I Could Smell It From A Room Away

This book was written by the students of 826LA’s TNT evening tutoring program in 2022-2023.

The views expressed in this book are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of 826LA. We support student publishing and are thrilled you picked up this book.

Las opiniones expresadas en este libro son las de los autores y no reflejan necesariamente las de 826LA. Apoyamos la publicación de jóvenes autores y estamos felices que haya recogido este libro.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Editors:

Ariana Ponce Olivares

Maya Robles Pedro Estrada

Cover Artwork: Fern Marticorena

Book Design: Puicón-Pérez for 826LA

Echo Park 1714 W. Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, Ca 90026

Mar Vista 12515 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, Ca 90066

Section Two: An Important Place In My Heart

In the Young Author Book Project From the Couch to the Kitchen, published in 2011, students from Dorsey High School wrote about their personal experiences with food, cooking it, and eating it with people they cared about. As noted in From the Couch to the Kitchen, “Hunger drives you all..hunger for companionship, hunger for adventure, hunger for space or solitude, hunger for memories, hunger for happiness…Food quells this hunger and leads toward fulfillment.” TNT students in Echo Park and Mar Vista now share their stories of happiness, adventure, companionship and more.

Section One

IT TASTES

DELICIOUS!

WAS THE SALAD THAT GOOD?

Julianna H.

Was the salad that good?

Or did it just happen to have a lot of lime and salt.

Was the salad that good?

Or was it just a better day.

Was the salad that good?

Or did alcohol enhance his taste buds.

Gone all day, under the influence. Should’ve stayed in LA.

Don’t forget about the better days.

Was the salad that good?

Or was he there when you woke up.

Waited until you woke up.

Until your brother woke up.

Didn’t leave.

Was the salad that good?

Or was it effortless.

Roughly cut cabbage.

Cucumber cut in 4ths.

Lime juice from 2 to 3 squeezed limes.

Key ingredient.. Salt.

Was the salad that good? Or was it because my dad made it. Always made on the better days. To simplify my answer, the salad was good.

MILE’S JOURNEY OF FOOD

Miles G.

My mom is the main person who cooks in the house; she is widely skilled. My grandma eats a lot - food, macaroni and other stuff like that. She is a really good cook and she taught my mom at a very young age. My grandma would always say to mom when she was little that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and it seems like it worked. Even though dad liked mom even before he tried the meal that she cooked for him - her Famous chicken tacos. She said that she remembers the meal that she cooked for him. We are still eating those chicken tacos.

My mom also cooks a variety of food - chicken to burritos to pizza to Thanksgiving dinners. There are a lot of family recipes that come from all over, like my moms bean dip recipe and the mac & cheese recipe that used to be grandma’s. The mac & cheese recipe is made from three different types of cheeses and basically the signature of our family along with the holy grail, the potato salad recipe that grandma is probably gonna take to her grave. Every time I go to the farmer’s market I smell all different types

of foods like Chinese, Greek, and African. There’s a nice lady who is my food tour guide that I usually talk to at the farmers market. We’re friends and she treats me to every single sight and smell of the market. Like once we went and ate some samosas from India then we went to South Africa and our journey will continue next week. Next time we might get a Japanese sweet. The farmers market has many different types of cuisine like Italian and there’s a big French pastry shop in the farmers market where they have all different types of food. This journey has been around ever since I was little, a young Maddie Patty. I have loved going to the farmers market with my family ever since.

When I was three, I always wanted to eat spicy food, but had to wait until I was four. I was able to eat my first spicy bite when my dad took me to a special place called New Indians Sweets and Spices. Pretty sweet and spicy, I bought two Number Twos - that’s what the order is called. When I got our two Number Twos, first I ate the spinach paneer. Once I finished paneer, then I moved on to the garbanzo beans. After the garbanzo beans, I tried the tiki masala and the rice together and it was delicious. Even though I had to take a little sip of water, it was good. The spices warmed up my tongue and it was really delicious. Then my dad told me to try the Samosa. It tasted delicious.

Dad said, “You know what’s in it?”

I said, “What vegetables?”. I realized that I couldn’t even taste the vegetables because of the spice. It also had potatoes. The potato was nice and fluffy and warm, like a beautiful potato food. I love potato. so this was wonderful and I’ve never stopped eating Indian food—ever.

THE ART OF PREPARATION

Kevin M.

Food. Food is an essential part of life. Food provides the necessary sustenance and energy required for survival. From the dawn of civilization, food has been a crucial aspect of culture, and the way people eat has evolved over time. Today, food is more than just a source of sustenance; it is an expression of identity, social status, and pleasure. Food is different for everyone. There’s so many different meals to try, so many different cultures, from a simple street taco, to a famous 5 course restaurant. It’s the different tastes and textures of food that make eating an enjoyable experience. The way food is prepared and presented also plays a significant role in how it is enjoyed. Food is prepared differently based on the culture, tradition, and level of culinary skill of the individual or group making it. The way food is prepared also varies depending on the cultural traditions and practices of the people preparing it. For instance, in Asian cultures, rice is a staple food and is often prepared using a rice cooker or a traditional clay pot. In Indian cuisine, spices and herbs are used extensively, and the food is often prepared using a tandoor oven. I, myself, love food which is why I’m not the skinniest. I still remember my first “grown up” meal. I’m pretty sure it was beans and rice with chicken, to this day, this will forever be my

favorite meal. Everytime my mom makes the simplest meal, it still feels like the first time eating it. The taste, the flavor, and the way she prepares and presents the food is just glorious. Sometimes the most memorable meals are the ones we don’t want to eat. I have a lot of memories where I was the last one sitting at the table just crying my eyes out because I couldn’t leave the table until I finished my vegetables. Me and my sister used to cover our noses to not smell vegetables, especially asparagus. I hated eating vegetables and to this day I still do. But there’s one way I can eat vegetables, drenched in teriyaki sauce from this Japanese restaurant “Yoshinoya.’’ This time I don’t have to cover my nose. I just eat it as is, without gagging or tears coming out my eyes. The way they prepare their food, rice, chicken, no beans, but with vegetables this time, is just glorious.

EGGS ARE EGGCELLENT

Emmanuel G.

Eggs. You can eat them poached on your porch or fried on a Friday at four in a fort in Florida. One shouldn’t outlaw offering omelets to otters in Omaha although ogling at Orthopedic surgeons sure does boil their temper and their eggs. Breaching baked eggs on bread sure does lead to a brilliant sandwich, boisterous and very beautiful people only bake their eggs. Eating an excellent egg burrito electrifies Ernie and Ernest. But Sammy selects scrambled eggs so she can stuff souffle into her stomach on Sunday with Selena who singles out scotch eggs from the sign. Eat eggs everyday as they are great in every way!

LA PIZZA ES MI VIDA

Sherlyn D.

La pizza estuvo deliciosa y a mi me encantó– fue la cosa más profunda que recuerdo. Me recuerdo como fue la experiencia en detalles vívidos: cuando la probé, mi boca disfrutó su sabor exquisito del pepperoni y el queso, sabía muy bien. Lentamente la pizza se convirtió en mi comida favorita. No siempre había sido mi vida, pero cada mordedura me transforma a un fan de la comida triangular. Me encanta la pizza comprada en la tienda cerca de mi casa y cuando la compro, me la como toda.

Y en la escuela, a la hora del lunch en la cafetería dan mucha pizza y me la termino todo. No importa la hora ni el lugar– la pizza decide la ocasión porque la pizza es la ocasión. A veces en mi casa mi familia hace una pizza muy deliciosa que a mi me encanta y también ayudo mucho a prepararla.

Mi restaurante favorito que se vende la pizza es Little Caesars. Con frecuencia lo visito con mi familia y cada vez tenemos el mismo orden. Aunque el orden es el mismo, el sabor de los recuerdos que creamos juntos alternan como condimentos.

THE LITTLE CHICKEN

(the chicken was shaped as a chicken nugget)

Miguel M.

There was once a little chicken who loved adventures. One day his grandpa sadly died and left a map for the little chicken because he knew he loved adventures. So the little chicken left and followed the map. The little chicken went through the woods and looked at the map his grandpa left him. He saw a cabin so the little chicken explored the woods. He looked and looked for hours when all of a sudden he saw a brown cabin and ran inside. There was another chicken which turned out to be his grandpa’s assistant. “Your grandpa has left you an envelope” says the assistant. The little chicken then opens it and it has a code and the little chicken wondered what the code was for, but he looked back up and the assistant was gone. The chicken texted his parents he would stay the night at the cabin.

The next morning the chicken continued his journey and set off. He looked at the map and saw a picture and he looked closer and saw water and sand.

“Why would grandpa leave a picture of a beach? He knows that there is no beach around here” said the little chicken. He then

remembered that there was a lake around his house and left running. Once the little chicken arrived at the lake he looked around and saw a boat and inside was a paper and a magnet tied to a rope.

You will go to the center of the lake and magnet fish, a key that I have hid under water.

The little chicken wondered “ how am I supposed to magnet fish with a key from a giant lake?”

He got on the boat and once he got to the center he threw down the magnet. Hours later he got tired and was about to give up so he pulled up the magnet and noticed that there was a key attached to the magnet. He was relieved and went back to shore. He left back running to the cabin where he rested for a bit then left to the last location. The little chicken left and looked at the map. It was an address to a house. He saw a nearby bike and left for the address. Once he got to the address he realized it was a giant mansion, four stories high, with a soccer field and more. He walked towards the gate and the gate opened. He walked and looked at the door then took out the key from his pocket and placed it inside the keyhole and sure enough, it opened. Inside the house was the assistant and he said “ your grandpa left his mansion to you and all his will”. The little chicken was shocked and went inside and layed down in bed and fell asleep.

The chicken then woke up in his bedroom to realize it was all a dream…

I LIKE BREAD

Marlene T.

I like bread. One day in quarantine in 6th grade at lunch I decided to eat bread with nothing on it, just bread by itself. I didn’t think much of it at first but the more I ate it the more I got obsessed with it. How can something so plain taste so good? What makes the bread even better is that you can put almost anything like butter, Nutella, honey, peanut butter, cheese, and it will taste so good. The toppings and options are endless. Plus you can make many things with bread such as PB&J sandwiches, banana bread, french toast, garlic bread, and the list goes on.

Bread can be eaten at any time of the day. It could be eaten during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My favorite thing to eat and make with bread is a Nutella sandwich. It may not sound very healthy but to me, it is the perfect combination.

I know bread can barely have any flavor, but I would disagree and say that it has a unique taste. I love bread and all its forms.

RISK TAKER

Jeovanny P.

