[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.

點評：

文章結(jié)構(gòu)分析：

文章的思路比較清晰，基本上是按照時間的順序為展開的方式，從去LONDON的學(xué)習(xí)經(jīng)歷到最后工作上有關(guān)交流方式的選擇，都體現(xiàn)出作者認(rèn)知的不斷提高。這種提高也許不是在縱向的，但是橫向的積累非常明顯，而這種橫向的積累具體表現(xiàn)在烹飪的經(jīng)歷上，通過不斷的經(jīng)歷以及在過程中的認(rèn)知，體現(xiàn)了作者從量到質(zhì)的飛躍，最后總結(jié)出烹飪這件事情對于作者本人在與人交流方面的意義所在！

文章梗概：

剛到LONDON，作者飲食習(xí)慣被輪流做飯的生活方式所改變，也從中領(lǐng)略到了新的生活方式的優(yōu)越性，并從交流中顯著地感受到這種方式所帶來的好處——建立交際圈。除此以外，他的入鄉(xiāng)隨俗觀念讓他有了這種意外的收獲，并使得最終成為自己獨特的交際方式。這些和個人的性格有相當(dāng)?shù)年P(guān)系。

可借鑒要素：

人們?nèi)鄙俚耐皇墙?jīng)歷，而是對自己經(jīng)歷的思考，或者在經(jīng)歷一件或者多件事情的時候?qū)τ谶@件事情的態(tài)度，所以從作者的經(jīng)歷能看出一個道理，并不一定需要經(jīng)歷驚天動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發(fā)自己在生活或者工作中的感悟！并把這種感悟返回利用到實際中，這也就類似于我們平時所說的“來之于民，用之于民”，以此來滿足自己生活中或者工作中的需求！