Food memoir Essay Example for Free

Food memoir Essay For all of us, there are several kinds of food in our deep memories. These foods are different from others because they are not only what we eat but also what we experience. Last week, when my teacher asked us which food existed in our deep memories, the first one came to my mind was Mung rice noodle. Each time mentioning Mung rice noodle, I will think of my wonderful childhood and sweet home. IbelongtoTujia,oneoftheChineseminorities. Mungricenoodlehasbeen produced by Tujia people, and most of us are used to make it our breakfasts. Simply, from the name, it comes from the marriage of mung and rice. However, Tujia people are used to add soybeans into the mixture of mung and rice. To be honest, I have never made it by myself, instead, I saw my grandmother made it when I was in the primary school. Firstly, my grandmother soaked the soybean, mung and rice in the water one day before using them. After one day, she grinded them into slurry by the millstone. Then, she brushed little colza oil in the iron pan and circled the slurry evenly in the pan. That was my first time knowing how to make Mung rice noodle and I can still remember that the fresh smell of it jumped out just in one second. After it was done, my grandma put it in the hot water and added ginger, scallion, garlic, peper, chilli oil and meat sauce. She smiled at me: â€Å"babe, you gonna finish it! † After eating it up, I understood why my grandma was so confident that I could finish it at the beginning. ThereisasweetstoryrelatedtoMungricenoodle. WhenIwasintheprimary school, my mother usually got up half an hour earlier than me to make Mung rice noodle as my breakfasts. She could always make new flavors to surprise me. I was extremely curious that why she could make so many flavors, and I asked her. She looked at me mysteriously: â€Å" if I make the same flavor all the way, you will be bored at breakfasts, that is not a good habit†. At that time, I did not think too much on her answers. But gradually, especially after studying abroad, I realize that the primary reason she made different flavors is that she loves me. Up to now, in my life, my mother is the only one who genuinely cares how is my breakfast. Eating istheeasiestwaytomakeussatisfiedandfoodistheeasiestthingwewill remember. They may be a certain birthday cake, the dishes we ate with our first love, or the party dinner in a special holiday. No matter what it is, the memory for that moment will exist in our whole life. When we are old, we may forget the flavor itself at all. However, we will remember the feeling of surprise, warm, satisfied, happy and even pain till the end. 2nd draft Food memoir: Mung rice noodle Ifyoucanchooseonlyonefoodasyourlife-longfood,whatisit? Forme,itis definitely the Mung rice noodle. IbelongtoTujia,oneoftheChineseminorities. Mungricenoodlehasbeen produced by Tujia people and most of us are used to make it our breakfasts. Simply, from the name, it comes from the marriage of mung and rice. However, Tujia people usually add soybeans into the mixture of mung and rice. Mostly, we buy original Mung rice noodle and add flavors as we like at home. To be honest, I have never made it by myself, instead, I saw my grandmother made it when I was in the primary school. Firstly, she soaked the soybean, mung and rice in the water one day before using them. After one day, she grinded all ingredients into slurry by the millstone and mixed them with the potato starch. Then, she brushed little colza oil, similar to the corn oil, in the iron pan and circled the slurry evenly in the pan. Imagine what! Just in one second, the fresh smell of caramelized starch jumped out. After taking a breath, I touched the beans aroma in the air. Grandma was excited: â€Å"Come on, Joey, look at the grey-green circle lines here, are they like tree’s growth rings. † Yes, it really was! That was my first time knowing how to make fresh Mung rice noodle. After it was done, grandma put it in the hot water and added sliced ginger, scallion, garlic powder, white pepper, chilli oil and meat sauce. She smiled at me: â€Å"girl, you gonna finish it! † After eating it up, I understood why my grandma was so