The Rhetoric Cookbook, ENG 1310.041, pt. 2

ENG 1310.041 PRESENTS:

The Rhetoric Cookbook, Pt. 2

Table of Contents Emmanuel Nwosu, “A Bowl of Rice”… 1 Lola Oyebanji, “Blair’s Eating Disorder”… 9 Ashlyn Prado, “Rhetorical Analysis”… 16 Julianna Semprun, “What Food can Do”… 23 Jackson Smithey, “Soup Monster: an In-Depth Analysis”… 31 Bree Snead, “Hansel and Gretel Food Analysis”… 38 Lauren Snider, “A Bowl of Sunshine”… 46 Erin Speed, “”… 52 Jada Succes, “Food’s History”… 60

A Bowl of Rice By: Emmanuel Nwosu For my artifact I’m going to be using “Mulan.” In this scene, Mulan needs to wake up at a reasonable time to go train with the soldiers in order to make the army. Mulan at this time was facing heavy adversity, because several people told her she couldn’t make the army because she is a woman, but her goal is to prove all the men wrong. The dragon, Mushu, is seen with a hot and ready bowl of rice to get Mulan up and ready for another day of training with the army. In the heritage of china, the Chinese eat rice with almost every single meal throughout the day, it’s a very healthy carbohydrate to put in your body. I’m using this artifact in relation to my recipe which is “fried rice.” I chose this artifact because it was a childhood favorite of mine.

My claim is going to be the rice used in the movie and how its symbolic, as well as my recipe. In China food is doing symbolic work in it by the act of prioritizing it before you start your day, in any certain activity you want to accomplish or get out the way, and the benefits of eating it. In the culture of China meditating is very key in order to recollect and staying calm throughout the day, it’s very rare to not do the act of that at least once or twice a day (Berkeley library).

In a lot of different cultures or nations we see a lot of different methods peopleuse or eat in order to start their day. Food is

also doing symbolic work in Mulan by showing the time some people of different culture eat their food during the day. In China according to Chinahighlightscom, most Chinese people eat around 7 to 9 am, that’s a considerable time if you think how some people start their mornings 4 to 6. Here in America, we mostly eat cereal, pancakes, waffles, bacon, and a lot more other options to start your day. Although it may not be healthy for your body most of times, us Americans still eat it because it has a delicious amount of sodium and salt in it! While we do eat those types of food down here, things are a lot more different in the Chinese culture by a long mile. If we look more closer into to the Chinese diet it maintains a lot of salmon, eggs, rice, sardines, noodles, etc. (China highlights).

In some parts of China rice is very critical to a families’ income.

Depending on the season, the farmer’s income varies depending on how much rice they’re able to grow. There's a very high demand of rice in China so the farmers prioritize farming rice and grain as much as possible. Some or even most farmers get paid very poorly in profit when making crops for other organizations, but despite the poor outcome they do the best they can in order to get their product out. “The ideal date depends on what the weather will do this year,” (YouTube) as

one of the farmers said on the upcoming grain season. In some other countries people think, because the Asian decent consume a lot of rice, salmon, fish, etc is the reason that they have a skinny build in a huge majority of the population, but overall, they’re just a really healthy population and continues to eat the food that won’t destroy their body. But the point we’re really missing here is how rice is very key into their everyday lives. Rice has been a part of the Chinese criteria dating back to eight thousand years ago! This tells us how long it’s been around their tradition, and since then it has been evolving for years into several different countries (YouTube).

There are several benefits by digesting rice, one of them is how it can keep your heart healthy for a very long period of time.

Often in life we wonder how some people can live a very long life, that remains at a constant longevity, people investigate the activities that the person does, but not really into what they ate throughout their lifetime. Rice is a main factor of how you can continue to expand on your lifetime on this earth. Another factor rice can give you is giving you “fiber.” Fiber is associated with food to help with a potential diet program, fiber can provide energy to the body in moments where you feel that you need it the most. Fiber can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. This also will help increase the durability of your immune system for good amount of time. Another good fact of rice is preventing high blood pressure. In America and several other countries high blood pressure has been a problem for several decades. This issue has been known to take people’s lives at sometimes even low ages, because it’s very life-threatening to your body. Rice

can greatly reduce blood pressure tenfold, so that that human being can continue to live life stress free (Drhealthbenefits).

Rice can also be very symbolic by giving you fertility and luck.

China has several shrines all over the place in the country. One of the nicest ones is the “Yonghegong Lama Temple,” back in the day “Yongzheng” ascended to the throne, his former estate was transformed into a “Tibetan Buddhist Temple.” Therefore, the architecture still looks so grand and luxurious to this day.

This temple covers an area of one hundred acres and has up to one thousand halls and monk’s cells. The most surprising thing about this is that you can still find monks living in the temple to this day! Another sacred temple is the “White Cloud Taoist Temple” later renamed “Bai Yun Guan” in the early Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 C.E.). It was given to Taoist priest “Qiu Chuji” as a gift. (Chinahighilights) When tourists come across this shrine, they have two rituals for good luck. One is to toss coins through the center of the giant ancient coin hanging under the Wofeng Bridge; and the other is to touch the stone monkey in the temple. A very interesting item to point out itself is the stone monkey, the stone monkey is very symbolic because it is known to bless the baby with peace, so it can be able to sleep in quietness. After the monkey blesses it the baby will be very capable when he or she grows up.

Rice in the Chinese tradition links to between heaven, gods, earth, etc. (nationsomline). This is the reason why many Chinese men and women pray before the eat their food. Praying before you eat is also an international activity, a lot of people pray before they eat, because that’s their way of showing praise to

whoever their god is to demonstrate how thankful they are to eat another meal. It is also considered good luck to eat “Nian Go”, which is a type of rice cake that gives you increasing prosperity every year (Nationsomline).

Rice has informed many aspects of Asian tradition including religion and social order. In Southeast Asia there was once a three-class system that involved society “hierarchically”. Those who owned the land that was cultivating the rice were the most powerful, rank was noted in the size and quantity of rice, the size of the person’s rice granaries distinguished the wealthy from the poor. In some granaries in Southeast Asia rice granaries have been designed to resemble human houses, which indicates the close connection between the humans and their rice. Another thing to point out about these specific granaries is that a great deal of time and detail is dedicated to creating elaborate storage facilities for the containers of rice.

All areas where rice is found which could be in fields, granaries, and distilleries are considered very sacred places of land.

Throughout Southeast Asia and some places in Indonesia people harvest rice with small finger knives in order for the rice goddess to not be mad at them (UCLAinternational). This shows us how symbolic rice is throughout China and the rest of Asia.

Rice was truly symbolic in this movie because when Mushu gave Mulan the rice it gave him the sign of security knowing Mulan can do well in that day’s training because she specifically ate rice. This also displayed the generosity of Mushu of how

giving rice to her is to show her his hospitality while he was in the act of serving her.

Personal Background Food has a very significant meaning to me and my family, this is the item the brings us together after a long stressful day of work or homework assignments. Sometimes food made me feel safe for some moments that I needed it when I just felt like nothing could make me feel better, although that’s not good to fall back on. I still do it occasionally, nonetheless. There are several different ways I could describe food; it could be a “warm” feeling, it could make me feel “expressive” as I continue to eat it.... there is just a lot of attributes that come with the thought of food. Most the of the lifetime memories that I have in my head right now reside with food, and today I’m going to be going over that. Several years ago, when I was in elementary school, I thought it was going to be the start of the good day. I can’t remember which specific day it was, but I believe it took place in the third grade, I walked into school very optimistic about myself with my goofy mood I always carried around, and with the group of friends I had back then I felt good about myself. In my head I just knew that “Yeah, I think this will be a good day!”, unfortunately things took a turn for the worse. I later got a call that day that my mom’s grandad had passed away, I didn’t really know much about him, but I knew he had an amazing impact on my mom’s character, and she looked up to him greatly. I had the option to either come home early or to

finish the school day, but back then I cherished school a lot and I enjoyed spending time with my friends and most of the teachers that I hang with and see around the hallway.

Nonetheless that all dramatically changed within seconds of a phone call, at first, I didn’t really know how the feel, I was just really worried about my mom and how she felt at that moment of time. The whole day while I was in school felt like some “dull” gray color, like just going through the motions. My senses felt very keen, and my alertness went to a 110%, I didn’t feel safe.

When the day was finally over, I took my “mask” off and felt relieved that I got through a hard day that kept on repeating several times. The ride home felt “unusual”, I felt something needed to be said, but I just couldn’t utter the words out of my lips. As soon as I got home, it was pure silence, the living room was quiet, the tv was off, my dad just standing and looking at the calendar, and my mom locked in her room. At that moment I felt despair creeping through the crevices of my body and “powerless”. Asking myself “What can I do?’ I was a shy kid and didn’t want to disturb anyone by asking a dumb question, so I just sat and the couch and watched tv. The atmosphere felt so intense, and I felt very “mellow” in that moment. My dad finally spoke and broke the ongoing silence within the household by saying “You want something to eat?” I eagerly nodded my head as he walked into the kitchen. I thought to myself “Does he even know what’s going on?’, but I ignored that I was just glad that somebody spoked a word in the silent household. I felt sick to stomach knowing I couldn’t do anything to make my mom feel better, because she means the world to me and it made me sad back then to know that me nor none of my siblings could cheer her up. My dad finally came out the

kitchen with this one dish called “rice & stew” I smelled it as soon as I saw it in my sight, he placed it down in front of me and walked up stairs into my mom’s room and closed the door quietly. I stared at the food for a couple of seconds with a distinct grumble in my stomach, because I didn’t eat the school lunch that day, the food they were serving looked very unfitting for me and I felt I would’ve had a gag reflex. Nevertheless, I grabbed the spoon and took a deep breath and ate the food. It took me a couple seconds to process, but it finally hit me... It brung me back home. Now, I’m not sure if you yourself ever had one of those moments saying to yourself “Yeah, this is it.”