As a kid I was never really a risk taker. I was never open to trying new things. Whether it be school related, or trying new foods. As a kid I never really liked beans, not because it tasted bad, but because I didn’t even bother trying it. It’s always been like that for me which is not a good mindset. That all changed when my brother told me that our cousins invited us to eat at Korean BBQ.

My brother always raved about how good Korean BBQ was back when he was in high school, and how he went so many rounds with his friends to the point that they ended up getting kicked out due to them almost burning down the room. I wasn’t really convinced at first, I mean, yeah I like meat, but the way that he described it made my close minded self think that I wouldn’t like it as much. I eventually caved in after being told to go an ungodly amount of times.

First thing that happened when we got there, we had a waiter take us to our seats. As soon as we entered I caught an immediate whiff of burnt meat. Wasn’t really a good first impression, but then again its mainly the elderly couples fault for not knowing how to cook. Once we sat down they gave us a menu to order, I didn’t even get a chance to look at it before they already started ordering.

Once the waiter took our order I was just sitting down patiently waiting whilst playing with my cup of water. Once the orders of meat reached our table they immediately started cooking it. I will say

beforehand to always have a light snack before coming here because the amount of strength it took me to not eat the meat straight out the pan is crazy. The first order we had was an order of brisket, definitely the driest of the other too, but it sure did multe in ur moth with every bite. The second order we had, which was probably my favorite, was the bulgogi beef. The first bite I took of that meat was godly. The fact that its also marinated made it so flavorful and made me want more of it. The last order was just marinated chicken, I was already full by the amount of rice paper I was eating.

Once the day finished I was definitely satisfied with what I ate that day. I realized how close minded I was with eating food. This experience, believe it or not, really made me realize how taking risks can sometimes be good. And in some weird way this experience made me want to take a college course for my senior year of high school. So the biggest take away from all this would be that being a risk taker will definitely make you feel accomplished and make you develop some sense of pride.

THERE IS A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Dulce R.

Meat! Meat! Meat! There are so many meats to choose from. Which one do I get, and are they good? I keep saying that to myself over and over again. Oh, wait, before I get into anything else, let’s go back and talk about my first experience eating Korean Barbeque (KBBQ). My first impression: My first impression of the food was good. Trying KBBQ was a dope experience. My recommendation on the food: The food overall is good. But to combine with all the meat, you should have rice, Tapatio sauce, or any spicy sauce. Overall experience: Going to a KBBQ restaurant reminded me of a carne asada, except in a restaurant.

MOLE AMARILLO: A CONNECTING MEAL

Leonora G.

An admiration conceived during my childhood years, my love for potatoes sprouted through the delicious taste of the vegetable and the variety of forms it can take on. A versatile and gratifying food, I love just about anything that includes potatoes; my favorite foods all include this ingredient (a realization I just uncovered recently). Dishes ranging from fries and sauteed potatoes to bistec and molotes and finally to my favorite dish: mole amarillo.

Originating in Oaxaca, Mexico, the land of my parents and ancestors, best created, in my opinion by my mother, mole amarillo is a dish that serves comfort and happiness. Contrary to its direct translation, Amarillo is a rich orange color, a fact that always struck me as odd when I was younger, but I eventually accepted. A soft and creamy texture, accompanied by the chewy and giant tlayudas, makes its way into my mouth. Containing potatoes, chile guajillo, herbs, garlic, masa, chicken, and hierba santa, amarillo, with each bite

justifies its number one ranking among my favorite foods. Amarillo, though, is a commodity granted only on special occasions, most notably Dia De Los Muertos. Every November I anticipate the main dinner since I know without a doubt we’ll be eating the orange mole. Golden potatoes glazed in orange-yellow liquid magma capture my sights and dim my settings, capturing my attention as I take my first spoon-full immediately after the table is officially set and everyone has their bowl. Mole Amarillo is a dish best served with familiar company: my parents, siblings, and God siblings (who I’ve come to refer to as my cousins). Almost every year when Todos Santos (Day of the Dead) rolls around, my God siblings visit my family and I share a fulfilling meal during a time of connection. We all sit around our large rectangular table, with tlayudas and tortilla in the center and mole amarillo with chicken at each seat once my mom calls us from the living room. Mole Amarillo, the primary dish, is digested as quickly as it was served - eaten by my family, Godsibilings, and their parents. Sharing a dish, specifically one so delicious, has helped pave its mark as a significant food, my favorite food, that I only hope to share with others in the future.

TAKIS: SILLY, DIRTY, SERIOUS, SECRET

Marco F.

I hate spicy foods. I don’t like how it hurts your tongue, I don’t like the pain, I don’t like the taste. The day my older sister forced a taki chip into my mouth, I thought I was going to die. I cried endlessly, I’ll never forget it. It would be years later until I got the courage to try the taki chip again out of boredom, and little did I know from that single chip alone, that it would change my life drastically.

From then on I embraced the pain, I made it a part of me, I made it push my limits to things that aren’t even related to spicy foods. The reroute this chip would have on my life is astonishing. I have made it so that my immune system isn’t affected by them anymore.

Takis are my silly, but serious dirty little secret. Everytime I bite into one I know I’m not supposed to, but why? Why should I feel ashamed of myself for eating one of my favorite snacks of my entire life. That’s why I shouldn’t, in a way you can say that it’s my drug

and if that’s how you want to call it. I’m not ashamed of doing it anymore, but I prefer doing it in private where no one can see me doing it so people don’t make assumptions about me as some addict. When I’m eating my guilty pleasure snack obviously I would need something to cool myself down and you wanna know what the best drink of all time is? The drink, beverage, or refreshment that nothing can ever top? Water. Water is one of my best cool down solutions to practically anything. When I’m sick, don’t feel well, feeling down, water is 100% my go to drink. Water is the complete contrast to my guilty pleasure, it’s super safe, judgment free, and, if anything, everyone would support you if you choose water as your go to. I wish that one day no matter what you naturally chose, that no one would judge you…

Water is the normal drink set by society and I think it’s okay since it’s healthy for you and since the beginning of the human race, it’s been the “good” drink to drink. Water has also been there when I need it most, especially cold water. It really helps me calm down and relax, especially when I need it most, such as when I’m out of breath after running or when you cry, it’s good to replenish your nutrients.

The Taki-Water combo is actually pretty wild because you’d think that once you put the fire out, the 2nd to 3rd degree burns go away, but in reality they remain burnt on your tongue like scars until you cover it up with other foods.

NEAPOLITAN MEMORY’S

Marcello L.

This is a story about memories, nostalgia, and most importantly ice cream. Conform to the feeling of Los Angeles chock full of middle aged white women with small dogs and palm trees following the sidewalks of streets. We enter looking upon a group of teen boys ordering ice cream on Hillhurst, one of them being me. Everyone else orders rocky road or strawberry and finally the cashier comes toward my direction. Being the indecisive person that I am, I take a shot in the dark and choose the neapolitan ice cream. As the order comes and our names are called I take a bite and it instantly teleports me back to a different time.

The summer of 2014, I believe I was at the age of ten or eleven. It was during the usual Palm Spring heat waves topping out at around 119 degrees as a young child. Our family would visit my grandfather every few weeks to check in and to be completely honest I didn’t think much of those visits. But I didn’t know that it was around the last few times I’d get to visit him, I was just an immature kid visiting grandpa.

We’d visit his nursing home and I would see my grandpa surrounded by most likely other grandpas. Around 5 o’clock we would hold a collective dinner with my grandpa, myself, and all the

other patients. We’d have some form of stew or soup because the old men couldn’t eat solid foods properly and during the aftermath the workers would bring out a tub of neapolitan ice cream. My grandpa and I would dig into the sweet delicacy, the almost exotic array of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.

Now a few years older and a few years more mature, every time I eat ice cream it tastes bitter sweet. I remember all the time that we could’ve spent together if he was still here and all the time that’s lost now that he’s gone. But there’s also all the good times we had, whether it was random pieces of wisdom or just having a simple dessert. My grandfather had a big sweet tooth when it came to food, and even though he is gone I am still reminded of him every time I eat something sweet. After a few hours writing this piece, I truly realize how important it is to sometimes dwell on the past and how devices bring us back to such feelings. Whether it’s a personal object, a song, a film, or in my case neapolitan ice cream.

THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE FOOD TO YOUR DIET, PUPUSAS

Johnny L.

Wait in line for an hour for a pupusa, a food that I feel like I’ve eaten my entire life. Being an interesting food in El Salvador, it is a street food that’s surprisingly pretty good.

I’ve eaten a lot of pupusas as a result, but this specific pupusa was so bloody good. It was so good I really wanted to get the variation, which has a lot, A LOT of variations that I’m probably not aware of. There are some that I have tried, like frijoles (beans), queso (cheese), chicharrón (fried pork), ayote (squash), and loroco (a certain type of food where the buds are used in pupusas). The condiments are not what you expect as well, where it’s not ketchup and mustard but instead it’s Salsa Roja (Tomato sauce) and Curtido (a Salvadoran cabbage relish that could have cabbage, red onion, carrot, oregano, jalapenos, ect. If I could think of one issue, it is really eating it constantly. Because at the end of the day, it is street food, so it was built to fill you up immediately. I believe most people can only

stomach two unless they are starving for everything.

I did eventually get to eat that pupusa I waited an hour for, and after I’ve eaten it, I never realized how a lot of my good memories have been connected to pupusas. I’ve eaten pupusas after leaving church, or eaten it on the back of a truck to get ready to practice driving. Nearly all of the places I go to, I surprisingly like to eat pupusas, which is one of the most shocking feelings food ever gives me.

It’s arguable if it is the best food in the world, but the connection I have with pupusa will always be one of the things I’ll appreciate. I would recommend eating it, I doubt you’ll probably hate it, hopefully.

POPCORN Jarek S.

Popcorn, I would always eat it at the movies and now I got braces, I’m no longer allowed to eat popcorn anymore. The braces prevent me from eating hard food and stuff like popcorn because it gets stuck between the teeth and wires. The braces affect what I can and cannot eat like no hard food, like apples, no more chewy food like gum and sticky stuff like candy apples.

But after two years I ate popcorn again because I missed eating popcorn and I was hungry and it brought back some nostalgia because it tasted good and I forgot how it tasted. It brings back some memories of when I was younger and eating popcorn at movies and on a daily basis. The nostalgia I felt was of how I forgot what it tasted like and how it brings back some memories of last time I ate, it since it’s been so long since I ate it.

The feeling of happiness. My favorite popcorn is Skinny Pop popcorn with sea salt because those are the best and I like the taste of them because they have sea salt and I like food with sea salt. Popcorn tastes good, and it’s the best meal for watching movies and it’s very popular and expensive.

