Precision
Baking meringues, an ode to my Mother and transferable skills
I grew up with my Mother baking. Always. The cupboards were full of meringues, the freezer with honey cakes and dough for rogaliki (crescent-shaped) pastries filled with jams. Mom didn’t visit anyone without bringing a tray of delectable delights. I am sad to say, I didn’t appreciate it at the time. For my birthday I asked for a standard chocolate cake made from a boxed mix … and now I live in France and can’t pass a Boulangerie without wanting to photograph (and or eat) everything in the windows! Mom was always concerned about sharing her recipes - and not for the reason one might suspect (not sharing). Actually, quite the opposite - she loved when her friends could reproduce her creations, however, that didn’t happen very often ! Baking is a precision sport. When the recipe said 250 g … Mom would ensure every dusting of flour or butter was transferred from one bowl to the next. Her meringues were white as snow. In hindsight, being immersed in this has served me well.
Throughout my journey, it has been my love of details which has shaped my path. Whether it has been: combing through engineering reports and spotting one missed unit conversion to editing student work, to appreciating the beauty of the architecture, artisanal creations here in Europe, to memorising the various nuances of colours when decorating, to Ukrainian dancing, to playing the piano, to deciding what to photograph and how to crop it later - are all tied into details.
Simple and elegant solutions and creations are found in details. The secret to a sublime pasta ? The quality of the ingredients. The secret to understanding the laws of mathematics, physics ? The quality and precision in the notation of the solution. The secret to a Ukrainian dance troupe which regularly commands standing ovations ? The precision, timing and synchronicity of the arm and leg movements. The same musical notes found more enchanting in one performance versus another ? The detail in the timing and personal expression of the pianist.
Mathematics is the language of physics. Symbols, formulas, diagrams are structured in ways to ensure clarity and precision in communication. Perhaps, hence, my love of teaching stemmed from watching my Mother’s love of baking - which she tended to with precision.
Another time … I will continue the precision and baking theme, and begin delving into units. It will start with the story of a friend of mine, a math teacher attempting one of my Mother’s recipes and wondering, what in the world is a “dag” of butter ! Hint, if you live in Europe, this will be obvious.