That’s what it was exactly like I soon as I took that bite. As I was eating, I was asking myself, “Why am I getting emotional about eating food?” I knew it had to do with what was happening during the moment but why? I stopped questioning myself and just kept on eating, I felt “safe” again. For some reason I felt like I was in a very hostile environment at the time, because nobody was saying a word, not even my siblings I was very close too on a personal level. The food overall made me feel better and more at home than I ever was. After that I got ready to take a nap, after a long stressful and concerning day. When I was about to lay myself to rest, I was just thinking about if my mom would feel better or not, but for some reason I had hope. I just knew she was going to be okay, because that’s my mom.

Looking back, I’m very thankful my dad fixed that play for me, for him it was just another day of taking care of his kid, but to me it gave me hope that I would and can feel better. Thank goodness for food! There’s really been no type of absence from cooking food in my life, a majority of the food I eat here at home is cooked by my mom, so I don’t think so. I’ve gone to

several “way keepings” which is celebrating the life of a loved one that passed away by throwing up money in the air, dancing on it, and by having amazing cooked African food. I really don’t know much about what the food is called nor the preparation to making it, but it takes time. It’s really worth it though in the end, the heritage of cooking has such a huge impact in my life, even my mom tells me I need to learn how to cook! Some or most are natural learners when it comes to this cooking business, but it gets really complicated when you try to learn the dishes that takes hours to make and prepare. One of the special ones here at my home is fried rice, good ‘ol fashioned chicken and vegetables with rice mixed in... you can’t really be that! There are several ways this meal can be prepared; in our household my mom focuses on the rice first, she boils it and puts seasoning on it and lets it sit their overtime. She then does vegetables next by chopping it up, putting some type of butter on their and covers it up with aluminum foil and lets it sit in the of the stove overtime. After doing that the rice keeps sitting there after it’s finally all done up, my mom then mixes the two together and slowly stirs until it’s nicely well done. As an extra she makes chicken on the side and puts that in the oven and shortly after she puts that in the rice too, then perfection. The funny thing about this is that she “claims” she doesn’t know how to make fried rice, but she hits home every single time she does. What I explained was my mom's method, many of her friends do it so differently it almost crazy to consider! The cooking culture runs so deep within our family, that even I myself wants to learn myself! It’s also very helpful to have that skill throughout your lifetime, because it will help immensely.

Right now, I don’t really have time to learn myself, because I am

deeply involved within school, but I do plan on learning real soon. In fact, I also have some friends that are learning how to cook now so I’ll soon be involved with them. Nevertheless, this is how cooking has evolved my family over the course of time, and how cooking has evolved myself and character development too. I’ll continue to pass what I know IF, I have kids, but regardless cooking is an amazing skill to have, and everybody should learn how to do it, if they have the chance.

Fried Rice Ingredient Soy sauce cornstarch sesame oil oil White Rice vegetables eggs

Amount

Instructions 1.

You will need soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, and oil

2.

Then combine water with regular or light soy sauce, with a little bit of salt

3.

After your rice has been cooking/cooked fluff it up with a work

4.

Get your vegetables ready, you’ll need some eggs and 1 tablespoon of oil/scramble the egg

5.

Set your stir fry apart and cook those for 5 minutes on high heat

6.

After those are well done add, the stir fry, eggs, and rice all together and stir

7.

Add seasoning if you want and soy sauce (optional)

8.

Perfection

Blair’s Eating Disorder By: Lola Oyebanji An eating disorder is one of many psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop. They might start with an obsession with food, body weight, or body shape. In severe cases, eating disorders can cause serious health consequences and may even lead to death if it is not treated.

There are so many types of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating disorder, pica, purging disorder, and so much more.

In the television series called “Gossip Girl” about many wealthy teenagers who do scandalous things to each other to try to ruin each other's lives. There was a girl named Blaire Waldorf who was a student who got straight A’s and anything she ever wanted because her mom was a top designer so they were actually quite wealthy. She had a loving boyfriend Nate who she had been dating since they were six years-old, and she honestly had everything a teenage girl would want to have except an eating disorder. She would eat delicious pies and really good food that her maid named Dorota would make her, but then would go to the restroom just to throw it up.

Blair eventually got help for her bulimia and started going to therapy for it, but she eventually relapsed. In the Thanksgiving episode in season one of the show, “Gossip Girl”, Blair

describes how her father’s famous pumpkin pie is a very famous dish in her household since her parents are divorced, it is the only thing she can get from him when he does not come to the dinner. Blair’s mother goes on to explain to Blair that her father said that he could not come home to them In New York since he lives in Paris this Thanksgiving holiday and how she threw out the pumpkin pie the maid cooked with her father’s recipe. In anger, Blair ate a whole other pie she saw in the kitchen and went to make herself throw up which she had been clean from for months.

In Gossip Girl, food is being used to show the symbolic act of pathos. Pathos has to do with emotional impact and since it has a lot to do with how Blair is feeling it is Pathos. She really loves the food and many pies and desserts that are presented with Thanksgiving because it reminds her of her father, so when her mother said his recipes would not be out on the table she was so devastated and ate the other food her mother forced her to eat, then threw it all back up. Blair did love food and Thanksgiving, but only because of how special her father would make it with his own cooking and recipes not just cooks and maids food like her mother seems to make do all the work.

Blair’s mother is always telling her to stay away from carbohydrates and always eat healthy. In an episode, she was picking up a croissant to eat and her mother told her to put it down and to eat some fruit. This took a toll in Blair’s head because she felt that she always needed her food to leave right away after she would eat since her mother is always telling her to watch what she eats and criticizes her on almost everything.

Blair’s actions represented that she really values not just her father’s food, but his presence also which made her not enjoy the copious amounts of food offered by her mother’s servants.

Blair’s father, Harold, was married to Eleanor Waldorf for fifteen years. They were madly in love and were actually a very happy family. Eleanor is a fashion designer and would spend so much time on her job. One of the models that she brought in to model her clothes ended up falling in love with Harold and he was also a male. It actually broke her, but Blaire never knew that. She just knew that her father was beyond happy with Roman the model now and she was happy and loved that for him. She did not think how it affected her mother at all because that was who she thought was the love of her life. Blair was feeling so hurt when she discovered that her mother told her father not to come for Thanksgiving and thought by harming herself she would be harming her mother even more, but little did she know her mother had already been hurting. Blair was having so much emotion and was so hurt that harming herself was the only possible way for her to even feel better. No matter how many people that loved her that were with her like her mother and her best friends, she still longed to feel her father’s

presence and love. No matter how many people were around her that day, she still felt alone.

Many people who have it all like the money and materialistic things, so many people would be envious of, but surprisingly they would not know that they probably go through the most suffering. They get so many things basically handed to them and people just expect them to be happy because of that, but they can be going through the same things that we all go through. Everyone needs to always put themselves first instead of trying to fit in into what they think society wants to see. Blair’s mother Eleanor, was obviously suffering from her divorce that she felt the need to call the father to not come for the holiday and not even attempt to try and bake his recipes which seems is very important to Blaire. Eleanor always put on a happy face because she thought that is what was just best for everyone instead of just explaining to her daughter why she did not want Harold or any of the food that reminded her of him there and maybe Blaire would have understood. Her daughter never stopped to think that her mother actually may be hurting even worse than she is because she thought that the man that she was going to spend the rest of her life with was happy with her too, but really was falling for one of her models and actually left the country with him. It also did not help that when Blaire said that her father’s pie is not out on the Thanksgiving dinner table, her mother pointed out that there are plenty of other pies and food for her to eat, which also showed how she did not care for the fact that she specifically wanted the pumpkin pie that Blair and her father used to make together. She made it seem like

she just does not care that it really meant a lot to Blaire if he came or their connection to each other.

The importance of food is not only for how good it is and for our health, but it can affect our relationships too. The pumpkin pie that was her father’s recipe was not just an ordinary pumpkin pie that could be ordered or bought from just a store.

It was something that her and her father shared. A connection and a bond they formed because they would always cook that together and with him being gone in a whole other country it is extremely important to Blair that they keep up with the traditions and things that they did before he even left.

Nigerian Food Nigeria is a country located in Africa, and is known as the most populous black nation on Earth. My parents were born in Nigeria and grew up there while my brother and I were born in Los Angeles, California so growing up in an Nigerian American household, we would always have a variety of things to eat.

Some days we would eat American food and some days we would eat our native food. My mother always stressed how when she was only fifteen years old, she already started cooking for her whole house and how imperative it is for me to learn to cook. My grandfather passed away when my mother was twelve and she said that it was really hard on my mom, grandmother, and her brothers. My uncle had to start selling blankets, they said and my mother had to really put her “big shoes on” and start helping my grandmother out way more than she was before so I understand why mom always complains about me needing to learn how to cook the foods.

Cooking is a very big part of my life. Since I live with my aunt, she has her little cooking side business where she takes orders and makes money off her food. My little cousin and I help her out a lot with the cooking since it is so many orders and a lot for just her alone to do. It really helps with the learning too, because in Nigerian households, the woman is always responsible for doing literally everything. The cooking, cleaning, and so much more. The “father of the house” cannot

even wash his dish because it is seen as disrespectful. To me, I find all of these very incredibly stupid. I hate to use such words, but it literally should not be up to just one gender doing all the cooking and cleaning because that is just not right. Maybe since I grew up really independent since my father was not here for most of my childhood or me growing up, I have learned that I could honestly live without the whole husband thing, where I do not have to slave away and do so much which my mom really dislikes when I say this but it is true. When the man comes home from work, food is expected to be cooked already, the house clean, and much more. I understand that he has had a tiring day, but he can cook and clean just as much as his wife does. I can’t really remember much from when my mother and father were married, but I am pretty sure she did not do all that nor did she ever want to. As much as my mom likes to cook and clean, she has never really been a very traditional Nigerian mother. Yes, she wants me to learn how to cook and clean, but she really justwants me to learn those essentials for myself not for a man. Also, when I was younger Idid eat way more Nigerian dishes than I do now. There is pounded yam, gari, many soups, moi moi, and so much more that I used to eat. Now at the age of eighteen, I would say I do not eat all of those like I used to. With doing so many sports and exercising a lot, I realized I did not want to eat that much of our food since it curries really heavy in my stomach for me.