confident that I could finish it at the beginning. Frankly, I cannot describe the flavor correctly now. However, one thing I am sure about is that, when eating it, I felt nothing else matters. Similartomanyyoungsters,Iliketogotobarsandenjoyhavingfunwithmy friends in the night. However, no matter how late I sleep, I will get up the next day to eat the breakfast. This habit is related to the Mung rice noodle. When I was in the primary school, my mother usually got up half an hour earlier than me to cook Mung rice noodle as my breakfasts. She could always create new flavors to surprise me. Gradually, the new flavor of the Mung rice noodle became my impetus to get up. Even more, I deem a tasty breakfast as the beginning of a great day. Once, I was extremely curious that why mom could create so many flavors, and I asked her. She looked at me mysteriously: â€Å" if I make the same flavor all the way, you will be bored at breakfasts, that is not a good habit†. At that time, I did not think too much on her answers. But gradually, I have realized that the real reason she made variable flavors is that she loves me. After studying abroad, the most frequent questions from my mom is: what is your breakfast. Up to now, in my life, my mom is the only one who genuinely cares how is my breakfast. For all of us, there are some foods in our deep memories. These foods are unique and unforgettable because they are not only what we ate but also what we experienced. Eating is the easiest way to make us satisfied and food is the easiest thing we will remember. They may be a certain birthday cake, the dishes we ate with our first love, and the party dinner in a special holiday. When we are old, we may forget the flavor itself at all. However, we will keep in mind the feeling of surprise, warmth, satisfaction, happiness and even pain related to these foods because they are part of our lives.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee contain a very engaging family who are the Cunninghams. The Cunninghams are very poor; they are people who live in the woods. They are a family who depend highly on crops. Walter Cunningham, the 'father' of the family has to work hard on the cultivation of crops because crops is the only form of wages for them. The Cunninghams have no money. Their only way to survive is through paying others with their crops. The Cunninghams are not main characters in the book, but they are characters who 'brought out' other characters' personality. Harper Lee displays that there is a lot of prejudice going on in Maycomb by putting the Cunninghams in the book. "The Cunninghams [were] country folks, farmers"(21) who are very honest people in Maycomb, they "never took anything they [could not] pay back"(23), but they are unfairly mistreated by part of the society in Maycomb. The Cunninghams are very poor people, but very honest as well. The Cunninghams have no money at all, as Scout was describing them, "[they] have probably never seen three quarters together at the same time in [their] life"(23). It is certain that the Cunninghams live a poor life, but that does not stop them from being honest. The Cunninghams do not take anything from anyone if they do not have a way to repay them. In the class when Ms.Caroline was giving Walter a coin, Walter did not take it because he knew that it was impossible to reimburse her. I judged that it is really mature for a child to act that way. I also admired how the Cunninghams were able to endure by giving crops to people as a form of payment. When Atticus helps Sr.Walter with his entailment, Walter does not pay him back with money, but with crops. The Cunninghams are mistreated by part of the society in Maycomb. Aunt Alexandra, who mistreats them the most, is prejudiced toward the Cunninghams, she does not like them. She thinks that her reputation, and social status are going to be stained if Scout plays with Walter Jr.. Scout wants to invite Walter over, but Aunt Alexandra does not like Walter, she says that they are folks from different class. She thinks it is best if they do not see each other. She once talks to Scout about how different they are, "Because - he - is - trash, that's why you can't play with him.

