Chicago Food, History & Culture: Day Three

 From Emmet & Mr. Lundgren:

On Tuesday morning we went to the Chicago history museum where we got a greater understanding of the history of Chicago and the people who live there. One interesting exhibit was the Chicago fire exhibit. We learned about the Chicago fire which destroyed almost all the city in 1871. Another interesting exhibit was a room with stained glass windows from different Chicago buildings throughout time.  Finally, in the museum’s “Crossroad of America” exhibit, we learned how Chicago has served as a destination for both innovators and those seeking opportunity in the United States. A critical portion of this exhibit showed how Chicago and the concept of the American Dream have a complex relationship. 

In the evening we attended cooking at Sur la Table. The focus of this class was to gain an understanding of Korean food and cooking techniques. One of the dishes that we made was pork dumplings. We learned how to steam dumplings in a traditional Korean style using a bamboo dumpling steamer. In addition to the dumplings, we also learned how to make beef lettuce wraps which taught us how to marinate and cook beef in a Korean style. In Chicago, the diversity of cultures means that there is variety in the style of cooking. This is something that we experienced during our cooking class. We enjoyed eating and learning about Korean dishes and how to prepare them.