FOOD IS GOOD Alejandro R.

Food is good and good is food.

Fav food always sets my mood.

Mood is good with the special key

Sweet and spicy: candy?

Not so much on my tops you see?

Too silly and small just not for me.

The snack that most people prefer

Chips and soda I’ve heard.

The Calories are just so absurd you see?

Unhealthy and lacking just not my cup of tea.

Many People eat downtown

So much variety all around

A lot of fast food

Fast food’s good

Try some fast food

taste so good

In n out

I’m In no doubt

Hamburgers is what it’s about siri will find you the quickest route

Pizza places be so small

But still loved by many and all

Food is what is up

Food is what’s down

Without food we’d all be

Section Two

AN IMPORTANT PLACE IN MY HEART

DENNY’S, I LOVE YOU.

Adan H.

My mom worked at Denny’s and some of my earliest memories are of us at Denny’s. I would go to her work because she couldn’t afford a babysitter so she would bring me around a lot. I didn’t do much, I just chilled and ate goldfish.

I also met a lot of my mom’s co-workers and they loved me. One of my moms co-workers, who she’s still friends with, is Annabella. She’s at every party and she’s always there to party with my mom. She’s a party person; she knows how to get the party started, dancing at all the parties we host. I’ve known them my whole life. Even after my mom quit from working at that Denny’s she still talks to them and goes out with them a lot.

At Denny’s, I used to get the kids burger on the kids menu with regular fries. After that I used to get the chicken buffalo sandwich with seasoned fries . Now I get the Slam burger. It’s a burger with egg and hashbrown with regular fries and raspberry iced tea.

I decided to write about Denny’s because it holds an important place in my heart . Denny’s is one of my earliest memories and it will continue to be my favorite diner.

FAMILY TRADITIONS

Karla T.

As you can tell it is 2023, 2016 was a long time ago, but that was the time where my whole family started a tradition of eating street tacos any day from Thursday to Sunday, depending on when my mom didn’t feel like cooking. It was 2016 when street vendors started going out and putting up their stands. We started going to one that is near our house. They are called “El Primo Tacos.” We were there when a small number of people were going to their taco stand. The person that started it all knew our family so well you could say he watched us grow up.

Now that we’re done with the backstory, I’ll tell you about the tacos. The tacos were the best thing that you could ever eat. When you get to taste and smell the burning meat, it just lightens up your mood knowing that you’re eating maybe the best tacos in LA. (You could say otherwise, but I’m always right). They have every type of tacos you are looking for, such as al pastor, asada, chorizo, lengua, cabeza, buche, and more. Just having the taste of the greasy meat is what the people are looking for. And not to worry, they also have vegan options if you don’t eat meat. Are you hungry? Well then go get tacos. Want something good to eat in the middle of the night?

Go to the street tacos, because that is the only good, and in my opinion, healthy, thing to eat at any time of the day. It all changed when I became a football manager. This made it hard to participate in the family tradition, but my parents would travel to go see the games and give me food. They knew that Fridays were really busy for me and my friends, and that we didn’t eat on Fridays because we needed to be there for the team.We spent our lunch time preparing things to not rush when we are leaving for away games. When it came to home games, we helped the team parents and were running up and down the school. This was easier when my parents brought tacos for me and my friends and we calmed down before the game started. After that, the whole tradition started and continues.

SUMMERS BY THE POOL

Maryjane J.

The hot sun burns into my skin as I helplessly stand in front of the fan that does nothing, but make noise. It’s summertime and schools are out, my mother who owns a childcare waits for parents to drop off the kids. These kids happen to be my childhood friends whom I grew up with. On summer days my mother takes us to the pool to cool down. As my older sister and mom pack our bags and load the cooler with drinks, I wait at the gate for the arrival of my friends. Once we are all together, load into our bus which in reality was a big white van for all ten of us.

At our arrival we all eagerly got out of the van and ran to the ticket purchase stand, waiting for my mother to pay. The boys went to the left side to enter the boys locker room while the girls walked to the right side to enter our locker room. Inside we stand under the cold shower water before entering the pool. After me and my friends met up at the big pool and jumped into the water where the water splashes along the concert and the life guard yells at us to not jump. Feeling the cold water on my skin, I feel refreshed instantly. After four hours in the water I begin to feel famished and so do my friends. We all exit the water to join my mother by a picnic table where she is beginning to cut watermelon. One by one we all begin to sit

down on a long green picnic table and chat about how our eyes burned, the games we played in the water and what we would do next. My mother hands out sandwiches wrapped in tin foil, each made especially for us. My sandwich was made with toasted white bread with mayo, turkey, cheese, bacon, and lettuce. My best friend’s sandwich was made differently with white bread, mayo, ham, cheese, bacon, lettuce and mustard. As well as my other friend’s sandwich, which had different ingredients which made the sandwiches personal. The first bite melts into my mouth with mixed flavors as it increases my desire for more. The American cheese made known in every bite and the added bacon for meaty flavor. As we eat together we all joke and wish we could swim again one more time.

After finishing our meal, my mother lays out a bucket of cut watermelon which we all run to. One by one we dig in, some of us adding tajin for a spicier flavor. The freshness of the watermelon overwhelms my taste buds as juice spills from my mouth. Each bite of the watermelon cools me from the burning sun while also clenching my thirst. It’s summer days like these that my love of watermelon and sandwiches return. The mixer of laughter, joy, food and friends make my summer days filled with joy.

CHRISTMAS DINNER!

Meggan M.

For Christmas dinner my family and I go to my uncle’s house every Christmas. It’s like a little tradition for our family. They live all the way in Pomona so we don’t get to see them often. Every Christmas we make tamales for the whole family so that everyone has enough to eat. The tamales are a recipe my grandma shows us how to make so they’re extra delicious and get to have with the whole family. There’s this one specific Christmas day where we decided to go, getting ready to leave and really excited since we haven’t seen them for a bit. And we get in the car ready to go, after a few minutes in the car my mom started saying, “ I think this is the year we are going to show you how to make the tamales so you can pass it down and help us make some.’’ I was actually really excited to learn how to make the tamale recipe.

After a good 30-45 minute drive we arrived. My cousin started running to us in excitement and looked so happy to see us. They helped us take some things inside and helped get us settled and my mom told us we are staying the night and should probably get started with the tamales. So our goal was to make 100 for the whole family since it was a big family gathering. While we were making tamales all together my grandma started

teaching me the “special recipe”, while learning it I saw my whole family getting along and smiling with each other. It was such a sweet moment looking at it happen. Making tamales was a great moment to spend time with them and just talk. We made so many memories during it and can never forget about those moments.

After making the tamales, we all sat at the dinner table and started eating them. They are one of the best tamales I have ever had. After dinner, we all started waiting for midnight to open presents since my little cousins couldn’t wait for the next day. After waiting for a little while, it struck twelve and my little cousins were excited to start opening presents so we did! Seeing everyone gathered around the tree, it was a really nice moment to have. We took so many pictures! This was one of the most memorable Christmases.

MY DREAM RESTAURANT

Luis J.

I’d open a restaurant that makes Mexican food. I want to share my Mom’s food. I personally think it’s really good. The people who have tried it, they also liked it. I would want them to try her food and enjoy it as much as I did. She makes mole, enchiladas once in a while, and tacos. She makes some sope.

It’s fun, in my opinion, to help her in the kitchen. I get to spend time with my mom and help her. I just wash the vegetables and any fruits or vegetables she needs from the fridge, I cut those too. Whatever she needs, I help her. Sometimes she asks me to stir, add some spices. Sometimes I add too much. It still turns out good, it’s just too much.

I’d want the vibe of the restaurant to be something familiar, in my opinion. You’d walk in and you’d recognize it. If you walked it, you’d know you’re welcome there at any time.If I wanted someone to try my mom’s food, I’d say my favorite food--enchiladas. But that’s kind of biased, honestly. But the cheese--the cheese and the red sauce--in my opinion, that’s the best. When I eat my mom’s food I honestly feel amazing. I love it.

DINOSAUR ARE COOLZ

Bernie G.

In Dinosaur, Colorado, lived six year old Timmy with his older sister Sarah. They lived with their two parents named Jack and Dalilah, who were scientists working on a secret project called Operation KLGGHQ IQDI ORUH, which was a code name for a device that felt like it was from the future. They went on a business trip and left Sarah and Timmy alone at home.

One day, Timmy got hungry and decided that he wanted to make some dino nuggets. In the process, he set the oven on fire and burned all the remaining dino nuggets. To make sure that Timmy was under supervision, Sarah called for a firetruck to come and help the situation. After they put out the fire, Timmy asked her if she could go with him to the grocery store to get more dino nuggets. Sarah reluctantly said yes because if she didn’t, Timmy could get kidnapped. Sarah got her lucky penny and they went on the quest for the DINO NUGGETS. As they walked out of the house they went to the OMEGA MART AT AREA 15 IN LAS VEGAS, and to get there they used their parents’ mysterious device downstairs. They went to the frozen food section of the store. Sarah mentioned that Dinosaur, Colorado, was named because of a fossil site nearby and that they were going to eat dino nuggets in a city named Dinosaur.

As they went to purchase the dino nuggets, they realized that they only had a penny (Sarah’s lucky penny). In search for money, they went to the “CASINOOOOOOOOOOOO.” They went to the roulette station at the casino (that was the only thing they knew because their dad taught them about this type of betting). They bet their penny on odd and won money. Now that they were feeling the adrenaline, they went again and after 50 playing sessions they lost $1000. Since they owed them $1000, they stole money from the Money Room and RAN OUT. They got out with $1100, but they lost most of it from the dollar bills flying away from their grasp and ended up with just $20. They also had to pay the casino back because in the future it could become $1,000,000, due to the high interest rate in 2023. However, they didn’t have to worry about that now because their parents were literal scientists (for making a groundbreaking discovery it was almost certain they had a lot of money). On their way home, they went to an arcade.

Timmy went to a game called “The Quest for the Magical Spatula.” Timmy played until he got the magical spatula, which took over five hours. As Timmy was playing, Sarah went to ask if there was any food. On her way, she smelled something bad in the break room and found animal suits. The suits were a blue bunny, a yellow chicken, and a brown bear. As she opened the torso of the suits, she found something that was so bad she never wanted to think of it again. Then she got interrupted. “HEY SARAH I GOT THE SPATULA,” said Timmy. Since Sarah didn’t want to see the suits, and what was inside them, anymore, she took Timmy and went to get the dino nuggets. After they went back home ready to eat the dino nuggets that they paid for with money. Sarah put them in the oven and waited.”DING.” Sarah ran to collect the dino nuggets and put them on the plate. As Sarah gave them to Timmy, Timmy went to get a Snapple (the best drink in the world that helps you burn calories and makes you immortal). Also Timmy went to get some ketchup and behind the ketchup was a cipher. They went downstairs where the device was being built. Once they went down they went to a folder

on a desk where they connected the cipher and the weird code name and found out that the device was…… a Teleportation device ! They felt ecstatic that they cracked the code. After that they went back upstairs to eat the dino nuggets.

