Discover how BA student Ivwananji Namonje found unexpected wisdom in the kitchen, learning to embrace mistakes, handle pressure, and reconnect with the joy of cooking for others.

Last semester, my embodied learning course offered me the chance to explore how learning can arise through the body, not just the mind. I chose Culinary Arts as my embodiment practice, and through the experience I began to understand cooking as more than a skill.

It became a way of paying attention and expressing care, and above all, of reconnecting with something that I enjoyed doing back home: cooking for those around me.

One moment in the Culinary Arts practice that stayed with me was how DRBU Instructor Chef Squire Davidson handled mistakes. When things went wrong, he never panicked. Instead he would pause, observe, adjust a few things, and carry on. He is the definition of the saying “the show must go on, come hail, rain, sun, or snow.” Watching this highlighted the fact that mistakes and errors are just a part of any process in life, and they offer opportunities to respond with patience and skillful means. I read an interview piece from a couple years ago with DRBU administrator and faculty member Wayne Chen. There is a part where he says something along the lines of “Life will test us just to see how we respond.” I could not help but think about this over and over during my time with Chef Davidson.

I also came to understand the intense pressure that comes with cooking for many people, especially during my final project, where I prepared African food. I nearly collapsed, not just from the heat—which finally made sense of the saying “If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen”—but from the emotional pressure of wondering whether people would enjoy what I made. Some people didn’t like the food, and that was hard to accept. But that experience gave me a deep appreciation for those who pursue culinary arts as a profession. It showed me how much courage it takes to create something and offer it to others, knowing that not everyone will receive it the same way.