I really feel like many Nigerian dishes really relate to Mexican food. Even though we might eat way more rice dishes than Hispanics, a lot of their food correlates to ours. We have this one rice that is called “jollof rice” which is literally the best

tasting rice ever, and it looks very similar to “spanish rice”. Just like we have “dodo” which is just fried plantain, they do too but they just call it fried plantain. It also kind of correlates to Chinese food since we have fried rice just like they do. Nigerian food also has so much variety. There are so many soups and stews to choose from that it is difficult to know what you would want to eat. Another good thing about our native food is that it is healthy! Yes there is oil put in the foods to cook it, but there are so many vegetables used in our foods they are basically like cooked salads most of the time. Another thing that Nigerian food is based off of is spice. My family believes if the food is not spicy, then it is not good. A weird thing that I have noticed a lot of Africans do is that if the food they ate was not spicy they tend to get nauseous. My mom will literally throw up just because food is not spicy or if it does not have any pepper in it which is probably the weirdest thing I have ever seen.

When we go out to eat, she always asks for a side of any pepper that the restaurant has just to put in her food which is the funniest thing ever.

Also, trying to be vegan or vegetarian would not be advisable in an African household. Once I tried to be a vegetarian and only managed to last a week. I am not sure about others, but in my Nigerian household literally every dish they make is made with some kind of meat or chicken inside. My aunt does not believe in eating a meal without some kind of meat which is quite weird to me because I am not the biggest meat fan. They are really big fans of goat meat and shaki, which is cow stomach and chicken but it does make the foods they cook even better.

When I traveled to Lagos in Nigeria about two years ago to go visit my father, it was very different than where I live here in Texas. Everyone seems to think that Africa is just so poor and they do not own anything but that is not the case. When I went there were so many nice resorts, hotels, and even restaurants.

They had Dominos and KFC there surprisingly and there’s over there is even better than here. The Domino's pizza over in Lagos taste way cheesier and the KFC chicken and fries taste better with whatever seasoning they put. My father even took us out to a Chinese restaurant which was super nice and the food was very good. Them trying to put food they see in America over a whole country with just ethnic food seemed really cool to me because they can put their own little twists to the food.

I have always loved being Nigerian, not just because of the many fun weddings and parties thrown, but because of our roots. Being Nigerian means to have so much good food and to know many creative dances with our music which I will always cherish.

Pumpkin Pie Ingredient

Amount

can of pumpkin

1 15 oz. can

condensed milk

1 14 oz. can

eggs

2

ground cinnamon

1 tsp

ground ginger

1/2 tsp

ground nutmeg

0.5 tsp

salt

0.5 tsp

unbaked pie crust

1 9 in.

Instructions: 1.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit

2.

Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth

3.

Pour into crust and bake for 15 minutes

4.

Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

5.

Continue to bake for 35 to 40 mins

6.

Let it cool

7.

Enjoy!

Rhetorical Analysis By: Ashlyn Prado The artifact I chose is a scene from the movie Twilight starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. In this scene, Bella is meeting her boyfriend Edwards family for the first time. Him and his family happen to be vampires who don’t eat normal human food. His family prepares an Italian meal for Bella because they figured she was Italian, because of her name. This scene is in their families very modern and expensive kitchen.

Together, the six of them help prepare the meal. When Bella and Edward arrive, they tell Bella they made Italian food for her, which she replies with “mmm.” Edward tells them she already ate, and Bella says it is because she knows they don’t eat, and she is sorry. My claim is that the Italian food was made as a loving peace offering to show their trust and acceptance.

The rhetorical analysis of the food is significant because the vampires don’t eat it. The Cullen’s haven’t eaten human food in hundreds of years and would never have a reason to cook.

Being that Edward is the only member of their clan still waiting for his true love, his family is so supportive of the relationship that they are willing to cook an amazing meal just for Bella. His family spent their hard-earned money paying for food they’re never going to eat and spent their time and effort making it just right, in hopes of making her feel comfortable. Edward and his

family are so incredibly understanding of Bella and her circumstance, walking into a house full of vampires. Their kindness shows their true acceptance of a human being a part of their family, knowing that she could easily expose their identity and ruin their lives. Edward’s family cares and loves him so much that they are willing to invite a human to their home, in hopes of them falling in love and Bella joining the family.

In the movie Twilight, food is being used to show the symbolic act of acceptance. The extremely generous and thoughtful gesture of making a meal that had to do with Bella’s culture, revealed how badly they wanted this relationship between her and Edward to work out. This rhetorical analysis example applies to ethos because of the Cullen’s persuasion. The term “ethos” means to gain trust and respect or to make someone believe something specific about your character. Edward’s family are very encouraged to act persuasive towards Bella.

Their ultimate goal is to eventually gain her trust, as she may assume, they are dangerous and somewhat frightening to her.

They are clearly very understanding, given that vampires are known to eat people, and they are aware Bella has been informed of their family’s blatant immortality. To be in a vampire’s position, it can be somewhat nerve racking

for a human to have the knowledge of your darkest secrets.

Edward and his family have shown great bravery, as Bella is the very first outsider to ever be invited into the family.

By making her a meal specifically for her, it shows Bella that she will forever be a part of their family, no matter what happens to her and Edwards relationship. The Cullen’s understand it is as scary to them as it is to her and maybe even more so. They want to be the first to show Bella that their title as a vampire doesn’t necessarily have to live up to the rumors and stories.

Vampires are known to be horrific demons that drink the blood of humans, and the Cullen’s have shown that they are far from it.

Edward’s adopted sister, Alice, can see the future, and because of this she was given the vision of Bella becoming a part of their family and falling in love with Edward. This vision allowed their family to be comfortable around Bella, relieving their anxiousness and convincing them of making a thoughtful and respectful peace offering. The importance of the food was not so much to keep Bella fed but to show their innermost livelihood as generous and giving people. Given that Edward and his family are immortals with intense stereotypes, they have more to prove to a person who is so completely pure and innocent. They’ve done exactly that by showing acceptance through the food and that they already love her as one of their own.

Part 2 Food is a general necessity for all living organisms but to humans, it can mean a lot more. We not only use food as a fuel for our nourishment but as a centerpiece for family gatherings.

To some people, food can mean comfort. To others, it can trigger childhood memories, experiences, or traditions.

Enjoying a fantastic meal can emphasize a great time with company and friends. To some people, food can be the main topic of their entire livelihood, or simply something to get you through the day, a root for survival. It also separates cultures, and unlike identities. Since people include their own personalities and preferences into the food they make, it gives the world many options, such as Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Thai and seafood, originating from those who lived near open waters. Ultimately, food is the great gift of life. This is what food means to people all around the world.

To me, food is an opportunity to come together with your favorite people. It can be to discuss important topics such as a job promotion or pregnancy announcement. It can also be to celebrate an achievement like graduating college or a holiday like thanksgiving. Food also provides me with maturity on eating healthy. The moment I wake up, my first thought is that I need to eat something, and it has to be something nutritious. I take food more seriously than I did when I was a child, and I am a lot more careful about what I allow into my body. Food has

given me an excuse to manage myself and to stay committed to my health. It keeps me focused on what is important and allows me to stay strong-willed. I have also noticed that eating food can make people a lot happier, including myself. It has been scientifically proven that certain foods produce serotonin, the key hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings of wellbeing, and happiness. This information provides the evidence to support how much food is valued in everyday human lives.

Even though we may not notice the hundreds of benefits from eating certain foods, it is known that food and being fed is one of the most important things to every single person. Because of this, our natural instincts our to make it a priority and to consider it a privilege.

We also take food very seriously in my community. My mother for intense, was involved in a chile making competition for mine and my brothers’ elementary school when I was younger.

Everyone was so competitive and eager to have the best recipe, yet my mother won the contest and was presented with a trophy. Another example would be involved with my dad.

Him and his six brothers attend a barbeque cookoff as a team every single year and have not lost a single time. The food consists of brisket, sausage, ribs and many other foods. I remember attending these cookoffs as a young child and being excited to hang out with my cousins and to eat really good food. This is just one memory I have of food making an impression on my life. Growing up, I also remember being served thanksgiving food by my public schools’ cafeteria on the last day before thanksgiving break. This happened every single year since the time I was in kindergarten, all the way up

until my senior year of high school. My community and school system really valued the American tradition of making people happy by offering the holiday meal. It always made my friends and myself really excited that time of year and brought joy to the kids who weren’t able to have a normal thanksgiving meal with their families. Speaking of school functions, my high schools cheer coach hosted an annual Christmas party every single year for us cheerleaders. Every team member was instructed to bring a different food item so that when we came together, we would have a huge buffet. We played games, exchanged gifts, and overall had a great time because we had amazing food to eat.

A memory I have where food was involved was a time where I was at my grandparents’ house. My grandma and grandpa cook amazing food together and their recipes have been passed down through my mother and myself so that we can cook amazing food as well. One of our family’s all-time favorite meals that my grandparents make together is their famous chicken and sausage gumbo. We have their gumbo at almost every family function and still can’t get enough of it. I remember the first time I tried it. I was very young and sitting around my grandparent’s kitchen table with the rest of my family members. We talked and laughed and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. We ate it with saltine crackers and giant glasses of sweet tea. We often went back for seconds and can still feel the happiness from times like this one.