When Timmy put the ketchup on the dino nuggets he ate them. They tasted good so he finished them.

HYEBSIDWYSESNOSTYRGTM?

Monsey L.

Have you ever been stuck in deciding whether you should eat something new or stick to your regular go-to meal? I for sure have been stuck in this situation. Every time I go to Starbucks I want to try a new drink, but always end up going for a strawberry acai with lemonade. This can also relate to trying new things in life. You can be so used to something that you could be scared to try something new in your life. It’s like being attached to what you’re familiar with. However, it’s good to go out of your comfort zone. Being scared to try new things is perfectly normal. I’ve been scared that if I try something new I won’t like it. But there is a point where you get bored of always doing the same thing or always getting the same food that you actually want to try something new. When going out I’ve had moments where I’ve wanted to eat something different that wasn’t tacos or burgers and I ended up really liking what I got. That’s when I realized that there is so much more than what I’m so used to getting. It’s good to try new foods as it is trying new things in life.

The day I went to the mall with my best friend, we went to Starbucks. While being in line I was debating on what drink I should get. I wanted to try a new drink, but I was scared that I wasn’t going to like it and it would be a waste of money. However, I did end up getting a new drink, which I forgot the name of, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I would get it again, but it wouldn’t be my go to drink. I still prefer my strawberry acai with lemonade. All this to say is that being stuck in deciding whether to try new foods is completely normal and my experience is just one of many.

IN-N-OUT

Blue L.

I have always loved In-N-Out, it’s my favorite food place. I’ve been there so many times and still haven’t tired of it. This summer of 2022, I went to In-N-Out too many times, every week. I would get it one or more times. It got to the point where at the end of the summer I stopped getting In-N-Out.

In the restaurant, not a lot of people know about the secret menu, there is the protein style burger where the buns are replaced with lettuce and more. They even made a grilled cheese burger where it’s just buns with cheese.

IN-N-OUT

Camilo G.

My favorite place to eat is In-N-Out. Even though I don’t go there that often, I always cherish the times I go. Going to an In-N-Out and eating a burger with some fries just feels so special. My go-to meal is a cheeseburger with fries. I order this every time I go and sometimes, when my dad lets me, I get a soda as well. The In-N-Out burgers and fries are the best burgers and fries in California to me. Just the overall quality of them makes them so good. I will always love going to In-N-Out as going there fulfills my day and allows me to have many memories that I hopefully will never forget just like the following. On a sunny Saturday day, me and my friends were going to go to SkyZone to celebrate my birthday; I was turning nine years old. We all received our wristbands and headed straight to the trampolines and foam pits. Two hours later, we were exhausted. We played for so long and were so exhausted; we then decided to call it a day. We went to the entrance of SkyZone and were ready to deliver our goodbyes. After our goodbyes, I got inside my car, getting ready to sleep during the long and never-ending car ride back home. Having not slept yet, I noticed that we had pulled inside to an In-N-Out parking lot. I was ecstatic. Eating burgers and fries after SkyZone made the day even more memorable, because my adoration for In-N-Out was so special to me. I opened the car door and stepped outside. As I got out of the car, I saw all my friends had come along as well! They hadn’t known we were going to In-N-Out as well so it was a surprise for all of us.

I was so happy seeing all my friends again, even though it had only been a brief five minutes apart from each other. Spending my day going to SkyZone, playing with my friends, and getting to eat and talk with them at my favorite fast-food restaurant, was making this day so-so special.

I met up with my friends as we opened the doors to In-N-Out. We were patiently waiting in line, waiting till it was time to order. When I was at the front of the line, I ordered a cheeseburger plain with fries. After we had all gotten our food, we all sat down near each other and started talking, having a good time. Thirty minutes later, we were all so full. We all got up and went outside where our parents were waiting for us. As one last surprise, my mom had gotten us cupcakes but we were all too full to eat even more. Everyone sang happy birthday to me as we then smiled for the camera. That was the best day ever.

I LOVE CHICK-FIL-A!

Rosaisela L.

I tried McDonald’s, In-N-Out, Jack In The Box, and many other fast food places, but Chick-fil-A is the best. I can go days talking about it and how good it is. I can even go days eating Chick-fil-A and not get tired of it. Something about Chick-fil-A makes it extraordinary for me because it’s different from other fast food places. Also, it’s pretty clean and healthy for a fast-food place. The first time I visited Chickfil-A, I was so satisfied with the food that a desire to eat it all the time stuck with me.

The fries are fresh, warm, and crispy. The spicy chicken sandwich is zesty and flavorful. But what makes everything better is the ChickFil-A sauce. There is something about it that makes the food ten times better. You might think that I just like Chick-fil-A because of their food, but my experiences at the restaurant also add to that feeling. For example, there have been plenty of times when I would go eat at the Chick-Fil-A at the Century City Mall with my mom and without my annoying sister. I enjoyed this location because it had a clean seating area, the breeze outside felt nice, and it was inside a mall which meant I could go shopping afterward. The memories spent with my mom at Chick-fil-A are so special to me because most days, she has to go to work, and I am busy with school, so spending time with my mom is nice. The restaurant also happens to be one of the only fast-food places my mom enjoys.

In conclusion, Chick-fil-A is one of the best fast food places because of the fantastic food and the memories it holds for me.

KALAVERAS IS AMAZING!

Alejandra L.

KALAVERAS. Most people have heard of the restaurant, others have not. But if you had gone and tried the Aguachiles and the Culichi Rolls, you would have fallen in love at first bite. Kalaveras is located in a lot of places such as Pico Blvd, Santa Monica or Redondo Beach. But the one my family and I go to is the one located in Marina Del Rey. We usually go there for family dinners and spend time together. It is hidden, but it is also pretty easy to find because once you see their big bright white neon sign, you know you have arrived. The inside of the restaurant is pretty big, dark and full of color.

The story goes, we get seated at our table, we get handed a menu and we can see all types of dishes such as Molcajete, Carnitas, and Enchiladas Verdes. But what caught my eye was the Culichi Rolls. The name was just glowing! When we ordered it felt like forever, and I was getting anxious, I wanted to try the food. But while waiting, the drinks came, but the emotion for the main food was there. I just had a strawberry margarita. Virgin Margarita. But it was still delicious and very refreshing. Time went slow. And as time went by, I could just see different dishes and steam coming out from the kitchen and when the waiter walked by I could smell the food. Everytime a waiter

would pass by with a dish, I would think it was for us. But once the food came, it smelled and looked super delicious! The Aguachiles came first. I can see the salsa verde where the shrimp cooked in. When I tried it, you can hear the crunch from the tostada with the shrimp, you can taste the spiciness and the lime juice. Next were the Culichi Rolls. They tasted super good. When I took a bite it was like fireworks were popping off around me! After we finished, I can tell my family loved the food, how it was very delicious and they didn’t expect for the food to be that good. But we will definitely be coming back! And it is now our favorite restaurant!

MAMA, TENGO HAMBRE

Tito O.

Our story starts on a cloudy Sunday morning in 2017. A 34-year-old Hispanic lady sits on her couch watching reruns of Friends with her 10-year-old son’s head laying on her lap. She was falling in and out of sleep after a long day of work at her nine hour, seven-days-a-week job as a housekeeper. This was the life of Christina Martinez for the most part, only having rare occasions of free weekends and random day cancellations from her job. Luckily, she wasn’t alone, she lived with her boyfriend Alberto, a 47-year-old Hispanic man. He mainly worked at night, so they never really were able to see each other very often, only the rare mornings when Christina was running late to work and Albert was awake tending to their baby’s needs. But for the most part, she was happy. it wasn’t the life she wanted when she was younger, but it’s the life she got.

When Christina was younger, she wanted to open a famous restaurant. She loved cooking food for people her whole life. She fell in love with the idea of cooking when she was five years old and tried her grandma’s pupusas for the first time. She fell in love with it and couldn’t believe something this delicious was even possible to make. So she wanted to start a restaurant to touch the hearts of people with the food she made, just like her grandma did to her all those years

ago. So her whole life, she spent working and perfecting the food she cooked for people.

She planned on moving to America to start her restaurant dreams. She moved to Los Angeles around 2003, living with her step-grandma in a small apartment complex, where she met Alberto. They fell in love shortly after meeting. Then in 2007, they had a boy together named James. After having James, they moved in together, in a small one bedroom apartment. Their plan was for Christina to be a stay-at-home mom until James was old enough to start school, but the bills got in the way of that plan, so she had to start working as a housekeeper.

Ten years after all this we get to where this story started off. With a Hispanic woman falling asleep on the couch with her ten year-old son. Her son gets up, and wakes up Christina. He says, “Mama, tengo hambre.” Christina, still dazed from her nap, gets up from the couch and walks to the kitchen to start to make something in the kitchen for James. She starts to make quesadillas for James.

While she cooks, James comes up to her and asks her in Spanish “mama, what did you want to do when you were younger.” Christina thinks back to her old dream that she had a long time ago.

“I wanted to open a restaurant,” she says back. “Why didn’t you end up doing it?” “life gets in the way,” says Christina.

“Are you sad that you ended up not doing your dream?” asks James. “No, I ended up living my dream, my goal was to make food for the people I love, and I’m doing that right now,” Christina says. She finishes the quesadilla and gives it to James on a plate. “It just came in a different way,” she says.

“Do you wish you ended up opening the restaurant?,” asks James. “No, not anymore, the restaurant was for my food to touch the hearts of people, but I already do that every day with you and your dad, so I ended up living my restaurant dream.” Christina hugs James and sits with him at the table.

THE SUSHI CATASTROPHE

Rubi G.

