SE1 Food

Kerry dePenaloza

Mr. Leake

Writing 1133

29 March 2013

Food is More Than Food

In the lives of many people, food has a major significance.  Food can be personally significant, culturally significant, socially significant, familial significant and ever geographically significant.  For my family and me, food has always played a large role in our every day lives. For one thing, my parents are strong believers in the family table.  We have a family dinner at least five times a week and there we talk about our day and enjoy each other’s company.  Family dinner will forever be a major part of my life because of the way I was raised.  My parents are both one of six and both grew up having family dinners throughout their childhood.  They have instilled in me the importance of having family dinners as often as possible.

            One dish in particular that I feel has played a significant role in my life is known simply as pasta with cream sauce.  This was no ordinary dish I may add.  This is the dish that was made for me when I was a young and picky eater.  My mom decided to add some cream and butter and cheese and make a nice cream sauce to go with pasta and peas.  This was my go to meal when I did not want the food that was prepared when I was little.  I still have it occasionally to this day and every time I do, I am immediately brought back to my younger years at my first home, sitting in on my favorite stool in my kitchen.  I have no doubt in my mind that this dish will continue to be a part of my life and hopefully the lives of my children.

            With Easter fast approaching, I am reminded of the lovely brunch that my family has every Easter after mass.  A delicious poached egg, thinly sliced honey baked ham on an open toasted English muffin, fresh brie cheese and topped with parsley.  It is a special meal that is only served in my house on Christmas and Easter.  It has a large cultural and familial significance for me.  It is such an unbelievable meal.  My mom has perfected the old recipe after watching my grandmother prepare this meal for her family on Christmas and Easter in past years.  This meal has been a part of my family for quite some time now and it will certainly continue to be a large part of Easter and Christmas brunch.  My older brother has begun to perfect the recipe and I too am on my way to perfection. 

            Recently, my grandmother on my mom’s side passed away suddenly.  It was a surprise to the entire family.  My mom’s side of the family is big, there are 3 aunts and 3 uncles and a boatload of cousins.  Having such a large family makes it hard to get everyone together in one place.  In the past, when we were all able to get together, my grandmother would make the best Irish corn beef and cabbage.  After her death, when we gathered together as a family, my mom and aunts made the famous Irish corn beef and cabbage for everyone in memory of my grandmother. Every time I have that meal, I will always be reminded of my loving grandmother.  I will be brought back to easier times and being with my big loving family. 

            Food is something that will never go away.  It will be here as long as we humans are here.  Food has been creating memories and bringing people together for ages.  In my family, food has a significant role in many aspects of our family life.  We have certain dishes to celebrate certain occasions, the old stand by when it come to being a picky eater, and meals that mean a lot to someone we love.  When families come together, food is around.  My family has many food lovers and we all bring something fun and delicious to the table.  I really enjoy and cherish the role that food has played in my life up to this point.  It brings me great joy to go see family members because I know that there will be some delicious meals coming my way.  Food is more then food in my family, its life and a way to stay together. 

Response to P1

            After reading a few of the first blog posts, it is clear that not everyone is a big fan of the Sodexo food service. Sodexo meals are more often then not boring, unappealing, bland, and unexciting. I know that I’m not a die-hard fan of the food either.  Since my time here at DU, I have become quite creative when it comes to the Sodexo food.  Although the food may not be that good, it is extremely convenient to eat at almost any time during the day.  Some people choose not to eat breakfast, and others choose to eat snacks.  It all depends on the person, clearly.  I for one think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it will get you ready to learn and hopefully keep you awake for those early morning classes.  

Food Families

P2:

            In Geoff Nicholson’s article Eating White, he talks about a deep relationship created by the mother’s love for a “creamy” diet.  Throughout Nicholson’s life, his mother had been filling his diet with things like creamy mashes potatoes, cheese sandwiches on Mother’s Pride bread, and creamy dishes in general.  As a tribute to his deceased mother, he would recreate his mother’s favorite cheese sandwich with Cheshire cheese on white bread.  This simple act holds a unique and special bond between the two.  The father on the other hand was a man about meat.  He loved pork, beef, sausages, pies, and puddings.  White and creamy was not the primary target for his meals.  Certainly for Nicholson, food is more than a simple necessity of life.  It formed a stronger relationship within his family. 

            In Roy Ahn’s article Home Run, he talks about how his experience with two different food cultures has affected his life.  Only living in Korean for four months and then growing up as an American citizen played a roll in the way food affected him.  His parents kept the Korean culture by cooking Korean food as often as possible, but Ahn was more about American cuisine.  There was a clash of cultures in Ahn’s life.  However, if it weren’t for this clash, the way certain food has affected his life would have no significance.  His parents even had a separate refrigerator in the garage for only Korean cuisine.  Ahn’s parents never let his Korean heritage leave his life.  Later on in Ahn’s life, the things instilled in him by his parents were more noticeable.  He began cooking traditional Korean food, which shows how the relationship he had with food and his family. 

            The two articles both show how much food has played a roll in the lives of the authors.  Ahn and Nicholson both had a food family.  Both families created special bonds with their children because of food.  Obviously both families had different cultural backgrounds, but both had formed a strong bond with food.  In both articles, it is clear that food has a deeper and important meaning in each of the families.

My family has always been big believers of having family dinners almost every night.  The kitchen is always a fun place to be in my house.  I can relate more with Nicholson on the subject of creamy sauces, potatoes, etc.  My favorite dish as a kid was pasta with a “secret” cream sauce my mom would make and peas.  My mom will make this for me every once in a while and it always brings me back to my childhood.  My family is all about good eating.  I feel that the way I experience food that it will rub off on my children.  One day I hope to have family dinners every night with my family just like my parents did for me. 

Sam's No. 3

March 25, 2013

P1: 

The most recent meal that I had was Sunday night at a restaurant called Sam's Number 3.  A couple friends and I went as a way to start the new quarter off right.  This restaurant was featured on one of my favorite shows, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  The restaurant was not the original, but it would have to do.  The restaurant we went to is near Cherry Creek.  I ordered a breakfast sandwich that was called “The Naked Swiss Canadian Sandwich.”  This sandwich consisted of scrambled eggs, sliced Canadian bacon, and Swiss Cheese.  All of the ingredients were inside of a two slices of French toast and served with a side of home fries.

         The dish itself had a lot of potential.  However, I don’t think it was prepared properly.  It was certainly not exceptional, but I enjoyed being at the restaurant that was featured on television.  The menu was so big that I feel that I could go there 100 times and still get something new every time.  I plan on going to the original restaurant that is downtown sometime in the next four years.  The food ranges from many types of breakfast food to what is considered “American” food.  I would recommend going at some point.  Good food along with a great atmosphere.