Another memory I have involved with food was one of my many birthday parties. Every year, my mother loves buying or

making a cake of some kind. On my 18th birthday, I had a party at my house with all my friends and family and my mom ordered the most delicious white chocolate raspberry cake.

Everyone loved it so much that we finished the entire thing in the same night. My mom getting me a cake every year makes me love and appreciate her so much more than I already do. I often think that food brings people closer together and with my mom making this gesture, it shows how much she loves and values me. People naturally take for granted the gestures that others make for them because they are small but usually, they hold so much more meaning.

One last memory I can think of that was involved with food was when I was with my three closest friends at the time. We all decided to drive 30 minutes to Houston to go thrift shopping.

After hours of looking at clothes and exploring, we were starving, so we stopped at a random taco truck that we have never been to before. Those tacos were the best tacos I have ever had and what made the experience even better was the company of my favorite people. We had the best time, and I will never forget how amazed I was at those tacos. That day really made me appreciate the time I spent with my friends and what will forever keep that day in my mind is the food we ate.

Every time I think of Houston, I will now think of that taco truck along with it. That day made an impression on my life and really made me value the little things.

A time I felt the most loved when someone cooked for me was when my mom made this amazing meal for my 19th birthday this year. I was away at college when my mother called, asking

what I wanted to eat to celebrate my birthday. I told her that I was really in the mood for pasta and after driving three hours home to my family, that’s what my mom was making when I got there. It was the most delicious spicy pasta with chicken I had ever eaten. My family loved it so much that we ate it for lunch and dinner every day until it was gone. What really made an impression on me was the fact that my mom offered to make me whatever I wanted, and then making the most astonishing meal I have ever eaten, in order to celebrate me and my life. In that moment, I was so beyond thankful for her and everything she had done for me. I felt so loved and appreciated that she would take time out of her day to do something special for me and I will never forget it.

Spicy Chicken Penne Pasta Ingredient garlic, minced onion, chopped olive oil

Amount 2 cloves 0.5 2 tbsp

tomato paste

0.25 cup

heavy cream

1 cup

salt pepper garlic powder smoked paprika red pepper flakes butter parmesan cheese hot pasta water penna pasta

2 tbsp 0.25 cup 1.5 cup 1 bag

Instructions 1.

Boil pasta, drain, and set aside

2.

In a pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat

3.

Sautee garlic and onion until tender

4.

Stir in tomato paste, then heavy cream

5.

Add the salt, pepper, garlic pepper, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes to taste.

6.

Next, add butter and parmesan cheese and stir

7.

Add hot pasta water and stir

8.

Continue to heat until it starts to bubble, then let simmer for five minutes.

9.

Keep stirring until sauce thickens

10. Mix in the pasta and enjoy

What Food Can Do By: Julianna Semprun The movie The Help tells the story of a group of women in the town of Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. Filled with drama and intensity, this movie sets the scene for the attitude of the south in our country’s past. The white women spend their days planning charity events, gossiping, and playing cards. The black women or the “help” are hired by the white women as maids who cook, clean, and even raise their own children.

There is a newer resident of Jackson, Celia, who wishes greatly to belong the group of social elite women of the town, the Junior League. She finds herself ostracized from them because she married one of the popular women in town’s ex-boyfriend, Johnny Foote. She secretly hires Minny, a maid, to clean and cook for her so her husband thinks she possesses “womanly skills”. Minny not only cooks and cleans but teaches Celia how to as well. As their time together increases, they form a friendship that was not expected. Celia treats Minny with the respect she deserves which was not common at this time.

Minny used to work for Hilly, the woman on top of the social pyramid, and was treated horribly. She was fired because she used the bathroom inside of the house instead of the colored bathroom outside of the house.

This brings me to one of the two specific parts of this movie that use food to insinuate something other than a full belly.

Minny is an exceptional cook and uses a homemade pie to show Hilly how she really feels about this situation. The second scene is where Minny is coming back to the Foote’s house from grocery shopping and walks inside to see a beautiful spread of all kinds of food Celia had spent all day making just for her.

These two parts of the movie show that food can have such an underlying intention and meaning. In The Help, the food represents a gesture of gratitude towards someone you respect and love as well as way to convey your feelings symbolically. Food in this movie is important because it says what words cannot. It appeals to pathos because of the emotions brought on by the food made and received. The food shown always has an important story or anecdote that makes the meal of higher significance when it is appreciated by those receiving it. Minny is a wonderful cook who uses her talent in ways besides as a chore on a to-do list.

The famous pie scene in this movie is one to two great examples of how food can communicate feelings in a more civilized way other than words. Hilly has ruined any chance of Minny ever finding work again because of the bathroom

incident so Minny decides to retaliate in a unique way. She decides to make one of her most famous chocolate-custard pies but with her own twist, her own feces. As Minny hands Hilly the pie, she explains how sorry she is for what she did. After enjoying two large slices of the delicious pie, Hilly’s mother is interested in a bite of the famous Minny pie. Hilly demands Minny to go fetch her mother a plate to serve her and Minnie tells her to “Eat [her] shit.” At first shocked by Minny speaking up, Hilly is stunned and says, “Have you lost your mind?” Minny then responds with the iconic line that will reveal everything: “No ma’am, but you about to, cause you just did.” Hilly’s mother begins to laugh and then Hilly understands. They both have realized what the secret ingredient actually was as Minny immediately rushes out the door. The main idea of this scene is the special pie is a symbol being used as a trojan horse for sweet revenge. Hilly knows that Minny’s baked goods are always delicious so she had no reason to believe that she would do something as shocking as this. Minny now has something to hold over Hilly's head next time Hilly wants to spread false rumors about her. One of the racist beliefs of Hilly was that black people carried certain diseases. So, by eating something with feces in it, she is essentially putting this racist belief in its grave. Minny takes the upper hand against someone who has always been so against her and everything she is.

fired Minny for what she did, Minny was not going to be hired by those who were friends with Hilly. Celia Foote just so happened to be far away enough from the secluded and stuffy group Hilly was a part of, so she hired Minny. Minny would cook and clean behind Mr. Foote’s back so it would seem as if Celia was doing all of the work. Celia believes that being able to do these tasks as well as giving birth to children will make Johnny love her more. Unfortunately, she is cursed with continuous miscarriages that take a huge toll on her as a human being. She does not tell Johnny about any of these miscarriages and that also starts to create a strain in their relationship. After working for a while, Celia and Minny became close friends and eventually Minny encourages Celia to share everything she had been hiding from her husband. She realizes that her husband loves her who she really is and doesn’t need to pretend anymore. After telling him everything, Celia makes a breathtaking spread of food to thank Minny for everything she has done for her and for her home. In the beginning all she could make was cornpone but now after all of Minny’s delicious recipe, she became empowered to make so much more. The main idea of this scene is that the food Celia made for Minny is not only going to taste delicious but also it shows Minny how grateful she is for all the help she has provided. Celia doesn’t see Minny as just some maid she hired; she is now her best friend.

In the first part described, food is used a gesture of thankfulness shown by Celia. In more of the beginning of the movie, Celia is shown as a woman who is not very good at things typical wife duties like cooking and cleaning. After Hilly

Because the white women hired the black women as maids in their homes, they did all of the cooking for every event, party, social gathering, and meal of the day. They essentially had to be amazing chefs because of the pressure from their

employers. They were not paid enough for anything they did; the cooking, the cleaning, and the raising of their employers’ children. These children were raised by women that were not their own mothers. The children even became so attached to these women instead of their own mothers. These women did all of the things they have to do for their own families as well as for families who paid them so poorly. All the food shown in the movie is so well prepared and displayed with such care that their employers do not deserve. Food is implicitly seen by these white women as something that is owed to them and their families and not a kind and thoughtful act of service. The women acted so entitled as they had other women do everything they did not want to do. So naturally, they felt entitled to receive the best food and service from their underpaid, overworked maids.

Show by both examples as well as more places in the movie The Help, food is used in more ways than a full belly. Not only does can it serve as revenge on a plate, but also as an offering and display of utmost respect for another person. Food can help display such strong emotions of love, hate, and so many more. Celia understood how these women should be treated and be thanked for all the work they did for them. Food for her was a way to show her gratitude besides the many words already exclaimed. On the other hand, Minny used food to catch Hilly and give her a taste of her own medicine. It was used to show Hilly that even one of Minny’s famous pies can be two-sided. For what it’s worth, Hilly deserved to enjoy every single piece of that pie. I hope it made her understand that the women that work for her are humans who deserved to be

treated with more respect than she previously gave them. That the way they treat their maids, should be as people and not just someone doing their “dirty work." This movie displayed food in more ways than literally, which helps communicate what words can’t always say. The importance of food and service was especially heightened during this time and I hope this movie shines a light on how hard these women worked and give them the respect they deserve.

What Food Means to Me For as long as I can remember, food has had a significance in my life. I am lucky to say that it has also been something I have never had to worry about. I am an only child, yet my extended family’s size makes up for it. My mom is one of eight children and the daughter of Italian parents. My dad has more of a confusing family dynamic due to his parents being divorced.

On his mom’s side he has one brother and on his dad’s side he has three sisters and another brother. His dad is also Venezuelan, so my dad is half. Both sides of my family hold recipes that could make anyone’s mouth water. My grandmothers and my mom are the true magicians with these recipes, and I get to enjoy it all. There are some stories I would like to share about each of these wonderful women as well as their culture and food because they have each made me view food in different ways.

My mom’s mother, the Italian one, was a master in the kitchen.