Tom loved his sushi. He would usually go to a place about five minutes away from his house called Sushi Sedai. One day, he wanted to treat his friends, Finn, Zoey and Cece. He called them up and asked, “Do you guys want to go get some sushi?” Zoey, Cece and Finn said “Sure, why not!” Tom said “Be here in 30 minutes then.” When they all arrived, Finn shouted, “Let’s get going, I’m starving!” Once they arrived, they had to wait for a table. Zoey was nervous and said, “So, it’s my first time, tell me what to get!” Tom assured her it would all be fine. At the table, he passed out the menus. Finn ordered a caterpillar roll. Cece and Zoey got the rainbow roll while Tom got the spider roll. Twenty minutes later Zoey tried her sushi for the first time. She started choking then she started to turn red. Cece screams “HELPPPP!!” Finn grabbed Zoey and started to help her, Tom yelled, “I think she’s dead!” Cece grabbed her phone to call the ambulance. Zoey collapsed on the ground and wasn’t responsive once the ambulance arrived ten minutes later. Along with Zoey, Cece rode in the ambulance. They headed to the emergency area after arriving at the hospital. The doctors came out… “Zoey is okay, but she is severely allergic to shrimp and salmon, which was in the sushi she had that caused her catastrophic reaction.”

Ten years later, they all meet up again. They wanted to go out and eat. Cece says, “we should get sushi.”

Zoey yells, “Noooo! I am never having sushi ever again.”

Tom says, “What if I make my famous sandwich?”

Zoey says, “Yes, anything is better than sushi.”

Finn asked, “Why? Sushi is amazing!”

Zoey snapped, “Did you forget what happened when we had sushi last time.”

Finn remarked,“Oh, yea that was umm fishy!”

SHAKEY’S: A FAMILY PLACE, MY FAMILY’S PLACE

Emily R.

Shakey’s Pizza Parlor has always been a place where my family goes to celebrate different occasions. Those occasions being birthdays, or completing milestones in each other’s lives. It’s always so lively and packed during the day which has made us prefer going there once the sun has set. Though the celebrations that took place there weren’t always for me, my first memory that comes to mind is my fifth birthday. I remember that my hair was loose, with the ends of my hair naturally curled, like if it was styled that way. I had an itchy dress on that was not my cup of tea, paired with a small black shawl. We sat in an area where we usually don’t sit when we go to Shakey’s. It was dark outside and the order was placed. We got the usual, that

being a regular large pepperoni pizza with fried chicken and mojo fries. The nice workers there would offer to store our cake in the freezer until we were ready to cut it and sing “Happy Birthday.”

When I was little I didn’t think much of the food besides that it was pizza. The goal of me and my siblings was to finish eating as soon as possible and ask our parents for money so we can trade it into game tokens to play the games. Each of us would usually get a dollar or two, which is equivalent to four tokens per dollar. Even though there was a variety of games that one could play, we always played the exact same game. I still have no clue what the game is even called, but I’m certain that it has a name. It would only cost one token, but recently they changed it to two. All you have to do is press a big button which causes a bouncy ball to drop. The bottom of this game is a circle which has multiple holes where the bouncy ball can land inside. But the bottom moves clockwise making it difficult to get into the hole that one wants. Each hole has a different number that represents the amount of tickets that you can win. This included a jackpot which can get you 1,000 tickets. They changed the amount to about 300 tickets. Me and my siblings would hit the side of the machine in hopes of moving the ball to a different direction so we could end up with a higher amount of tickets.

After finishing the amount of tokens we had and begging our parents for more money we would insert all the tickets we got into the ticket eater, which would count the amount of tickets we have and print out a paper with the number on it. We would then divide the amount of points evenly and trade them in for prizes, usually candy and small items. But sometimes we would all want a big prize together and strive to get the amount of tickets we needed in order to get it. Sometimes we would save the tickets that we got and take them home.

One time we were constantly collecting tickets and saving them until we forgot about them. When we finally remembered about the stash that we had and knew that we were going to go to Shakey’s, we brought them all and played a couple more times and finally

knew the amount of tickets that had been accumulated over a year or two. It was a lot, I don’t remember the number, sadly. But it was a good memory.

I spent my twelfth birthday there, my hair was in a ponytail and I had a denim jacket with a pink jumpsuit. It was always enjoyable spending my time there. When I graduated from 8th grade I was treated to dinner there, which was more than I expected. Over the years I grew to appreciate the food more. I crave it constantly, especially the mojo fries. I love dipping them in the ranch and eating a bunch of them. The fried chicken is always so crisp and I always eat the skin because it’s my favorite part. My mom gives me the skin of her chicken from time to time.

The pizza is pretty decent there is nothing wrong with it, the tomato sauce is sweet, which is different from other pizza places. I love to add a large amount of parmesan cheese on top of my pizza. When I was little I would never put the red peppers on my pizza as I really did not tolerate spice. But my taste buds have changed and I can tolerate and appreciate the taste of it. Almost everytime we go there a picture is taken. The bare minimum is one, but usually goes up to ten or so. While we’re smiling for the photos to be taken as the food is set on the table in front of us our stomachs are growling ready to consume every crumb. I know that more memories are going to come from this establishment, the next one being my sixteenth birthday as my family has decided to go eat at Shakey’s once again to celebrate. I know that my dad will be there taking lots of photos and recording the moment when they sing happy birthday. I’m mostly excited to play the games so I guess that hasn’t changed, I’m still like my five year old self.

POKE IN BOSTON

Teresa G.

On April 10th, 2022 my life was quite literally changed. I ate something so delicious, I still think about it to this day. Almost a year later. I ate the best poke bowl of my life. Let’s rewind and let me start from the beginning.

I was on my 8th grade east coast trip with all of my friends and we were in Boston that day. We were told to explore Boston and find a place to eat lunch. We pointed out some places that have good food but me and my friends either weren’t in the mood or simply didn’t want that.

We got to this place on a corner and Ash asked, “how about poke?

“Eh, I’m more in the mood for something warm,” said Vienna.

“I’m sure they sell soup there, probably miso soup,” responded Ash.

“I’ve never had poke, is it good?” I asked with doubts.

“I like it,” Katie and Ash said reassuring me, “it kind of like sushi.”

“Ooo I love sushi!” I said excitedly.

So we went into the poke bar. When we got there there was music playing, but I wasn’t paying attention because we were too busy talking about how hungry and explaining to me more in depth what poke bowls are. In the bar we saw some of the other girls on the trip and I asked what they were gonna get trying to get a feel of what to order.

“I’m planning on getting spicy tuna for my protein.” One of the girls said. “Oooooo they also have salmon,” “ I think I’ll get that.” I said.

Then it was our turn to order and I went second to last to see the process of ordering and see what everyone was getting.

“Hi, what can I get for you?” the worker asked, “Hi, can I get a poke bowl please?” I said.

“Yeah sure what kind of rice would you like?”, they asked

“Can I get white rice please?”, I said “Yep, what type of protein would you like? Tuna or salmon?,” said the worker.

“Can I have salmon please,” Yeah, what toppings do you want?” “Can I get avocado, spicy mayo sauce, red onions, and cucumber please?” “Of course. Is that all for you?” “Yes thank you,” I said excitedly. Then we went outside and tried looking for someplace to eat and settled on a planter.

“How about here?” Katie asked. “Fine with me.” We all agreed. Then we all sat down and as soon as I had my first bite. HOLY it was so good. The soft salmon and rice mixed with a thin layer of spicy mayo and the crunch of red onion and cucumber.

“OH. MY. GOD.” I said,

I felt like I had just had a bite of heaven. It was the best thing I ever tasted in my entire life. It was heavenly, it was perfect. I ate the bowl so quickly and there was not a grain of rice left.

I’ve tried to find a place that sells poke bowls as good as that one, but none have yet compared to that bowl. The sauce, the rice, and the salmon have yet to compare to it. I tried a good one at Kabuki, but the one from Boston was just on a whole different level.

CHRISTMAS SERVING TIME

Valeria

A.

I spent Christmas at my Grandma’s house. It’s very interesting because my Grandma lives in another country—Honduras. I travel there very often, like three or four times a year. I love going on Christmas because all the family gets together at my grandma’s house. My grandma’s house is pretty big and has a unique smell, a smell like homemade food. When you enter her house through where there are tables and chairs outside, then you get to the living room where the Christmas tree is at. Then there is a hallway that leads to the kitchen and the table. When you walk through that hallway you can smell the delicious chicken she makes. I usually spend time outside with my parents, grandmother, grandfather and aunts. My aunt usually puts Christmas songs on and they play through a speaker. Meanwhile my little cousins and my sister are playing in the living room with their toys. My grandma’s house is very decorated during Christmas. Me and my cousins help her and my aunt decorate. We usually play loteria at Christmas. Loteria is a 2-10 player game with lots of cards and you have to mark them in order to win. It’s like bingo basically. It’s really fun how my aunts or my dad will get mad because they think other players are cheating. After playing, we all eat then go home.

Section Three

HOW DID WE MAKE THEM?

THE INGREDIENT “RAINBOW”

Antonio M.

When an artist portrays how colors are shown, they think about the consistency of how warm or cold they can be. While in my experience I think about it through how the colors have been a generator to my memories.

This fall, I’ve started studying at the Institute of Gradients in Chicago. I’ve also recently moved into my grandparents house, which is just a few blocks away from the college. They are happy to have me. Over the years, I remember really good times with my grandparents. We would take walks in the park. My grandpa would teach me how to repair guitars. I got to play with their cute cat Chico whenever I came, and we would play board games every Friday night. It’s been pleasant these past few days on winter break from school, getting my mind rejuvenated after learning about color coordinating objects using memories from past vivid times. So

complicated! But nothing really interesting has been happening until today when a certain piece of mail arrived in the box, a mysterious letter which I immediately tore open. I had been chosen to be part of a cooking competition!

I quickly sprinted back inside the house, into the kitchen where my grandma was.

“Grandma I have some exciting news!” I shouted as she turned to me.

“What is it dear?” she replied.

“I’m gonna be in a cooking competition where I can develop any idea into a dish!” I said.

“Well dear, if you are going to create a new dish from scratch, you better take the time and plan exactly what you want it to look and taste like.

“Thanks, I promise this will be the best!” I told her as I ran back to my room and started brainstorming the ideas.

After my flight, I found stage twenty-two, where the cooking competition was going to be taking place. I headed inside and was greeted by the producer, Manny.

“Hello! And you are..?”

“Josh!” I replied.

“Hello Josh! Nice to see you! Just to let you know how this works: You’ll have fifty minutes to create your dish out of any ingredients you desire using our advanced ingredient processor, that will generate any ingredient you ask it to make! Once you have your ingredients, you will combine them to prepare your dish. After the time is up, our three main judges will judge your dish based on its appearance, creativity, and taste. And whichever contestant has the highest score wins the competition!”

“Got it.” I replied.

Good luck!” He replied as he walked away. All I knew was that this dish was gonna be a banger to the bops for the audience tasting!

When the show was about to start, we were all dragged out on stage.