Kitchen

Kitchen By: Banana Yoshimoto Mikage Satsuki Growing up is tough; especially when you are alone and young. It forces you to fend for yourself against the world. Instead of playing with your friends, you spend your time figuring out where your next meal is coming from. Which is a sad and scary truth; few stop to think of these poor souls that get such an unfortunate fate. In Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen, the character Mikage undergoes many of changes, but one thing throughout this book that does not change is her love of kitchens.Her parents passed away when she was young and her grandmother raised her. When her grandmother also passed away, she became depressed, listless, and orphaned. In the beginning of the book she is lonely, since none of her blood relatives are still alive. After she moves in with the Tanabe's, however, she finds the courage to face life again. She has a strong bond with kitchens; they seem to give her a calming feeling and help to ease her loneliness. Kitch ens serve as a comfort for her.Throughout the course of this novel Kitchen, Banana Yoshimoto depicts Mikage as a person of great morals, who loves kitchens, and is incredibly strong-willed. In this novel Mikage appears to be an individualist who keeps her morals intact; her grandparents brought her up to be an accepting, gracious person. Mikage is a person of great temperance, although she is a little touchy about her relationship with Yoichi. She is also courageous for a person who lost her entire family, and, because she doesn't want to get hurt again, she distanced herself from other people. When was it I realized that, on this truly dark and solitary path we all walk, the only way we can light is our own? † (Yoshimoto, pg. 21). Her moral stature is apparent when Yoichi tells her that Eriko is a transgender, and instead of getting upset about it, she accepted it because she feels she can trust them. Her dominant traits are her love of cooking and her love of kitchens. These traits originate when her grandmother passes away; the hum of the refrigerator keeps her from feeling lonely.So each night until she moves in with the Tanabe's she curls up beside the refrigerator in her kitchen and goes to sleep. â€Å"Why do I love everything that has to do with kitchens so much? It's strange. Perhaps because to me a kitchen represents some distant longing engraved on my soul† (Yoshimoto, pg. 56). She teaches herself to cook, the summer after her grandmother passed away, at the Tanabe's house. She buys three books and studies them, following all the directions in them.Subsequently, she becomes good at cooking and gets the job she has now as an assistant to a famous cooking teacher. Mikage is more of a rational person who knows her limits. At times, she can be emotional, but overall she thinks well on her feet and is a capable person. â€Å"However! I couldn't exist like that. Reality is wonderful. I thought of the money my grandmother had left me-just eno ugh. The place was too big, too expensive, for one person. I had to look for another apartment† (Yoshimoto, pg. 5). Mikage handles change well; she might not like some things but she gets through them.For instance, her grandmother’s death was a great tragedy, but she got through it rationally, and she adapted very well to the Tanabe's and their kindness. The author wants readers to know how tough Mikage is. She has had a rough go at life, but she still manages to stay strong; reading about her really appeals to the reader’s sympathetic side. Mikage appears to be a nice girl who has just been unlucky lately. Fortunately, when Yoichi comes into her life, she starts to open up more and realize that she is not alone. He struck just the right note, neither cold nor oppressively kind. It made me warm up to him ;†( Yoshimoto, pg. 11). Another thing about Mikage is that she is a fighter, and readers see that towards the end of the story, she fights for what she wan ts. At the beginning of this book Mikage is very guarded and lonely, but as the book progresses she becomes less guarded and more open to people who care about her. At the end of the book, Mikage becomes the one who comforts Yoichi, when his mom passes away. She becomes the center of his support system.

Immigrants And The American Dream - 1362 Words

Immigrants and the American Dream In the article â€Å"The American Dream†, by James Truslow Adams in The Sundance Reader book, he stated that the American dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. (p.227-228). The American Dream can be achieve also by immigrants if the U.S. government provides opportunities, the environment and resources to pursue their dreams with the hope of better life. In the book by William A. V. Clark, â€Å"Immigrants and the American Dream: Remaking the Middle Class†, he presents compelling evidence that most immigrants are adapting slowly but successfully to this country. Clark s analyses of recent economic and social data are done with great care and thought, and he discusses fully the inconsistencies and complexities in his findings. Clark finds that a surprisingly large number of immigrants are attaining a middle-class life. The most persuasive, authoritative, and comprehensive topicShow MoreRelatedImmigrants Should Not The American Dream1305 Words   |  6 PagesAllowing immigrants to enjoy the American Dream has been a controversial topic for quite some time. Many people argue that immigrants should not be able to enjoy the American Dream simply because they are not American. Others argue that anyone should be allowed to enjoy the American Dream because everyone deserves a chance at success. Immigrants should be allowed to enjoy t he American Dream because American is a free country, immigrants can’t help what situation they were born into, and immigrants positivelyRead MoreImmigrants and the American Dream Essay1631 Words   |  7 Pagescommon, they all had a dream, that dream was the American Dream. In the present day the desire to achieve the dream hasnt changed. However, the idea of the American Dream, brings up a lot of questions. What is the American Dream? Who defines it? Can it be achieved? Lastly, should everyone have a chance to achieve it? What is the American Dream? When this question was asked on the first day of class, there were many different answers as to what makes up the American Dream. Some people said havingRead MoreNative Immigrants And The American Dream1488 Words   |  6 Pagesgenerations to come. Many of the immigrants were either Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, or Indian. 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If everyone has the same opportunities in America why do some peoples dreams get realizeRead MoreThe American Dream Is The Forefront Of Many Beginnings For Citizens And Immigrants Alike943 Words   |  4 Pages The American Dream is the forefront of many beginnings for citizens and immigrants alike. Achieving this idea has proved to be unfair in certain circumstances due to many factors. The ability to reach the American Dream is not entirely realistic to a handful of people and is highly refutable. Having the chance to accomplish the American Dream is a freedom that most people desire. The American Dream is in fact real, and many have reached this set of ideals with success. However, the diversity thatRead MoreThe American Dream By James Truslow Adams1130 Words   |  5 Pagesof the American Dream. The American Dream has changed dramatically over the few centuries. During the Founding Fathers’ time, many believed the American Dream meant freedom, equality, and mutual respect. 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