Volunteer initiative helps mentally challenged students learn the joy of Mexican cuisine
With the help of volunteers from City News Service, seven mentally challenged students from Huangpu District Special Education Vocational School had their first try at making tacos at local Mexican restaurant EL PAISA, on Jiaozhou Road, in Jing'an District.
When 16-year-old Ning Ning flattened a small dough and carefully took the tortilla he made from the wrapper, his teachers, schoolmates and volunteers broke into loud applause.
It wasn't an easy task for him to complete, and required overcoming a few challenges.
Shot by Yu Wenhao. Edited by Yu Wenhao. Subtitles by Ke Jiayun.
Students from Huangpu District Special Education Vocational School make tacos at local Mexican restaurant EL PAISA in Jing'an District.
Marco A. Chávez, chef at EL PAISA, told Shanghai Daily that he's been living in the city for 11 years and he's "super happy" to be part of this project.
"It's really fulfilling for me, and also for the team behind our restaurant to help the community."
His wife Evgeniya is a member with the CNS Volunteer group who contributed a lot to the event.
"I'm from Russia, but my husband is from Mexico. Obviously, I have a lot of love and passion for Mexico and Mexican food, especially tacos," she said.
"Today we had a great opportunity and honor to be able to share the knowledge and the passion that we have for tacos, in particular, with the kids and it was a lot of fun. They were absolutely adorable and I guess they enjoyed the event."
At the beginning, Marco asked them simple questions like what is a taco and where is Mexico located?
After the students showed interest, he taught them the steps of making a taco with another chef demonstrating.
Ning Ning was the first to try. Wearing a pair of gloves, he used tools to flatten the dough with the assistance of the chef and volunteers.
Then the tortilla was heated a bit on a lead plate and after that, the diner can put meat, vegetable and sauce in it.
Following Ning Ning, the other students also wore paper chef hats and gloves to make their own tacos one by one.
Before eating, the restaurant played a video and showed them how to eat tacos like the proper way.
"It's delicious and fun," Ning Ning said in a happy tone while eating. He can remember the name of taco and the ingredients clearly.
However, there was still one student who couldn't express himself well, shouting or running around in excitement.
With the help of the teachers, the CNS volunteers showed great patience and effort to pacify and encourage the teens.
Zarkamol Munisov, a volunteer from Uzbekistan, said he found the event very important for both sides – the mentally challenged people and others who should support these people.
"From time to time, we also face challenges. Although we may not be mentally challenged, we do face these issues in our daily life. That's why I see it as a very significant element."
"It's a very fresh experience for my students," said Chen Zhenhua, the teacher at the Huangpu District Special Education Vocational School. "They've learned to make Chinese and western snacks at school, but they've never tried corn flour. It was a little bit difficult for them at the beginning but with the help of the volunteers, they finally made it. It enriched their life."
Marco A. Chávez shows a students how to make taco.
Marco A. Chávez teaches students about tacos.
Zarkamol Munisov helps a student to add stuffing on the tortilla.