Raising eight children meant feeding them as well and making many delicious meals for them. After they were all grown, and for the years until she passed away, we had Sunday dinner every week. All her children in town and their own families would drive to their house in Dallas, TX on Sunday afternoons just to get a taste of her delectable food, oh and to see family

of course. Every week was the same meal but there were never complaints because of how good it was. We would start with a homemade salad dressed with balsamic vinegar, oil, and seasonings. Also included were “treasures” or chunks of avocados. Alongside this we would have bread that was toasted in the oven and buttered to just the right amount as well as heavenly fried chicken. But the main course was the one thing that made everyone come every week- suga. The word sugo means sauce in Italian but our family has deemed it to be suga instead. First the meatballs had to be prepared in advance and then the sauce. Then the noodles were cooked and served on a plate. We decided how much sauce was necessary. With our plates piled high, it was time to find a place to sit and enjoy family and amazing food. These memories of my sweet Nana in the kitchen as well as being such an incredible hostess to all of her family will never leave. She was truly a person who loved to serve others everywhere she went and a woman who would do anything for her family. Her food is a great example of the love she poured out to all those around her. I hope this recipe of her suga is enjoyed, as that is exactly what she would have loved.

I am lucky enough to have yet another grandma who has shown me so much about food. She was a single mother raising two children for a while, so this meant continuously providing for them. Her cooking style comes directly from her mother’s southern 50s and 60s era cooking. This meant traditional southern comfort food that most everyone enjoys.

In the 90s she would sell her famous cookies to their aerobics

center as well as banquets and events. Through word of mouth those around her would hire her for her delectable cookies.

No, I was not alive to taste those meals but, I do get to enjoy everything she makes now. It became very important that my grandmother have a hot, home-cooked meal on the table.

Because I had two sets of grandparents in close proximity, this meant holidays were always shared. We would always visit both houses to indulge in not one but two holiday meals. This is one of the best meals I eat each year which makes it such a treat.

For Thanksgiving and Christmas, the same meal was had. A rib roast is carved, and we are served whichever piece we want, the best mashed potatoes in the world, green beans, and the most famous Yorkshire pudding. Nonnie’s Yorkshire pudding is such a special dish made with such love. It is made from the drippings of a beef roast and is loaded with fat and butter. This is not a meal to be had all year long, but it is the perfect holiday indulgence. Besides holiday meals, my family also goes over to their house for meals every month. My grandmother puts her heart and soul into the meals she makes for these occasions and often spends all day preparing for our dinner. Elegance is a word I would use to describe her cooking as well as her dayto-day self. She shows her love to everyone through her cooking and everyone loves that about her.

On my dad’s side, there is an entire Venezuelan culture. This culture has amazing food that is unique to its region. Arepas, which are made from corn, are a staple of Venezuelan culture.

They are eaten in the morning or at night filled with things like cheese and meat. Another treat from Venezuela and most of South American is the plantain banana; known as a platano.

These hard green bananas are visibly ripe when they turn black. They are then baked or fried and can be covered with a variety of things. For me, the way I enjoy them is covered in a lot of sugar. Another way to eat them is to fry then like a chip until they are hard. You then cover them with cheese, a condiment like mayonnaise, and whatever else you desire.

They are called tostones. We also enjoy pandulce, or sweet bread, as well as specially baked loaves with different ingredients. All of this food reminds me my sweet family that live very far away from me. On the rare occasion I get to see them, we make as much of this incredible food as possible in order to make up for all the lost time. It is amazing how much fun all of my dad’s family is when we are all together and how good every meal they make is. I am very lucky to have such loving family who also show their love through the food they make for others.

All of the family mentioned above have shown me what it means to them to cook and serve others. But the woman who has taught me the most, is my mother. Because I have grown up eating mostly every meal from her, I know the most about what food means through her. Unfortunately, it has taken me most of my life to realize how lucky I am to have a mother who has done so much for me for all these years. She has been there for me through every stage of my life and also continues to always be my cheerleader. Many wonderful memories I have of my mom are centered around her in our kitchen teaching me about cooking and baking. I remember this one time we decided to make our own wonton soup. So, my mom and I went to the store to get all the ingredients and spent the whole

day making the wontons and then the broth and then getting to enjoy this meal we had made together. Most of the food my mom makes is baked goods because that is what she is best at making. We have made so many cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, and every other baked good you can think of for pure fun and joy. This woman makes cooking and baking no longer a hassle but as a time to spend with those you love. For example, after their mother passed away my mom and her sisters decided to organize a mother daughter cookie day every Christmas. This is a tradition we have been following for the past couple of years and is the best way to spend time with our family as well as making a delicious treat for everyone else. My mother has shown me that baking and cooking for others can be such a joy because you get to make those around you feel love through a talent you possess. As you can see from the stories above, serving food in my family will always be a labor of love.

Whether it is cooking for a few or for your entire extended family, it is done with love. Having wonderful cooks and bakers in my family has shown me how important it is to use the talents you have within you. Like I have said many times before, I am so lucky to have had those in my family be so talented and generous with how they cook and bake for everyone.

Suga Ingredient

Amount

Scaled amount

Ground pork

2 lbs

4 lbs

ground beef

2 lbs

6 lbs

grated cheese

6 oz

12 oz

grated hamburger buns eggs garlic, minced wesson oil (for frying)

1.5 package

3 packages

1 1/2 dozen

3 dozen

1 package 0.5 quart

salt, pepper, sweet basil, and parsley

2 packages `1

quart

to taste

to taste

For Sauce: onions, chopped

1 lbs

2 lbs

garlic, minced

1 package

2 packages

large can of tomatoes

2

4

16

32

6 oz. can of tomato paste sugar, salt, pepper, sweet basil, and parsley bones for broth

to taste

to taste

Instructions: For Suga: 1. MIX BREAT CRUMBS WITH SPICES AND CHEESE AND GARLIC. ADD MEAT AND EGGS MIXING WELL. 2. BETTER IF REFRIGERATED FOR AWHILE. EVEN BETTER LEFT OVERNIGHT. For Sauce: 3. Bones for broth. Cook bones in large pot of water.

4. Sauté onions and garlic until tender— do not brown. Put in pot and cook with tomatoes. Needs to cook at least two hours. Put in blender and liquify. Add to bone broth and tomato paste and cook awhile. Add meatballs (browned in Wesson oil) and cook about one hour.

5. MAKES 17 QUARTS OF MEATBALLS WITH 8 MEATBALLS IN EACH QUART. 6. DOUBLE RECIPE MAKES ABOUT 20 QUARTS OF SAUCE.

Soup Monster: an In-Depth Analysis By: Jackson Smithey In the last scene of the 2nd Season of iCarly (S2E19), Spencer sits down to have some soup when a giant green monster busts down the door, steals it from Spencer, and eats it.

Spencer falls to the floor screaming, then he wakes up, realizing it was all just a dream. He awakes shocked, sitting in a beanbag chair, laughing at how ridiculous the dream was. Spencer turns to his left to see the same green monster, sitting in a bean bag next to him, still eating his soup, even licking the spoon.

Spencer screams his head off again and wakes up from another dream (dream within a dream, hah). This time he’s sleeping on the couch, no green monster around, no soup in sight. He takes a big sigh of relief and wipes his sweaty forehead with a Shampow. Spencer’s younger sister Carly broke up with her boyfriend Griffin (because of his beanie baby collection). Griffin was becoming good friends with Spencer (he even helped Spencer with a sculpture), and this dream takes place after Spencer realized he would no longer have a relationship with Griffin. With this fractured relationship fresh on his mind, I think the soup represents Spencer’s craving for the warmness of a relationship.

The aim of this essay is to analyze the rhetorical significance of the soup in Spencer’s dream. I believe the soup is being used

to show Spencer’s desire for a new relationship following his little sister breaking up with her boyfriend that Spencer was beginning to like. The soup represents the comfort that Spencer is losing through his sister’s breakup.

Firstly, the environment in which Spencer’s dreams take place have some important significance. Both layers of dreams take place in comfortable spaces for Spencer in his kitchen and living room. These make the dreams look so ordinary that they seem like real life at first to the viewer. The only out of place things in the environment of Spencer’s dreams are the food.

The soup on the table in the first dream and bowl of popcorn in the second dream act as spotlights of Spencer’s unconscious mind. Besides the green monster, they’re the only out of the ordinary things in either of his dreams which exemplifies their importance to Spencer.

The monster symbolizes the dreadful misfortune that took Spencer and Griffin’s relationship away. It looks like a green swamp devil and only speaks through grunts and orcish yells.

This gives it an inhumane aspect and amplifies its existence as a superficial representation rather than a tangible being. The monster busts through the door and immediately pushes

Spencer away from the soup and starts eating it, almost like it already knew Spencer and the soup existed, and like the monsters main purpose was to steal the soup from Spencer.

Plus, Spencer didn’t even get to take a bite of the soup. He sat down, and just as he went to take a bite the monster pushed him away.

The most important evidence upholding my belief that the soup represents Spencer’s relationship with Griffin is that without proving the strength of their relationship, there would be no budding relationship for the soup to represent. So, first Griffin stole Spencer’s motorcycle and Spencer let him off the hook, then, Spencer made Griffin help him with a sculpture to repay his debt. And then, Griffin started having a relationship with Carly, and all of this happened over the course of three days, so yes, Spencer was definitely beginning to form a meaningful relationship with Griffin before Carly broke up with him, right before Spencer had this dream.

In The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud (1899) he says most dreams are forms of “wish fulfillment” with an added layer of “censorship” that distorts the expression of the wish.

This definition fits perfectly into Spencer’s initial dream.

Spencer wishes he was able to pursue his fruitful relationship with Griffin, but the unnamed sees it as its job to forcefully take it away. The layer of “censorship” that Freud describes in the paper explains why Spencer didn’t just visualize himself stopping Carly and Griffin’s breakup. The censorship replaced this more realistic scenario with Spencer trying to eat a bowl of soup.

Another interpretation of the soup’s rhetorical value is hunger.