“Hello everybody! I am your host, Manny! And welcome to…”

“CRE-A-TIVE COOKS!” everyone shouted.

As Manny announced the competition rules to the audience, I started completely questioning my plan. “What if this dish totally fails?” “Would this be a bad start to inspire others?” I just knew I would need more confidence and to remember my grandma’s advice.

“And we’ll start on Three…Two…One… GO!” Manny shouted. “What!?”

After being air headed for a second, I started running toward the ingredient machine.

What I wanted to create was food using different colors than those I normally see with food. Some of my favorite colors are red, yellow, blue and green, so my dish just had to have those colors!!

For the color red, I went with cherries, very tasty and addicting. Then for blue I decided to go with Blue American Lobster since it’s a big deal for my grandfather, because whenever we would go fishing my dad always seemed to catch a Blue American Lobster.

For yellow I decided to hit up this dish with some lemon and yellow chard! The favorite dish my mother makes me—White Chili Chicken Surprise—uses the exact same spices.

And lastly, for green I decided to add some plain lettuce and kale cause what’s wrong with some ordinary ingredients, right? You put them on a sandwich, so why not into a cooking show televising live worldwide!

Once I came up with my ingredients, It was now time to cook with these babies!

I started off boiling my blue lobster in a pot for fifteen minutes, as I began chopping my cherries. I cut and squeezed my lemons, then lightly chopped some chard to blend with my lemon, then I took my freshly washed lettuce and kale and surrounded the center of my plate where I would place my lobster. After fifteen minutes, when it was boiled and cooled, I added my lemon and cherry mixture to it! With the five minutes I still had left, I brainstormed a name for my fabulous creation: SEAFLOWER PRISM

Our judges, Tangy Tim, Saccharine Sin, and Buds Peng, (who I

have heard was once a five star chef and has never been impressed with anyone’s dishes) gave the other contestants decent scores.

Now it was my turn. Would Seaflower Prism win?????

As I finished describing the dish I made, it was now on to the tasting session.

After my most perfect score with Tin and Saccharine, giving me both a 10, It was now time for Buds to score. Would he like it? Would he be the opposite? It was all up to him to know the final results

He took the most graceful swipe from his spoon

Gave the most equally spooned spoonful of lobster.

Slowly wandered the spoon right into his petite lips and right to his mouth.

As he took the swallow.

Silence was put to rest within the first few seconds and gave his result slowly.

As his eyes brightened for a second, his eyes came towards me.

“This…”

“Is…”

“The most scrumptious and astonishing dish I’ve ever tasted!”

“The flavor, the absolute heat, the creativity put in this!

“Out of many of these dishes, I have never seen someone in my life create the master of wonders of what someone’s mind can make since it had been a minority that I see.”

“Insane ideas? It’s my interest to know what will happen! Cliche ideas? The same lack of style I sense seeing.”

“Things you can create are marvelous from what you do! And for this I say…”

“He is the winner everyone! Give a round of applause!”

As the party poppers popped, and the confetti flew. I was at first glance to get graphic due to this feeling to realize that I won!

Everyone applauding, everyone cheering and even probably my grandparents watching this on television right at this second right now!

Then I realized that with the help of my creativity the skill max I conquered from memories with them.

Sometimes it is true that with a little bit of creativity from what you know of, It can be the right placement to know that you created the level of high platinum status from what you created! And from seeing it, I will never forget what Buds Peng had in mind for me.

POZOLE

Erick A.

One of my favorite appetizing times was the first time trying pozole. I was six years old so it was about eleven years ago. It strikes me now that when I was six years old, I would say that soup was my favorite as a kid while other children would eat chicken nuggets or McDonald’s. I bet my dad was surprised. It was one of those days where my dad made it out of nowhere, I think he made it this time so he could show me there are better foods than just eating a sandwich. I would have eaten that a lot before so he went to the store alone, it wasn’t raining or anything, but it sure was cold and he went alone since none of us wanted to go. He grabbed what he needed and paid for it and went home prepared the meal: cleaned it, cut up, heated the water and threw the cut of vegetables in there, added pollo which is a chicken flavor seasoning. And finally put the chicken in the pot to let it cook for a few hours then threw it in a bowl, adding some spice, lemon, and of course a spoon and he said enjoy. Before I tried it I was hesitant because I didn’t like how it looked to me. It was just a bunch of cut up plants and a chicken leg. I thought it looked unappetizing, but now I’m like a scavenger picking the chicken off the bone and just eating everything that my spoon picks up enjoying everything. I become like a detective whenever my dad gets the ingredients, which are lemon, onions, cilantro, chicken leg, potatoes, carrots, squash, red pepper, mint leaf to make it a string

flavor, and you can’t forget the most important ingredient to me which is tapatio, to bring that spiciness flavor.

Once I notice some of the ingredients, I know for sure he’s gonna make some outta of this world soup. It’s a shame that my dad only makes this when he feels like it. Out of nowhere my nose picks it up as I could smell it from a room away, but hypothetically I would maybe smell this like a mile away if I was able to.

THE WINTER SEASON

Rosario L.M.

The scent of bunuelos forever connected to a magical season, a place of comfort, a place of family. The sweet warm air that always comes once a year. Winter is here and part of me knows it from my ears when I hear the Christmasy music and “Mi burrito sabanero” to my nose, the smells of the tamales and a combination of the sweetest liquids what I hear learned to identify as hot chocolate, champurrado, cafe con panela and so many others.

My mom is in the kitchen cooking way too much food for a family of four, but who is going to tell her? When at that moment there is no such thing as too much food. While we go to deliver presents more food is on it’s way, more food to store, more food to eat.When people come to our house we let them in not only there, but also to a world of wonder flavors never tasted before, but never quite the same because we all know when people cook, no one else can cook just the same way since everyone has their own “sazon” as my mom would call it.

Christmas day is near and so is the time when crispy warm paper thin pastry with liquid gold on it too. Bunuelos like any other food around that time is made too much of. Faces smile when bites are taken. What they ate was just not food, it was warmth, a type of

warmth between families since that is who made it. At least in my house bunuelos are a family business. Mom makes the dough while I roll it and my brother stretches and my mom frys it. Time passes but it doesn’t feel that way, we talk, laugh and sing and make more than we can eat. Bunuelos will be gifted since now we made too much of it and I will wait till next year.

I LIKE STRAWBERRIES

Edna C.

Strawberries are amazing in all forms, plain, in pasties, and-you thought. There is nothing about strawberries in here. It’s all about cranberries. I like cranberry sauce. It tastes good. My sister also likes it and whenever we have it we eat and finish the bowl. My family eats cranberry sauce basically three times a year. On Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years and sometimes randomly if we have stuff and somebody actually wants to make it. Usually on those random times I end up making it. I don’t mind, though making it is fun.

Usually we buy the cranberry packets way before the actual holidays and we freeze them. When it’s the actual day we take it out and rinse it and let it sit to get all the water out for five or ten minutes or until there’s available space on the stove. While we let the cranberries sit there we get whatever apples we have, usually about six. My favorite ones that go in are the green apples but it just depends on what kind of apples we have. We then chop up the apples into small pieces. That is fun. It’s very relaxing. After that, we put the cranberries in a pot along with some water. I don’t know how much because we never measure stuff, but it’s usually two bags of cranberries and some water. It’s less than half the amount of water than the cranberries. We put the apples in with the water and the cranberries then we put some

sugar, but we don’t measure it. Then after that we add fresh squeezed orange juice. My dad wanted to add tangerine juice last time we had it, but he came in too late and we had already cut the orange in half and squeezed some in. You can’t really tell how much orange juice because with the water already in there it’s hard to tell. The oranges we get around that time are the size of a softball. One time I dropped the orange and then I had to quickly put it back before anyone noticed. You stir everything to make sure it doesn’t get stuck at the bottom of the pan. I don’t really like this part because it requires you to stay there and not get distracted. I have a small attention span. I’m not actually sure how long it takes for it to cook, I’d have to ask my mom. I usually start it and then she finishes it.

I like to eat the cranberry sauce last. I like to put some on my plate and once I’ve sampled some of everything we have, I sample the cranberry sauce. I usually eat my turkey first, then the mashed potatoes and gravy, then vegetables or stuffing, and then cranberry sauce. After that meal I like to have apple pie for dessert. (which is one of my favorite desserts).

In conclusion, my incredibly biased opinion on cranberry sauce is that it’s amazing. Most of the time cranberry sauce is overlooked in favor of the turkey or the pie. Also, you should totally upload a video where you make cranberry sauce on TikTok. And maybe next time you have cranberry sauce, savor it.

THE COMPETITION

Leonel M.

Hello my name Is Lionel Messi and every year I enter this competition in New York. I always end up losing in the finale to my greatest enemy, Cristano Ronaldo. This competition in New York is about who can make the yummiest and best looking exotic candy food/drink.This year was different because I did not just end up in the finale, but I also won.

I woke up one morning and checked my phone to see if I had a message that I made it to the final. I saw a message saying, “Congrats for making it into the final.” I got super happy and excited and quickly changed and brushed and had breakfast. I went to my desk to think of what I was going to make in the competition. I first started brainstorming the category on how the food will look. Aha! I got it! The theme/category will be an expensive/fancy theme.I wrote down my idea in my notebook and quickly headed to the skyscraper to get ready and as I was walking into the entrance I saw my enemy Cristano. He looked at me and said “Have fun losing.” I was mad but instead I just ignored him because I had other things to focus on. I went up on the elevator, when I got to my destination, there I was greeted by all of the judges. I quickly headed to the back to get ready because the show was about to start. In one minute I got into my

position and was ready to start making my dish.The show started and I began making the drink first.

My drink is a barrel bottle with warhead lemon soda and frozen dried skittles with a sour paste inside the bottle. Last, but not least, I topped it off with some dry ice inside of it to make smoke. Once I was done I put it to the side. Then I pulled out my notebook to remember what I would make, but I couldn’t find the page. Thankfully I knew the dish by memory. I proceeded to get 30 frozen dried jolly ranchers and placed them on a plate. I then added some sour paste and finished just in time because right after I put my plate down time was up.

As the judge was trying the food, Ronaldo was bothering me, but I just ignored it.The judge finally announced the winner and said my name, Leonel Messi. I screamed, YES! I finally had done it after all of these years. I had to make a speech but as I was about to start talking, Ronaldo took away the microphone and said that the award should have been his and not mine. I said to him, “Buddy, chill.” He threw the mic and stormed out. I was still super happy and left home happy.

FIRST TIME I COOKED PEPIAN

Adrian B.

