文书点评：烹饪的艺术（Culinary Arts）

[Prompt: All students bring a unique personal background to the classroom and study team that can prove to be as enlightening to fellow classmates as their professional skills. Describe what, outside of work, most distinguishes you as an individual and will most enrich the experience of your peers at McCombs from your background, life experiences, values, or interests.]

No one ever told me that my culinary skills would be crucial to my academic and professional success. On a study abroad trip to London, I first learned the value of building a community through eating together. Food provides a natural bond and helps people understand each other. This idea has enabled me to remain healthy and happy despite life's stresses.

I boarded the plane to London with an intense optimism and a determination to find a living situation that reflected my love of adventure and my desire to understand my diverse peers. After three days combing London for the right spot, I was exhausted and disheartened. When I finally found the flat in Kilburn, I knew it was perfect: as soon I entered the apartment, friendly conversation and the smell of good food welcomed me. My future housemates Marethe, Tabitha, Iban, Paula, Ben, and Pedro were gathered around the dinner table, and they invited me to join them. They explained that they took turns cooking meals on Wednesdays and Fridays, when they were all free for dinner. The food was delicious, and I enjoyed the opportunity to rest my weary body. I agreed to move in, and I was quite happy with the situation -- except that I doubted my ability to prepare an edible meal. Food was clearly important to these people, and I decided I had to adapt to the culture by honing my skills in the kitchen.

The next day I went straight to the library. Who would have thought that my first research project of the semester would involve a tattered copy of "The Joy of Cooking"? After years of living on my own, I was used to preparing boxes of macaroni and cheese, but I felt that my new friends deserved something a bit more elaborate. I had gained at least one skill from my four years of school in San Antonio, Texas: I could make chili. The next Sunday, I spent hours preparing the perfect pot, and my roommates loved it. Over the next few months, I tried my hand at ginger-braised pork chops, cherry pie, and finally an end-of-semester “Thanksgiving” dinner complete with sweet potatoes, cranberry dressing, turkey and stuffing.

Those weekly dinners showed me the value of community, as the hot meals and good conversation sustained me through my semester in London. With a tasty meal in my belly, I could focus on my studies, and the friendships I cemented in the kitchen helped me understand my environment. Over the past four years, I have continued the tradition of hosting dinner parties every month. This personal custom has allowed me to meet new people, share stories of travels, and build an extensive repertoire of recipes. I hope to bring that same sense of adventure and community to McCombs by carrying on my tradition of Sunday night dinners. Sharing my home and cooking, I will build new friendships that will allow me to work successfully with my peers.

点评：

文章结构分析：

文章的思路比较清晰，基本上是按照时间的顺序为展开的方式，从去LONDON的学习经历到最后工作上有关交流方式的选择，都体现出作者认知的不断提高。这种提高也许不是在纵向的，但是横向的积累非常明显，而这种横向的积累具体表现在烹饪的经历上，通过不断的经历以及在过程中的认知，体现了作者从量到质的飞跃，最后总结出烹饪这件事情对于作者本人在与人交流方面的意义所在！

文章梗概：

刚到LONDON，作者饮食习惯被轮流做饭的生活方式所改变，也从中领略到了新的生活方式的优越性，并从交流中显著地感受到这种方式所带来的好处——建立交际圈。除此以外，他的入乡随俗观念让他有了这种意外的收获，并使得最终成为自己独特的交际方式。这些和个人的性格有相当的关系。

可借鉴要素：

人们缺少的往往不是经历，而是对自己经历的思考，或者在经历一件或者多件事情的时候对于这件事情的态度，所以从作者的经历能看出一个道理，并不一定需要经历惊天动地的事情才使得自己在某方面有大的提高，一件平常的事情也可以引发自己在生活或者工作中的感悟！并把这种感悟返回利用到实际中，这也就类似于我们平时所说的“来之于民，用之于民”，以此来满足自己生活中或者工作中的需求！