It’s unclear why Spencer chose soup as his source of comfort in his dreams. Sure soup is comforting but it’s not typically the most comforting thing readily available to the subconscious mind. It didn’t appear to be winter in the setting, so Spencer had probably not seen soup in the time period before this dream. If I were to be in this situation, with this ‘hungry’ type of dream, I would choose an item that comforts me in a more sentimental way (and lasts longer) than soup. I believe this strange behavior has to do with the fact that the main portion of Spencer’s dream was within another dream. Halfway through Spencer’s dream he has a false awakening (waking up from a dream, as part of a dream).

As it turns out, research from Trauma and Dreams by Deirdre Barrett (Harvard University Press, 2001) indicates that lucid dreams and false awakenings are strongly correlated with the lucid dream either taking place before or after the false awakening. In Spencer’s dream, he appears to become lucid right before and after his false awakening. Indicated by his genuinely fearful screams before, and questioning of reality after. This specific order of events would be labeled an anomaly by Barrett’s research study. She found that “False awakenings often preceded lucidity as a cue, but they could also follow the realization of lucidity, often losing it in the process. “ but Spencer did both? He became lucid in his fit of terror, which triggered a false awakening, which triggered him to become lucid again. This is similar to a dangerous cycle known as a false awakening loop where one keeps waking from nightmares and goes about their

morning routine only to wake up again (this is a leading theory on sleepwalking). If Spencer’s “real” awakening was actually a dream (the show doesn’t clarify).

To conclude, the soup in Spencer’s dream represents the comfort that Spencer is losing/hungry for through his sister’s breakup with her boyfriend. This artifact opens up a rhetorical window to how Spencer views his life on a grand scale. He feels deep fear that some unknown evil force will take what he loves from him, and leave him screaming on the floor wondering why life doesn’t allow him to just enjoy some soup. I’ll leave you with a poem by Edgar Allen Poe that clearly captures the hopelessness of Spencer’s dreams. (A Dream Within a Dream,1849): I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand — How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep — while I weep!

O God! Can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream?

The Legendary Smithey Squash Casserole The first thing I’m going to say is that my mother is not a very good cook. Most nights she struggled to make dinner after a long day of work, so I guess she just never really had the time or energy to experiment and learn how to cook well. That’s been the case for the past 30 something years, but now, as a grandmother with less work and more people to care for, she has begun her culinary ventures, at the starting place of most mothers, thanksgiving. The squash casserole I’m going to be talking about isn’t anything new though. She jacked the recipe from a family friends house party in Kansas about 10 years ago and it’s been a thanksgiving staple ever since. So why am I talking about it now? This particular squash casserole has gone through some interesting changes in recent years that have given our family a new sense of purpose. Our family would not have the same close relationships without it (and I don’t think my mom would be invited to thanksgiving).

Firstly of these “interesting changes,” is my mother threw the recipe away. She NEVER throws recipes away (like ever... she has boxes...) even if our whole family tells her we hate it, she’ll keep it waiting for someday that we don’t. So why did she

throw this recipe away? Arguably the most special successful recipe she has ever used? Because she didn’t need it anymore of course. She’s been making it for so long, and our family asks her to make it so often that she remembers the whole thing from start to finish.

That leads into the second important change. Because she threw the recipe away, she was no longer able to use it as a crutch. Things about our beloved squash casserole began to change. The squash stopped being so mushy, the crackers on top got crunchier, and in general it was so much better in every way. But how? The recipe should have been perfected, right?

Well. It forgot the most important ingredient of all. Love.

Without the distraction of making sure all the measurements and temperatures were perfect, she was able to put the care into the casserole that made it taste so good.

In this essay, I’ve been talking mostly about my mother because she’s the one that makes the squash casserole, but the trend of love in cooking the past few years applies to all of my family members. My in-laws have been making chocolate shakes for their granddaughter (my niece). My brother has been improving his grilling lately. My girlfriend makes a delicious grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Everything I eat when I’m with my family is delicious and full of love.

Everything in this essay up to this point are just perceptions from my point of view, so I might as well talk about my feelings now. The “Smithey Squash Casserole” holds a dear place in my heart. I wholeheartedly plan on making it until the day I die. I

could take one bite of it anywhere in the universe and instantly be teleported back home. It’s a portal, a time machine, a specific combination of stimuli that always make me happy. As time passes, I know my love for our squash casserole can only increase as my love for my family increases, and I hope one day I’ll be able to use it as a vehicle to spark love within the family that I create.

Let’s talk about the process that goes into making the squash casserole because I genuinely feel that the recipe and cooking process say a lot about the essence of it. Let’s start with the ingredients. 6 yellow squash, a can of Rotel, an onion, shredded cheese, half a stick of butter, and a sleeve of saltines.

Very humble. The cooking process is where these simple ingredients are taken to the next level. As our family naturally likes to do, our squash casserole is based on the principle of building something great out of nothing. Us Smitheys like the dumpster diving, rags to riches, approach to life. We do the best with what we can get, and are appreciative of what we have, and our squash casserole is no different.

I have a great memory of a couple years ago for thanksgiving.

My dad tried to make the squash casserole (keep in mind there’s no official recipe) and he melted cheese on top instead of crushing crackers. Our whole family was surprised and a bit disappointed to have our beloved casserole with no satisfying crunch. Still, we finished the pan which proves how much we really love that casserole haha. That thanksgiving also revealed something else about our family’s culture, that at the end of the day, we aren’t bothered by the little things like greasy melted

cheese, we care deeply about what we think truly matters (in this case spending time with family), and we don’t give a damn about anything else.

I wasn’t sure what else to write about so I looked up other people's recipes for squash casserole, and I found a video of Paula Deen making a similar yellow squash casserole. The main difference is Paula substituted the can of Rotel for sour cream. I want to experiment with her recipe cause she’s a professional chef, but it feels wrong. Like cheating on a girlfriend or a math test, I’d be cheating on our family's noble squash casserole with Paula Deen’s.

In conclusion, I talked about a whole bunch of random things relating to food in my family, specifically our legendary Smithey squash casserole. I hope this helped you learn something about me and my family and how much our casserole means to us. My mother makes it every Thanksgiving and Christmas and many merry nights in between.

——————————————————————————— For everyone reading this, our family secret squash casserole recipe has been published in writing in this cookbook (for the first time ever!). Please make it for your family any time yellow squash are in season. I guarantee it will bring your family as much warm connectivity as it does to mine.

Yellow Squash Casserole Ingredient

Amount

yellow squash, peeled. ends trimmed and cut into 1/4 in. slices

6 medium

small onion, diced

1

Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 can

salt and pepper shredded sharp cheddar cheese Ritz crackers or 1 sleeve of premium saltines butter, melted

to taste 1 1/2 cup 24 3 tbsp

Instructions: 1. Blanche the squash: Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add the squash and diced onions. Return the water to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Immediately drain the squash and onions using a colander and run under cold water for a minute or so to stop the cooking.

Set aside to continue to drain.

2. In stockpot, add one tablespoon of butter to melt. Add blanched squash/onions and then the shredded cheese.

Stir to let the cheese melt some.

3. Add the can of the diced tomatoes with green chilies, mostly drained. Stir until everything is combined.

4. Add the squash to a 9x13x2 inch casserole dish.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for around 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

6. Remove casserole, increase oven temp to 400 degrees.

7. Meanwhile, place crackers (either Ritz or saltines) in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Gently crush the crackers, but do not pulverize.

8. Sprinkle the crushed crackers over the top of the casserole.

9. Melt around 3 tablespoons of butter in microwave.

10. Drizzle the butter across the crushed crackers.

11. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling and the cracker crust is golden brown.

12. Allow casserole to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Hansel and Gretel Food Analysis By: Bree Snead In the children's story Hansel and Gretel the two main characters (who are children) are kicked out of their house by their stepmother due to a famine. They then leave a bread trail to walk around the woods in order to find food where they end up getting lost. A witch finds them and invites them to stay in her house made of food, she ends up gaining their trust by overfeeding them. Ignorant to the witches ulterior motives, she ends up housing the children in her house until they are large enough to push into the oven and eat. The story is not told the same by everyone. In some of the stories the children end up being eaten by the witch, and in others, the children defeat the witch by instead shoving her into the oven. In the second version, the children end up taking stones surrounding the witch's house that are worth something (like gold, or silver rocks), and run home to find their father looking for them. The version often depends on what region it is told in, and how badly you want to scar your child into not talking to strangers.

This story was written in Germany, and was written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Technically the story also set place Germany during a famine, and the stepmother was originally their biological mother.

Food, as we all know, is a necessity, but in this fantasy world, food symbolizes greed. This is done through imagery,

symbolism, and juxtaposition. The imagery is not only visual, but when telling this story, you can almost smell the food being put on the table, and the stench of the town struggling with famine. And though in this essay, only food will be talked about symbolically, I do believe that age, and physical environment also contribute to the symbolic nature of the story.

We can see a very obvious example of imagery being used to illustrate greed when Hansel and Gretel first get to the witch's house. When they arrive a big feast is prepared to impress the children and begin putting on weight. In many versions of this story, the feast is described in great detail. A glistening cooked bird in the middle, mini pies with flakey crust, candied fruits, and in some stories the house itself is made of a sweet bread.

In this scene it is sometimes described with smell, and how warm the air is to further show how enticing the witches' food is. The children don’t only accept the food offered to them, they gorge themselves on it. This is often another scene where imagery is highly depended on. While the children indulge, it is described as a grotesque (almost) monster like eating. Where they shovel food into their mouths without silverware, or napkins. They use their nails to pull apart the bird and get pies all around the edges of their mouths and on the floor and all

over the table while they indulge in every sweet treat they can lay their hands on.

Symbolism and juxtaposition go hand in hand in this story.

Food (and also the lack of food) itself is symbolizing greed in every creature in the story. The stepmother, who believes the children are a burden, kicks them out because of the famine, juxtaposed, the witch brings them in because she sees them as food. When the children wander the woods and leave a bread crumb trail, the birds eat all the crumbs, leaving them stranded.

