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This is Cindy’s “piano”, the term that chefs use to describe each other’s kitchens.
PART III SHARING YOUR WORK
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COLLABORATIVE COOKBOOK: SHARING RECIPES VIA THE INTERNET
REQUIREMENTS
“Your own ad-free wiki in 30 seconds.” It’s true. You simply plug the name you’ve chosen into a blank URL provided at the PBwiki home page. The URL for RiverAunts Cookbook is http://river aunts.pbwiki.com/. How easy is that?! After you’ve chosen a name, you only need an e-mail address to confirm the creation of the Wiki.
The Internet is a great tool to bring people together, no matter how far apart they are in real life. It also offers many ways for family and friends to share information, history, interests, and even recipes. Here, a family shares its love for cooking, eating, and a stretch of the Canadian North.
Step 1: Set up and name your wiki. The PBwiki Web site promises:
A wiki is an online software application and database that allows multiple users to create, edit, and link Web pages. Wiki is a generic name, and many different organizations offer them online. These free devices can be used by individuals, community groups, and businesses.
Unfortunately, we can’t be on the islands together very often. The RiverAunts Web site will allow us to forget for a moment where we are and psychologically move across the mighty Ottawa River and settle into an inviting kitchen to share a wonderful new recipe. —CR
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CHAPTER 7: PROJECT IDEAS
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CASE STUDY: cindy & friends
time: Five minutes to set up a wiki of your own. After that, there’s a definite learning curve as you get familiar with the wiki layout and the procedures for adding new pages.
Cindy Ryley is a Cordon Bleu–trained chef who for many years ran a catering business and food shop in Ottawa, Canada. Each summer she spends nearly three months in a nineteenth-century cottage that was dragged across the ice to her island home. A neighbor’s children began call- ing her RiverAunt Cindy, and hence the name of her wiki, RiverAunts.
gear: PC or Mac with Internet access and an e-mail address, digital camera if you want to include photos.
Step 2: Learn the ropes. There are some simple rules to learn. For the sake of security, you will be asked to establish a password for those contributing and editing. You can choose to make your site private or public. The RiverAunts chose the latter, so you are invited to visit. Note that there is a useful array of help offerings that lead you through the process, offer tips and tricks, and coax you to consider upgrading to a premium wiki.
Something unique happens to people when they gather on the Upper Ottawa River. When they step onto one of the islands, worries and pressures seem to disappear as soon as the shoes come off.
budget: Free! But if you want more memory space, more templates, more security, there are different fees you can choose, ranging from $100 to $1,000 per year.
Before anyone arrives for a visit, I begin to plan the meals. Each summer I focus on a couple of cookbooks, often to learn about new types of cuisine.
So while I’m at the cottage, I cook a lot! I spend much of my time in the kitchen, which has proven to be a wonderful gathering spot. It’s a place to make pastry, peel vegetables, compare notes on favorite recipes, exchange ideas, and help each other prepare food. It’s also where we can please our friends and family and where we also sing and laugh!
WORKFLOW
space: All the files your group makes are saved online.
Aunts on a log (right). Special directions have been made for RiverAunts who are new to the Internet (left).
CES Ryley