cooks a dish and shares it with the others afterwards. Although our fire altar took way longer to build than initially planned, we still managed to cook our pasta. This is one of the few OCs the Year 1s and 2s have participated in, hence we gave them the opportunity to sustain the fire as well as cook our dish. Overall, I think it was a success as each patrol managed to finish cooking their dishes and we could really taste our efforts in our final dish, although it was not that perfect or fantastic. This activity also brought my patrol closer together and I really enjoyed this last 集合 with our Year 4 seniors.
Last Friday’s mass OC was one of the best 集合s I have had in Guides thus far. I really like the concept of this mass OC session, whereby every patrol cooks a dish and shares it with the others afterwards. Although our fire altar took way longer to build than initially planned, we still managed to cook our pasta. This is one of the few OCs the Year 1s and 2s have participated in, hence we gave them the opportunity to sustain the fire as well as cook our dish. Overall, I think it was a success as each patrol managed to finish cooking their dishes and we could really taste our efforts in our final dish, although it was not that perfect or fantastic. This activity also brought my patrol closer together and I really enjoyed this last 集合 with our Year 4 seniors.
Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 2:
Last Friday, we had our last 集合 with the Year 4s. We finally did the long-awaited OC. My patrol decided to cook fried rice with vegetables. We were first tasked to build a fire altar. At first, we worked slowly and did not complete the two tripods until 10 minutes had passed, and once the tripod was up, we worked slightly faster, but not fast enough. Upon realising that we only had a few minutes left, we worked at twice the previous speed, having to ask for a 6 minute time extension but managing to complete the structure in only 23 minutes. We then proceeded to light the fire, which we were able to do faster than we used to as this time we picked the correct type of 柴, although it was not completely dry. We first fried the rice in a wok over one fire while we boiled the vegetables in a mess tin on the other. Although we found difficulty in trying to fry the rice constantly with the fire burning the newspaper or the fire dying out, we managed. There was also a small struggle to start cooking the vegetables as we only had 5 bricks and it was unbalanced, however once we began, it became a routine, making it easier to cook the rest. We then added luncheon meat to the rice, and continued frying. When we had 5 minutes left, we realised we had forgotten to add the corn! We thus decided to fry some corn with some luncheon meat as a topping. When we were done, we sat down in our own individual patrols to enjoy the food and shared our food with other patrols. The food was really good and the plates were all licked clean. We quickly washed the plates and began 拆掉, before returning everything to 团部. It was a really enjoyable 集合 and a great way to end the Year 4s’ journey in Guides, but we were all sad when we remembered that it was their last 集合. I will miss the Year 4s and I feel that this will be one of my most memorable 集合s.
Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 3:
On Friday, we had outdoor cooking. We managed to build our fire altar really quickly and it was quite stable. We proceeded to start cooking our dish, which was soup for the whole 团. At first, our kindlings refused to burn and I felt quite discouraged as I was afraid we would not be able to cook our soup in time for everyone to eat. However, after trying really hard, our twigs were actually able to sustain the fire and we were all really overjoyed as this was one of the rare times our kindlings were able to sustain the fire! I felt like I learnt more from this outdoor cooking experience as our fire was burning rather well. I also learnt how to use the fire starters properly to get the fire to burn better. I felt a sense of achievement when I saw the chicken cooking well and it smelled really good too. We managed to prepare a very flavourful soup and I felt very proud when many people said that our soup was nice. We sat down to eat all the food cooked by the different patrols. It felt very meaningful as we prepared dishes that when combined together, became a full meal for each patrol and I enjoyed eating the dishes a lot. It was extra meaningful as it was the last 集合 where we could sit down and eat with the Year 4s who would be stepping down soon. Overall, it was a very successful OC and a very fun 集合.
On Friday, we had outdoor cooking. We managed to build our fire altar really quickly and it was quite stable. We proceeded to start cooking our dish, which was soup for the whole 团. At first, our kindlings refused to burn and I felt quite discouraged as I was afraid we would not be able to cook our soup in time for everyone to eat. However, after trying really hard, our twigs were actually able to sustain the fire and we were all really overjoyed as this was one of the rare times our kindlings were able to sustain the fire! I felt like I learnt more from this outdoor cooking experience as our fire was burning rather well. I also learnt how to use the fire starters properly to get the fire to burn better. I felt a sense of achievement when I saw the chicken cooking well and it smelled really good too. We managed to prepare a very flavourful soup and I felt very proud when many people said that our soup was nice. We sat down to eat all the food cooked by the different patrols. It felt very meaningful as we prepared dishes that when combined together, became a full meal for each patrol and I enjoyed eating the dishes a lot. It was extra meaningful as it was the last 集合 where we could sit down and eat with the Year 4s who would be stepping down soon. Overall, it was a very successful OC and a very fun 集合.
Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 4:
During the mass outdoor cooking on 18 May, my patrol opted to cook chicken with a milk-based sauce for the rest of the 团. However, we got off to a rough start as our indoor fire altar took longer than the standard timing to build, mostly due to the fact that we had initially forgotten to measure the height of the clove hitch and the lashes were too loose to guarantee safety. The former indicates that we have to practise tying similar structures more to remember something this simple more clearly and the latter means that we might have to let the juniors practise tying tight lashes more often as the tripod lashes were tied by the Year 1s at first. Afterwards, some patrol members went to prepare the sauce while the others started and sustained the fire. Although we attempted to thicken the sauce with cornstarch, the sauce ended up too watery and there was clearly a lot of oil on the surface due to the butter added into the mixture of milk and cornstarch, so the patrol as a whole decided to scrap the sauce and serve the chicken on its own. Next, after the chicken was prepared, three of us started to cook the chicken together -- one to maintain the fire, one to help keep the wok balanced and one to do the actual cooking -- while the rest either prepared the rest of the chicken, got the plates and cutlery ready or tried to improve the sauce. The three people in charge of cooking were switched around with every batch of chicken, which allowed the patrol members to each get a chance at experiencing outdoor cooking. This ensures that everyone had an equal opportunity to contribute to the whole process and no one would get left out. Eventually, when all the cooking was done, some of us wandered off to other patrols to see their progress while others looked after the cooked food to ensure they would not get contaminated after they split them up for the six patrols, although eventually we all got together for a patrol photo. Overall, despite the slight problems experienced, this mass outdoor cooking session was a fun experience and I am sure everyone enjoyed it. I believe that the juniors have made fond memories during this 集合 and will grow to love Guides even more after this outdoor cooking session.
During the mass outdoor cooking on 18 May, my patrol opted to cook chicken with a milk-based sauce for the rest of the 团. However, we got off to a rough start as our indoor fire altar took longer than the standard timing to build, mostly due to the fact that we had initially forgotten to measure the height of the clove hitch and the lashes were too loose to guarantee safety. The former indicates that we have to practise tying similar structures more to remember something this simple more clearly and the latter means that we might have to let the juniors practise tying tight lashes more often as the tripod lashes were tied by the Year 1s at first. Afterwards, some patrol members went to prepare the sauce while the others started and sustained the fire. Although we attempted to thicken the sauce with cornstarch, the sauce ended up too watery and there was clearly a lot of oil on the surface due to the butter added into the mixture of milk and cornstarch, so the patrol as a whole decided to scrap the sauce and serve the chicken on its own. Next, after the chicken was prepared, three of us started to cook the chicken together -- one to maintain the fire, one to help keep the wok balanced and one to do the actual cooking -- while the rest either prepared the rest of the chicken, got the plates and cutlery ready or tried to improve the sauce. The three people in charge of cooking were switched around with every batch of chicken, which allowed the patrol members to each get a chance at experiencing outdoor cooking. This ensures that everyone had an equal opportunity to contribute to the whole process and no one would get left out. Eventually, when all the cooking was done, some of us wandered off to other patrols to see their progress while others looked after the cooked food to ensure they would not get contaminated after they split them up for the six patrols, although eventually we all got together for a patrol photo. Overall, despite the slight problems experienced, this mass outdoor cooking session was a fun experience and I am sure everyone enjoyed it. I believe that the juniors have made fond memories during this 集合 and will grow to love Guides even more after this outdoor cooking session.
Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 5:
We hadn’t done outdoor cooking in a long time, so I was quite excited for this 集合. Our patrol was in charge of making burgers and sandwiches so we only had to cook the chicken. It was the Year 1s’ first time doing outdoor cooking so we tried to teach them how to get the fire up, how to blow at and sustain the fire and when to put twigs and 木麻黄 etc. We also let them have a go at lighting the fire and blowing at it. We started with making the sandwiches so the Year 1s prepared the sandwiches whilst the rest sustained the fire. After the sandwiches were done, we placed them over the fire and waited for them to cook. After they were cooked, they looked really delicious but we couldn't eat them yet. Next, we were supposed to make burgers but we had to wait for the chicken to defrost first. Meanwhile, we prepared the bread and ingredients for the burger. When the chicken was ready, we cooked it over the fire. When the chicken was cooked, we could smell the aroma of the chicken the moment we opened the aluminium foil and everyone wanted to have a bite. Everyone took a bite since there was enough chicken and it tasted really good. After we tore the chicken into strips, we seasoned it and put it in our burgers. I was proud that we managed to complete 2 different kinds of food for this OC. During the process of OC, I think the patrol also bonded well, especially with the Year 1s, because the process was quite enjoyable and fun.
Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 6:
Mass outdoor cooking was very different from the ones we usually have during our own patrol activities. In comparison to the solitary outdoor cooking we normally had as a patrol, the atmosphere during this mass outdoor cooking activity felt much more lively, with each patrol preparing their own food and sharing them with the 团 afterwards. Even though the preparation for the desserts my patrol was supposed to make was rather simple, a lot of effort still needed to be put in. During the process, some of us were struggling to keep the fire sustained and we encountered some problems as well. Unexpectedly, the marshmallows in the cones melted completely. As such, we had to replace the marshmallows with the small amount of marshmallows we were left with. Although they were not the best s’mores we have made, they were still rather tasty :> For me, I feel that we should have more 集合s like this as not only was it fun and different, it also allowed us to experience the joy of sharing happiness with other people. The sight of everybody gathering together to enjoy the food was rather heartwarming as well.
Published By:
Arielle
49th Batch Secretary
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