Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council - May 2023
By: Ben Anderson
Director, Campus Dining
GrubHub
What makes a great hospitality experience? More importantly, what does it look like??
It goes beyond the expected. The experience compels us to remember it but it’s usually not the situation we remember. It’s you - the humans on the other end. The server who recommends a new favorite dish or the chef who stops by after a meal. Those who greet, serve, and prepare are the ones who really make the impact.
But what makes them great? More than anything, it’s that they genuinely care. Someone who goes out of their way to fix, or teach, or do. Someone who seems to know how to give help better than we know how to ask for it.
No matter how they are feeling, they are able to make us feel better. So now the tricky question, what does it look like to demonstrate great hospitality for ourselves? How do we make our own best experiences regardless of how our souls are feeling? Especially during Mental Health Awareness month, it’s a great time to ask, how do we go above and beyond for us?
I can only speak for myself, but I’m guessing this is a really tough question for others too. Especially when it's easier to just smile, avert my attention to distractions, and spend my days complaining versus focusing my time, care, and attention on solving the problem. Clearly, I don’t have an answer but I believe asking the question is a great place to start - How do I pay better attention, how do I avoid going through the motions, how do I better serve my soul?
What I do know is, there’s no magic formula. The ideal combination of the right ingredients doesn’t produce the perfect result. I’ve surely tried. What I also know is that the more I authentically connect with others the better I feel about myself. The more I’m part of good hospitality the easier it is to replicate. And for that, thanks. Thank you for the connection. Thank you for all your smiles and acts of service. Thank you for all the times you went the extra mile. I know it made a difference.
And if you find that perfect recipe, please send it my way!!
By: Sandy Lim
Area Manager
ISS Guckenheimer
Korean BBQ Galbi Recipe – with my mom’s 3 secret ingredients – OJ, Coke, and Pineapple!
Ingredients (for 4-6 servings)
3.5 LB (1.5 kg) of LA Style Beef Short Ribs
Soy Sauce
Honey or Brown Sugar
Garlic
Onion
Ginger
Orange Juice
Can of Coke
Asian Pear
Canned Pineapple or 1 Whole Peeled Kiwi
Toasted Sesame Oil
Toasted Sesame Seeds
Black Ground Pepper
Directions
• Trim excess fat from the short ribs and rinse a couple times in cold water.
• Soak the ribs in cold water for 10-20 minutes to remove the blood.
Make marinade:
• In a large bowl, add ⅓ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ cup of orange juice, and ½ can of 12oz Coke, 1 ts ground black pepper.
• Blend 1 Korean pear (about 2 cups’ worth), 8 cloves of garlic, 1 medium onion, ½ can of pineapple or 1 whole peeled kiwi, and 1 ts of chopped ginger until it turns into a white creamy liquid.
• Add it to your soy sauce base and add 2 tbs toasted sesame oil.
• Rinse the short ribs in fresh cold water a couple more times to remove any remaining bone fragments. Drain the water.
• Add the ribs to the marinade and mix it well, by hand.
• Keep it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Overnight is better, but an hour is ok if you are short of time.
Grill on a gas or charcoal grill for the sugar to char. Enjoy!