Two years ago I made pepian at my house for the first time. To make pepian I first boiled water and put the base in. The base was packaged so it was faster and easier. It was kind of harder to mix since the base got thicker. After I mixed the base I put the vegetables in. I diced up more vegetables and put those in too. I cooked the pollo and put it in the base. I kept it there for a while and I finished. Before serving, I set up the table. Then, I made pepian for my mom, dad, sister, and me. After I served the pepian to my family and I tried it, it was delicious. The base isn’t like soup, but thick. It is like a stew. Eating pepian with homemade tortillas is how I eat it. Everything was perfect. Also, my grandma makes a separate chili on the side to add some spice to it. In my opinion, adding chili is really good. It gives it a really good flavor. I basically cooked for my family. I cooked it with my mom. It felt so good to cook with my mom for the first time. It was such a memorable moment. I would love for my grandma to teach me how to make it from scratch since she is the one who introduced me to

this food. I feel like it has a bigger impact because before cooking this food I actually went to Guatemala, and not knowing that much about the culture and traditional foods I just felt kind of left out. I was having a wonderful time, but something was off. After cooking this food with my family I no longer felt left out. I feel like I’m a part of my culture.

DON’T TRUST ME WHEN IT COMES TO COOKING

Gerardo Romero

Food. We all need it to survive, to be healthy and well nourished. Some eat more than others, but all of us need it to grow and give us bodily function. I’m here to talk about my personal experiences with food and how it has impacted certain aspects of my life. Most of us can link different foods with feelings, something simple like happiness, or even anger if you find what you’re eating is disgusting. I tend to enjoy eating quite a bit because I’m content knowing that at least there’s something in my stomach, no matter what it is. When I’m able to choose what to satisfy my hunger, that’s a different story. I love eating anything that my mom makes because I know anything she makes is delicious and will help me get through the day. I appreciate that she takes care of me and makes sure that what I eat is healthy. I can’t even begin to imagine how complicated it’ll be

to take care of myself and be mindful of what I eat when the time comes where I have to cook for myself. I am grateful that I have someone to take care of me until then. I could sit here and talk about popular good food that I would pay for, even though the price is exorbitant, but I believe that what matters most are the connotations attached to the food you eat.

I don’t believe there’s an inbetween when it comes to food. For example, if you eat something that tastes just okay, you probably won’t be eating it again any time soon. The feeling of either loving it or hating it, I think that’s something everyone can relate to. When you go out to eat at a place you’ve been to many times, you’ll find yourself ordering the same thing most of the time. That tends to happen because you decided that it was the best thing on the menu and you know you’d love to eat anytime.

Some foods just taste better when you’re out with friends or family. The feeling can be the same if you make your own food. It can either be the best thing you’ve ever eaten, or you begin to wonder if you gave yourself food poisoning. That’s what I like about food, the experiences that can be taken from it. Sharing a meal with someone, whether that be family or friends, it’s nice. Being able to go out and eat with friends every once in a while is fun and it resets your brain in a way, sort of like a timer. Counting down until the next time you go hang out and eat with friends can be something to look forward to.

When I bake with my sister, sometimes it doesn’t turn out so well for either of us and there’s a good chance that the bread will come out burnt or even be missing eggs. I’m not a great cook by any means, maybe even far from it, but the time I’m able to spend with my sister in the kitchen is always chaotic in a fun way. My friends know that even though I may be athletic or clever, these abilities are thrown out the window when I step into the kitchen. I become a lost child, not being able to tell the difference between salt and sugar. They’ve even seen me completely butcher a chicken because I decided to wing it. Even though chaos will soon engulf

anything I touch, cooking is fun because at least I can panic with friends or my sister.

Food is the thing that I look forward to everyday, and sometimes it’s the only thing I look forward to. Even if you have a bad day, you can’t go wrong with good food. Good food gives you a break from the world around you where all that matters in that moment is what you’re eating and the feelings attached to it.

HEAVEN ON EARTH

Esmeralda G.

“¿Qué quieres que haga de comer para el año nuevo?” my mom asked. I didn’t have to think about what I wanted, I knew I wanted - Aguachile. Aguachile is one of my favorite seafood dishes. It does take some time to make, but the end result is all worth it. When you bite into the crunchy tostada and spicy juicy shrimp it’s Heaven on Earth! I told my mom “Quiero Aguachile!” “Okay, pero preguntale a tu tía como lo hace,” she replied. I had forgotten that my Tia Norma had been in Mexico visiting my grandpa. She was the only one in the family who knew how to make this dish, so it was a problem that she wasn’t here.

Fortunately, I texted her and she called me to tell me the ingredients. “Hola mija como estas?” “Bien, tia y usted?” We caught up with one another for a while and then got to the topic. I asked her what I would need. I was ready, I had my pen and notepad ready to write down all the measurements. She started: “15 limones’, un bonche de cilantro, 8 chiles verdes, dos libras de camarón.”

Everything was going great until “un poco de sal” - “como un poco?” I replied. “Un pellizco, si quieres mas le echas otro poco.” I never understood what un poco was. Does she mean a small pinch or big one? She would continue saying “un poco”—it all depends

on what you need in the dish, she repeated. I ended up getting all the ingredients and half of the measurements. I was worried, not knowing the exact measurements I needed, but I showed my mom what I had and she made sure to get all the ingredients needed for my new year’s dish. I was in charge of preparing it and I was excited yet nervous knowing that my aunt would not be there to help me. There were some bumps in the road!

The day of New Year’s eve I started preparing it, I had estimated it would take me about an hour to prepare everything. Unfortunately it didn’t go to plan. Since my aunt wasn’t here my mom made sure to get pre-cleaned shrimp to make the process easier, but only the front of the shrimp was clean and the backside wasn’t. This meant I had to clean two pounds of shrimp by hand and cut the lemon and make the sauce, and wait 30 minutes for the shrimp to marinate inside the juice and still get ready! I was panicking, it was almost 7:00, thankfully my dad offered to help. He cut all the ingredients and I began cleaning the shrimp. I didn’t even want to think about the ingredients that I had no exact measurements for.

Sooner, rather than later, we got to that part. “¿Cuánta sal le pongo?” “¿Cuánta cebolla roja le pongo?” “Le pongo todo el cilantro o poco?” my dad asked. “Tia dijo que un poco”— “pero creo que le podemos poner una cucharada de sal, una taza de cilantro y media taza de cebolla roja,” I replied. My dad began measuring and I began to clean up, hoping it would taste good. It was time to taste it…my dad grabbed two spoons, gave me one and he took one. We both tasted the sauce. “Esta rico pero le falta algo,” my dad said. It didn’t lack lemon, salt, but something was missing. It did not taste the same as when I made it with my aunt. It took us both another taste to figure out what it missed “Cebolla!” we both exclaimed. My dad looked at the measuring cups. “Le pongo un octavo de vaso y aver como sabe.” “Esta bien,” I replied. We tasted it a final time and there it was, “Heaven on earth.”

Recipe

For 4 people

Ingredients

For Shrimp

1 pound raw shrimp (peeled and deveined, tails removed)

4 - 5 large limes (enough to cover the shrimp entirely)

¼ teaspoon of salt

Aguachile Marinade

1/2 cup fresh lime juice ( 2-3 limes)

1 garlic clove

1 cilantro bunch (tender stems OK)

3 serrano chili, sliced in half lengthwise (optional for extra spicy)

1/2 teaspoon of salt

half of purple onion (thinly sliced)

Optional Garnishes

1- 2 sliced cucumber

avocado slices

radish slice

cilantro leaves

tortilla chips or mini tostadas

serrano chili

THE PERFECT FLAVOR!

Jadellyn G.

Hi, my name is Nora! One thing about me is that I have a best friend named Naomi. Today I was bored, so I had an idea of making ice cream, but I did not have a flavor in mind. Then I called my best friend Naomi since her mom owns a shop where you can make ice cream by yourself.

So this is how Naomi said the store worked. First, you get to choose what flavors to start with. Second, you choose what ingredients you want to mix together. Third, you can add all the stuff on it like gummy bears or gummy worms. Lastly, you can eat it or take it home.

Then I asked Naomi , ”Hey Naomi , Can we ride on the new summer bikes we got to the ice cream store at 4:00?’’.By the way, we got those bikes last summer, but we never used them. Naomi replied, ”Sure, we can go to my mom’s ice cream shop!” Then I told her that sure sounds good. After I got ready, I had to tell my mom, so I yelled,”Mom I’m going out with Naomi!!”I hope I don’t get in trouble from going out, so I checked the time and it was 3:30. I was almost late. Then I had to dust off my summer bike because it had so much dust. I hurried up and almost couldn’t stop. I almost fell!! Then I slowed down and saw a girl who had Oreo’s. Then I started to think oh cookies and cream ice cream yum!

Next, when I notice the time it was 4:13, I hurried and started pedaling faster. After some time, I finally I got there. Naomi was waiting and she ran up to me and said, ”I have some ideas like cookie dough or strawberry and vanilla, you know those flavors.” I said , ”Naomi you have great ideas, but I think cookies and cream is the best for me you know.” She said, ”Fine but you can get a discount if you ask my mom if I can go with you to hang out, please.” I said, ”What? Why doesn’t she always say yes?’’ She told me,”Yea, but my mom said I go out too much.” Then I grabbed my cup and started putting vanilla into the cup and crushing Oreos. Next it was time for the sugar ingredients. I choose sour patch kids and gummy worms, also those little candy balls (the ones that pop in your mouth), and lastly a chocolate stick. Finally, I paid and asked Naomi’s mom if she could go hang out with me. Finally I got on my bike and pedaled faster. I have a basket on the front of my bike for my ice cream so don’t worry. However, when I got home my mom was mad at me because she hadn’t heard me say that I was out so that was no fun. However, I still enjoyed my great ice cream and that’s it.

SMOOTHIE LAND

Aurora M.

When I tried my brother’s smoothies it tasted like heaven. I loved the small, juicy strawberries and the soft, soft banana pieces. And what is the greatest flavor you might say? The strawberries, the bananas and the blueberries. A yummy, yummy treat for a hot day. It’s very refreshing and thick. My mom thinks it is too cold to drink this very cold drink and she is right, because it will probably make me sick. The first smoothie I’m going to tell you about is called Strawberry Gone Bananas. The best smoothie I have ever tasted. Here is how to make it:

5 frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana

Half a cup of milk

2 tablespoons of plain yogurt

1 tablespoon of strawberry yogurt

3 ice cubes

And there you have it, one of my favorite smoothies! Next up is the Berry Blast. My brother experiments with recipes. Sweet and bitter – it’s my favorite flavor. Usually my dad makes them

instead of my brother, and I really like the smoothie my dad makes for me. It’s almost indescribable. And when I drink it it makes me feel warm and cozy. But only drink it if you like sour stuff, because I love sour stuff. The best type of flavor is sour. It may not be everyone’s favorite, but it’s my favorite. In my opinion both smoothies that I have described are going to be the best thing that you have ever tasted! Anyway, let me tell you how to make the second smoothie.