This act by the birds shows that even animals are subject to giving into greed. When the children arrive at the house, they eat a surfeit amount. Then the witch, who has more than enough food, wants more, and attempts to eat the children.

Not only does food symbolize greed, but greed leads to the further downfall of the cast. What is not consistent between different fairy tales of Hansel and Gretel is why the witch is attempting to eat the children, but a fairly common interpretation is that the witch can stay alive for an undetermined amount of time if she participates in cannibalism. This is another example of juxtaposition because while she is older than dirt, she is eating young children in order to appear only the age of your average grandma.

This story could be compared to the movie Over the Hedge whereas the main characters are both greedy, and children’s stories about taking more than you need. This is a very common theme, which can also be seen in the Christmas story with Mr. Scrooge, the difference between stories like the one with Mr. Scrooge and the Over the Hedge and Hansel and

Gretel is that food is so easily used in the last two to depict how easy it is to take more than you need, and suffer the consequences for it.

The real genius behind Hansel and Gretel is that it is a story that children can understand about greed that has been around for generations. But what is special about this story is that food can represent the universal necessity for nourishment, but could also be seen as a symbol for justice, life, and death. The people who end up fed in the end were not unjust, while the people who died were the villains. The oven can symbolize life and death because in many versions of Hansel and Gretel, the witch is shoved in the oven at the end to symbolize inability to be self sustaining, if Hansel and Gretel were shoved in the oven it would symbolize incapacity to grow up (which leads to death). The oven also symbolizes life because the food that comes out of the oven provides nourishment. There are other symbols in this story, such as the atmosphere they are in, and the age differences too. It seems that the older you are, the more inherently evil the character is, this could be a statement on innocence in youth.

The reason that I consider these instances greed instead of gluttony, is that gluttony is when you can't control yourself, while with greed, you just didn't think it through. If the witch was a glutton, she would have just eaten the children right when they showed up to the doorstep. Her downfall is that she was greedy, and didn't think her entire plan through hard enough, and it backfired. While I don’t think the story of Hansel and Gretel is attempting to justify gluttonous behavior, I do

believe that the line between greed and hunger were clearly connected. Hunger does not automatically make you greedy, but too much indulgence, can make something you desperately need, your ultimate downfall.

Food is My Vacation Food in my family is what determines if a vacation was good.

The thing that I remember most about any of my vacations are the meals I ate with my family. My mom gets a bonus every time there is a legislative session (because she works in politics and often works overtime during this event), and with this bonus she will often invest in a future vacation. The place we visit the most is Orlando Florida Disney World. It’s not because we are obsessed with Mickey Mouse, or that we enjoy roller coasters more than other things. It’s not for the beach or hotel rooms or the humidity in the air. It's for the food.

Theme park food is not normally something to brag about, but food from the Disney world is different. For breakfast we make our way to the castle from beauty and the beast, where the menu is similar to that in the movie, but we always get a flakey donut with creme in the middle, and hard sugar melted onto the bread, then drizzled with a caramel sauce that isn’t overpowering, but just emphasizes the vanilla in the creme. For lunch, we go to whichever place the kids want. Usually it's somewhere that mickey and Donald and Goofy come up to your table to take pictures. But for dinner we go to a Winnie the Pooh themed restaurant with the best buffet in the entire park, and a view of the firework show. In between days when we had

nothing to do, we would run around and find snacks, one particular one that I remember is a Sunday that was too big for my entire family to eat. Before we left we went to a restaurant called the frog pond, where I had the best crepes and french toast I had ever had in my entire life.

I could not tell you from that vacation what hotels we stayed in, what ride was my favorite, or which characters I took pictures with, but I will always remember the foods I ate. And I will always have the answer to the question most frequently asked on the road trips home “what was your favorite food we had on the trip?”

This does not only apply to Disney World, this is what happens everywhere we go. In New Mexico, my family took us to a hot air balloon festival, and what I remember are the mini donuts, and the hot chocolate. I don’t like hot chocolate, but that was the only one I ever enjoyed drinking. In Hawaii, the juice was the most fresh I had ever had, and at every corner I would beg my parents to buy me a sugar cane stick to chew on. In Colorado I ate a philly cheese steak that was unlike any other sandwich I ever had. New Orleans has gumbo that will make you cry, and beignets that will make you feel like you’re biting into a cloud and forget spicy food ever assaulted your mouth. Oregon’s clam chowder made me cry happy tears in the hotel room. And Washington DC had the best deep dish pizza I have evertried.

I have no doubt that if I tried to leave the country, I’m sure I would remember some things I did and people I met, but the thing that I would think of the most is the food. I want to go to

Italy to try their pizza, France to try wine, Greece for salad, and Korea for their barbecue.

While food is most noticeable on vacations, it is also seen in the house. My dad is the cook, I have learned everything I know from him. I believe it is one of the ways he shows thefamily that he loves us and thinks about us. Often we will cook together.

We make tomato soup for when I am sad, and twice baked potatoes for when mom is sad, we make mango chicken and coconut rice if we want something tropical, and grilled cheese when we are feeling lazy. Making food with my dad is something that has taught me many lessons about being an adult.

Mom doesn't cook as much, but during christmas time she makes the best peanut brittle to ever exist. Together we make christmas cookies (the ones I submitted for the recipe) and a hard royal sugar, that is dyed certain colors so we could decorate them.

Food plays an important role in our family vacations, but also in our family holidays. For New Years we pop out the sparkling apple cider, Easter is when we make the best deviled eggs to ever exist, and the fourth of July has awesome (usually red, white, or blue) punch, around halloween we always make candied apples. Candied apples and caramel apples are totally different. After having a caramel apple at disney world during one of our snack breaks that totally rocked our world, we decided that trying to make our own caramel apple would just be a disappointment, so we stick with making candied apples.

Thanksgiving is just like any other family's thanksgiving with a

disappointingly bland bird of some kind, and the sides that are what Thanksgiving is really about. I personally always look forward to the green bean casserole, which is another of the very few things my mom makes. For christmas of course we make cookies (and if there's ever a fruit cake, I am the only one who eats it).

Even birthdays are an occasion for spectacular food. When it comes around to my birthday, Apple Pie is my first choice of dessert. For dad its cake and ice cream, and for mom its creme brulee. Food on birthdays are what we have before we open presents as a tradition, and honestly I’m usually more excited about the food than the presents because that is the only time of the year I get to decide what everyone eats. On everyone else’s birthday in the family it’s the same. So usually for birthday dinners we choose something fairly new that we know everyone will enjoy. Birthdays and dates are about the only times that I find new foods to try.

I also enjoy gardening, and plan in the future to have a profession in plants. Growing food is something I have always been interested in. A big dream of mine is to have a little plot of land when I grow up, where I have a chicken coop, a little pond with fish, an orchard (with pear trees, and apple trees, and olive trees, and any possible citrus tree imaginable), and a little sustainable garden. I see food as something enjoyable, but also as a responsibility.

Recently I became very passionate about caring for the environment, so I have been trying to eat more sustainably. This is one of the reasons I’m so interested in a sustainable garden.

Much like Ratatouille, or Communion at church, food isn’t just food for me. It’s something to help me bond with the people around me, to create connections with where the food came from. That’s another reason why I’m so passionate about growing my own food, when I eat it, it’s almost like I’m connecting with the earth on a different level. I have noticed in every situation seen in entertainment, a meal I’d never just a meal. The meal always symbolizes something, whether it’s justice or lust or greed, food has always been able to symbolize something significant to a story. Even in parasite, the food eaten by people in different classes is symbolic of what is missing in their lives (and a little bit depicts the lower class as animals).

Food for my family has never been just for sustainability, it has been about love. Food has been about enjoyment, memories, passion, and community. Cooking food for each other is how we show we think about each other, it’s just about the only time we all sit down together to discuss the day, our thoughts, and communicate exactly what we’re thinking. When there’s new people on the block, we invite them for dinner to get to know them and internally decide how they’ll fit into our whole neighborhood community. And I’ve always been taught to enjoy the food I choose to eat. If I order a bad dessert, I won’t finish eating it, because it’s not something I’m enjoying.

Food has taught me and my family many life lessons, but the biggest one I take, is that I never need to do anything that I don’t want to do.

Christmas Sugar Cookies Ingredient Powdered sugar

Amount 1.5 cups

softened butter

1 cups

vanilla

1 tsp

almond extract Eggs all-purpose flour

0.5 tsp 1 2.5 cups

baking soda

1 tsp

cream of tartar

1 tsp

Instructions: For more distinct shapes when cookie cutting, use only 1⁄2 of the amount of baking soda recommended, and 1⁄2 of the amount of cream of tartar.

1.

Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and egg all in a large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

2.

Once thoroughly mixed together, wrap and set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

3.

Heat oven to 375°. Grease cookie sheet, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface till it’s about 1⁄4 inch thick.

4.

Cut into shapes and place on a sheet. Bake cookies for 7-8 mins. Decorate with royal icing (I prefer cream cheese icing and sprinkles).

A Bowl of Sunshine By: Lauren Snider My artifact is an article from a website named UNICEF - For Every Child called “Luisa's story -an 11 year old girl living in poverty,” Looking into poverty happening with a specific family as they live in desperate times. A girl named Luisa shares a three-roomed apartment with her mother, a step-father and 9 other family members. In 2007 her step father lost his job in construction. Relying only in the soup kitchen and the impact that society has on her as she has lost her friends because of their standards towards her. However while being in these conditions of poverty and a place living with hopeless souls, she continues to want to help people and provide them with what they need. She states, “Everybody will be well and nobody will be in need.”

Food is the light that they find within each other. When they eat it is the hope that they find a bowl of sunshine or a cup of strength. In this town of poverty, small rooms, families with no income, and a place that you can easily give into the negatives.

