Dr. Charles Donelan’s AP English class has been very busy lately; in the kitchen.
Inspired by ’07 alumna Sarah Barbour’s successful food blog, girlfarmkitchen.blogspot.com, Dr. Donelan assigned his English students to write a short blog-style entry describing ‘the best thing you’ve ever eaten.’
Given free reign with the assignment, students turned in recipes for everything from crepes and homemade ice cream to frozen bananas and pizza.
“I really enjoyed the food blog assignment because it gave me a chance to reflect on how cooking affects the rest of my life,” junior Clarissa Coburn  said.
Students were encouraged to be creative and write with a colloquial flair rarely seen in canonical English language course work.
The final essays are now waiting in the wings for their debut as blog entries on Dr. Donelan’s food blog, apfoodblog.wordpress.com.
The first to be featured, a personal essay by junior Daria Etezadi that paints a homely picture of growing up through recipes and family.
“As everybody probably already knows, I am a foodie. I really enjoyed this assignment, because in my family a lot of our activities around the home revolve around food, because that’s just what Persians do.
We eat, we talk, we eat more, and then we crash on the couch. This assignment allowed me to draw from my memories from my childhood as well as realize what a large role food plays in my life. ” Daria said.
For many, the assignment was a trip down memory lane; for others, it was a trip to the stack of worn cook books in the kitchen, and for others, it was a memory of the perfect meal at the perfect restaurant.
Each student contributed to the blog by writing a unique entry that helped to create an end product brimming with personal stories, favorite foods, and memories of favorite meals from all over the world.