5 frozen blueberries

4 frozen strawberries

Half a cup of orange juice

1 spoon of vanilla yogurt

2 scoops of plain yogurt

And 3 ice cubes

And that’s how you make berry blast! Both smoothies are my favorites. They could be yours too if you want to make them. So I hope you enjoy my smoothie recipes, because now I want to make a smoothie too!

DESSERTS Miranda A.

Desserts. We all know this word. That sweet aroma of sugar and spice, that freshly baked good tickling your skin, and those sweet flavors just melting in your mouth. Yes, I know, and don’t worry, I’m hungry too. But this isn’t just about me and you being hungry for desserts. I am here to talk about my own experience with food. So where should I begin? Oh yes, THE KITCHEN. The place we have all visited at least once in our lives (that is if you are not an alien…… or are you?). The kitchen, as we all know, is a place where the food and the goodies are made. It is also the place where my creations were born. What creations you might say. Well, let me tell you my friends. Drumroll… BANANA BREAD AND OATMEAL COOKIES.

Banana Bread and Oatmeal Cookies. Yes, my creations. But let me first tell you about my amazing cookies and about the history of these goods. These goods were first introduced to me when I was about the age of six and the origin of these goods came from my aunt, who I believe is a dessert god, (I have no idea where she gets these recipes from, AND I NEED TO KNOW). Anyways, after I tried both of these fantastic creations, I OBVIOUSLY needed to know how to make them (SO THAT I CAN TAKE OVER THE WORLD!). After my aunt very nicely passed down the recipe to me, I then started to get to work on making them and adding some of

my own little details to them. Let’s start off with the Banana Bread, which by the way is my favorite one. But before we get into the creation of the bread you might want to know something about me. I have a habit of always making sure that anything that I come across has to be exact, specifically measuring. Soooooooo you can imagine me trying to bake.

Anyways, I first start off by putting all of the ingredients on the table. Doing this helps me feel prepared and calm. I then start separating the dry ingredients from the wet ingredients, which isn’t so bad, but wait, here comes the hard part. I then proceed to measure both ingredients and add them to the bowl, and this step usually makes me feel pretty anxious since I always need to make sure that it is exact. After this step is done I then move on to the easy part, MIXING THEM TOGETHER!!! This part is my favorite part, (Well it’s actually my third favorite part, apart from the last step). When I make sure that it is well mixed together I then proceed to pour the batter into the molds and then start preheating the oven. After the oven is nice and toasty, I will then put my non-really-edible creation into the oven and set the timer to however long it needs to be ready. (P.S. Don’t forget to check up on them so they don’t get burnt or you might burn your house down, I learned that the hard way.)

Now here comes my favorite part. TAKING THE GOODS OUT OF THE OVEN! When my now-edible goods are finally baked, I then go and proceed to take them out of the oven and let me tell you the aroma that starts to form from them. That sweet sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar hits my nose as if it were punching me, and that warm feeling that fills my body. Yup, definitely the second best part, but why is this my second favorite part you might ask? I know you are dying to find out, but I will sadly have to tell you another time since my time has now run out. And I’ll let you guys sit in that puddle of curiosity for now, my friends, until we meet again.

TAMALES FOR CHRISTMAS Guadalupe V.

On Christmas Eve, the windows steam up, water drips down. The kitchen feels like an oven, a big pot on the stove. The table is slowly being filled with ingredients and utensils. My mom walks into the living room with a big plate of freshly made tamales. How did we make them? Let’s go back to the start and I’ll tell you.

The first thing you need to do to make the tamales is to put the chicken in hot water to make sure it’s ready for the tamales. When the chicken is ready, you start to make it into smaller pieces so it fits in the tamale. Next, you grab a big bowl and open the bag of instant corn masa mix. You add three full cups of water to make sure it’s doughy. You don’t want there to be clumps in the dough. If needed, add more water. The way to make your salsa is with about six tomatillos and three pieces of garlic with a slice of onion. You have to make sure that the pieces of onion and garlic are grilled just a little. When you got all that, put it in the blender and you got your salsa. Here comes my mom, she has the salsa container in her hand.

Once we get everything on the table, we need to make sure our

corn husks are washed and dried. The first step is to grab your corn husk. You use a spoon to spread your masa. Once you have a good amount of it, you put your chicken pieces in it and on top of that your salsa. You repeat the same process until there is nothing left. While my mom starts making the tamale, I grab the big pot and fill it up with water about 1/3 to the top and put the strainer lid on it. Once that is ready, I go help with the rest of the tamales. Once you’ve got a good twenty done, you’ll put them in the pot. You’ll keep doing that until all your tamales are done. You’ll know that the tamales have just been cooked by the smell and how warm it is.

Now that you’ve got that all done, enjoy your tamales! Finally, I sat down with my family to eat the tamales that were made with love.

MAKING SEASHELL PASTA

Mareli M.

I think cooking is fun and it’s important to me because I get to do it with my mom. I was fourteen years old when my mom decided to try a new recipe, that new recipe was to make pasta sea shells. The ingredients are pasta, cheese, tomatoes, and herbs. When we were gathering our ingredients, we started talking. While cooking we were able to spend time together.

My mom ended up forgetting to get the foil tray to put the stuffed sea shells in, so when she went to get it I stayed home and finished the rest on my own. Once she came back we ended up putting them in the oven. While waiting we cleaned up our mess and put everything away.

They looked really good, they looked as if they were miniature pizzas. It came to the time when they were done and ready to try. I was questioning myself if I’d like them since I’m a really picky eater. Once I took a bite it tasted so good, especially the tomato sauce, it was identical to pizza. My mom and I were surprised at how good it was. We usually never spend time together and when we did we learned how there’s things we don’t really have in common, but it was still fun and enjoyable.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

826LA would like to thank to following for their support in making this chapbook possible:

Josh F.

Maya R.

Ari P.

Trevor C.

Ben S.

Charlie A.

Brad K.

Trevor W.

Kristin K.

Meredith G.

Matt C.

Sarah T.

Breanna H.

Ross C.

Mark D.

Jessica F.

Catalina A.

Will C.

Ariel N.

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Becky J.

John G.

ABOUT 826LA

826LA

opened our

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in

2005, as part of the 826 Network founded by writer Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari.

826LA is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 who attend Title I schools with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

We believe great leaps in learning can happen with one-onone attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. All of our programs are challenging and enjoyable, and strengthen each student’s power to express ideas creatively, confidently, and in their individual voice.

826LA PROGRAMS

826LA offers a variety of in-person and virtual programming.

Tutoring

Volunteers provide in-person, one-on-one homework help to support students as they navigate all subject areas. Write On! After School supports younger students, while Tuesday and Thursday Night Tutoring supports middle and high school students.

Field Trips

Our roster of virtual and in-person field trips includes Storytelling & Bookmaking, Well-Wishing & Poetry Writing, Choose-Your-Own- Adventure, and more.

In-Schools, Writers’ Rooms, & College Access

We provide personal statement writing support for college applications at Manual Arts, Roosevelt, and Venice High Schools and a number of other partner schools, as well as via the Great Los Angeles Personal Statement Weekend event. 826LA staff and volunteers work with teachers to support creative writing projects in the virtual classroom.

826LA.ORG

Sign up to make a monthly donation to 826LA and you’ll join our Future Bestsellers Club. For as little as ten dollars each month, we’ll deliver writing from our brilliant, emerging authors right to you! Go to 826LA.ORG/DONATE and click on FUTURE BESTSELLERS CLUB to join.

826LA STAFF

Jaime Balboa Executive Director

Diego Quevedo Chief of Staff

Shani Foster Director of Education

Raeesa Hyder Director of Advancement

Cheryl Klein Senior Communications Manager

Pedro Estrada Programs & Operations Manager, Echo Park

Mike Dunbar Programs & Operations Manager, Mar Vista

LaTesha Knighten In-Schools Program Manager

Megan Acosta Senior Manager of Volunteer Programs

Alma Carrillo Development Manager

Christie Thomas Institutional Giving Manager

Carinne Mangold Store Manager

Puicón-Pérez Design Manager

Angelica Butiu-Coronado Program Coordinator, Writers’ Room Roosevelt High School

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Susan Ko

President

Sarah Rosenwald Varet

Vice President

Nancy Yang

Treasurer

Chad DePue

Secretary

Andy Alcaraz

Ben Au

Adriana Centeno

Matthew Cherniss

Dave Eggers, Emeritus

Jodie Evans, Emeritus

Scott A. Ginsburg

Eileen Shields

Belinda Tan

Holly A. Thomas

David Ullendorff

Karen Van Kirk

William Trlak Program Coordinator, Writers’ Room at Manual Arts High School

Maricruz Pool-Chan Program Coordinator, Tutoring, Echo Park

Monica Arellano Program Coordinator, Tutoring, Mar Vista

Maddie Silva Program Coordinator, Field Trips, Mar Vista

Mari Zerbe Program Coordinator, Field Trips, Echo Park

Ariana Ponce Olivares

Evening Tutoring Programs Associate

ADVISORY BOARD

J.J. Abrams

Judd Apatow

Miguel Arteta

Mac Barnett

Steve Barr

Joshuah Bearman

Amy Brooks

Father Greg Boyle, SJ

Stefan G. Bucher

Mark Flanagan

Ben Goldhirsh

Rebecca Goldman

Ellen Goldsmith-Vein

DeAnna Gravillis

Spike Jonze

Miranda July

Catherine Keener

Keith Knight

Ariadne Makridakis

Arroyo

Senior Volunteer Coordinator

Wilson Swain

Echo Park Time Travel

Mart Staff

Cole Montgomery Development Coordinator

Larry Hansen

Mar Vista Time Travel

Mart Staff

Marco Beltran

Echo Park Time Travel

Mart Staff

Al Madrigal

Krystyn Madrigal

Tara Roth

Katie McGrath

R. Scott Mitchell

Lani Monos

B.J. Novak

Miwa Okumura

Jane Patterson

Keri Putnam

Sylvie Rabineau

Sonja Rasula

Luis J. Rodriguez

Terri Hernandez

Rosales

Brad Simpson

J. Ryan Stradal

Natalie Tran

Sarah Vowell

Sally Willcox