Food can be seen as the symbol of coming together to find the beauty within the town or place around them. The community comes together to form love and support for each other to be able to spread hope and keep everyone's spirit alive who may not be able to during these conditions.

Looking into pathos we can feel a form of heartbreak and sympathy for this family and the community itself. The mothers and fathers were trying everything to keep their family alive and well with what they are given. Our own emotions can have us feel as if we could help them and look into the way we live and be more thankful for these things. Growing up faster and not being able to enjoy their own childhood can be heartbreaking. Pathos can overcome our mind and affect these families as they fall into a state of sadness to try to continue to support their family in these hard times.

Next, we can look into the buildings and the stories the walls say to each person walking the streets. The soup kitchen itself has a sign out front that is dropping down but still pinned up strong. The food is in plastic containers that can be washed and reused for any future purpose. However, they are not able to be open everyday and forces some families to go without eating.

The strength that this shows from the people running the kitchen to continue to try to feed as many families as they can.

The strength that they have mentally and physically while food is there to give them strength, comfort and hope.

Believing that food has a bigger meaning is truly because of how we ourselves see food when we are thankful for each meal. Many people who may have anxiety use food as a comfort that helps them feel a sense of calmness. Reflecting on our own lives and putting ourselves in their shoes, we need to ask ourselves what we can do in our community to help others feel calm. In the video they as a group walk into the soup kitchen to gather food. This shows their form of hope and their light in the battles they face everyday. If one family is struggling so are others, but they are not alone and by using food as a rhetorical device we can see the deeper aspect of uniting and balancing each other.

The symbol of strength from food can be read from the picture of the apartments with clothes hung outside to dry. The voice of Luisa's speaking about her life and the different outcomes they come to face in their daily life. She finds strength in the days when the soup kitchen is open and she is able to give herself and her family nutrients to continue to live another day by this strength. This short article can be seen as either a reason to give up and feel only sympathy for this town, or as a way to ask ourselves how we can help.

The signs that we see from so many different cultures and people in these conditions with the scarcity of food. We know that there are so many people in need of strength, especially during the holidays. Food shows us the symbol of coming together as one to spend just a few moments of your life surrounded by the people you love. And to find your bowl of sunshine with whatever you may fill it with. These traditions that

we find here may as well be celebrated from people all over the world with their own traditions.

In conclusion, I believe that the impact food has on this community is only truly positive things. And looking into the heart of this small girl with so many challenges ahead of her.

The time right now, having Luisa's parents and other family members alive gives her hope. And as she grows up she will know that that soup kitchen didn’t just give food or water bottles. Rather they gave out courage and love to people who couldn't find any. They gave out what they had and that was more than enough for these families that had nothing. Each day they gave a piece of them to someone else who felt empty.

The true importance of food in this artifact is the effects it has on everyone and the form it takes. The symbols that it has for several people, showing that they aren’t able to have several meals, but they're thankful for what they have. I believe this shows throughout the article and the different people being affected. We can all see the importance that food has on the community and how we can find hope within this daily meal.

Gourmet PB&J Asking myself what food to me all depends on what mood I may be in, whether I have to make it by myself or with someone else, and what I have to do that day. I believe that food is an open door to express how you may feel. Food is a way to disappear from the world for a few minutes and focus on what you're making. To put yourself or maybe someone you love first and take care of you rather than any problems that may be going on. Food to me can also be cultures coming together and sharing part of yourself with someone else. I remember cooking with my grandparents on my mothers side and my grandpa tells my sister and I, “you're not a woman until you have burned yourself on the comal.” I believe that food can mean so much more than just some meats and vegetables on a stove or in the oven.

Food beginning with cultures can be shared with the different dishes that we make. My roommate and I talked about how for Thanksgiving we have different dishes and she has tried so many new things by simply trying different food at our dining hall. Different cultures give us the opportunity to connect with people with more than just just words. I believe that many people don’t notice the different types of food in the world until you open up your mind to new tastes and just go for it.

This being said can lead me to say food allows new friendships and relationships with people from any walk of life. The

connection of italian, mexican, american and chinese, german, etc. I believe that with my family half italian and half mexican I have been blessed to eat some amazing foods in my lifetime.

Not only does this connect you with other relationships, however this alo allows us to connect with ourselves and find out what we love. And the different style of food that may be our favorite together and other things we may never want to eat again. Being able to express our own self and where we may come from. When I am baking cookies versus when I am cooking chicken alfredo is two different moods and mindsets I am in. Depending on too if you have music playing in the background or if it may be a season that you are in a holiday mood or a special day. Food can help bring you into a happy good feeling mood if you are cooking your favorite meal or it can be dreadful if you are just tired and hungry and want something quick, but it is taking longer than anticipated.

I think a significant memory that I have as a child is when I used to make eggs and I never knew when to get them out of the pan because I didn’t want to eat raw eggs. So my parents would always get mad and open the windows because I would smell up the whole house with burning eggs, but I thought I was a chef. As a teenager I began to find small cook books and I wanted to show my family that I was getting better at making delicious food and that’s also when I discovered flour and the wonderful mess that making cakes makes. Now being just a little older and my mom telling my sister and I to make dinner, even though my sister says she will just make ramen for everyone and that’s all she will do. With family members

I think it’s the first time I made tamales with my family and we all had so many to make for everyone so we spent all day with each other telling stories and laughing and getting to know so much about my family.

So my mom was generally the person to make all the dinner time meals or to make the decision on what we should eat.

However I did go to the store with her and we would also look at my fancy cooking book pictures and make many meals that way as well. So when my dad would put in effort and time to make us a meal we appreciated it. Personally I believe when my father would make these sandwiches called Penne’s is when I was so excited to eat. Those were always my favorite italian dish and had pasta sauce on the side. For my mother it was always her enchiladas that I would fall in love with. She always made everything from scratch meaning she would make the sauce, bake and shred the chicken, fry the corn tortillas, roll each one individually and then put it all in the over together to cook some more. I would also get so excited to roll then and help her pour the sauce all over the pan and get so excited for all the cheese to melt so we could eat it all together as a family.

I do not believe that cooking is absent from my life growing up, however I do believe that I do need to take more time to remember those moments that I had cooking. I do remember when I was younger and my parents used to force me and my sister to go to sleep so that we could wake up early enough to go to school the next day. But, my dad was a truck driver so he would always get home when we were asleep and leave in the morning before we woke up. So I would ask my mom just one

night if I could make him a PB and J and just stay up a little longer. So he would sit at the table while I made his gourmet sandwich and ask him all about his day. I would also tell him everything about my life then I would sit there and talk to him until he finished then I would have to go to sleep. I believe that cooking and food play a large role in my life with my family.

Looking at many different kitchens I have been in and all the different funny dishes I have made I believe that cooking has brought me close to many people. As for example when I was in highschool I dated a boy and he was my first love so I wanted to do all the cute things with him. So he and I would always try to make new things together that ultimately ended up me doing the majority of the work. If you would ever ask him all he would say is that i’m wrong because he mixed everything together and that was the hard part in his definition.

For example we liked to make brownies, a cake, cookies, and even once a pie. These times allow people to be vulnerable and not think about people’s egos or where they come from in life. I believe when we cook we are in the moment.

I think that food plays this role in my life because of the mindset that I have grown up having or what I believe may be people’s reason. Looking at how some people may use food as a way to cope with hard times and negative feelings. I think that cooking is a way for many people to calm themselves and be able to not feel judged. However this can be healthy, not even unhealthy in some cases. Looking at people with eating disorders that don’t cook enough for themselves or people who may not cook enough can all vary. Food is definitely more

than just some calories or a plate. Food can make us feel happier because it may remind us of a good memory or it may feel a comfort to focus on our body and taste buds. Food can be seen as many many positives that help us connect mentally and physically with ourselves and other people.

I have relatives that live in St.Louis Missouri and tend to be the strong side of my italian family. As my sister and I grew up we always made sure once a year to go see them and spend a week there with my aunt and cousin. My aunt always knew how to make the best foods and what to combine with what. I remember after leaving there we all told each other that we felt like we had gained so much weight because everything was so good we ate too much and I would even leave there feeling sick sometimes. However I knew that by making that food was the way that she showed us love and that it was a part of herself and where she had come from. My family always has a way of sharing our love for each other by showing our love for food as well. Looking back onto why I think food is this way in my life may be just how everything in life had changed over the years.

But I don’t really remember a time when we weren’t together making food and it was bad. Unless my father wanted it to be cooked his way and instead of helping cook he would just do everything until we got frustrated and told him to leave the kitchen. Food has been a constant for me in my life. No matter where I go and no matter what building I am in, I believe that food has brought me closer to so many people with being friends, family, or friends families as well. I believe that food just plays this role in my life because it is such an important aspect

in everyone's life and it shows as the saying goes, “ I made it with love.”

I personally get very excited for Christmas time because of the food, well because of the meaning of the food. In my grandma's house on my moms side you will always walk into a warm house because my grandpa will always have the heater blasting. As well as the smell of bunuelos, tamales, turkey, and every side dish known to any Mexican family. With the kids eating all the desserts that you hope they don’t finish because you wanna try some too. Christmas is joining around the table for just a few moments and putting life on pause. To help each other cook big and small dishes and make sure that nothing is going bad. And of course the leftovers and the leftover memories when you taste it again and it sends you right back to that moment.

Food plays a very large role when connecting my friends and family. I do believe that it also depends very much on the viewpoint that you have when thinking about food and the memories that it carries in your brain. Food can help you with a personal outlook or even a way to help others. A simple gift of a pie to welcome a new neighbor or member can speak many words to someone who can’t find any. Food connects cultures and people from every walk of life. I believe that it can cause peace but can very quickly be turned around into a food fight and can as well cause damage depending on how we use it all.

At a young age we begin to start figuring out what is our favorite and things we never want to try again. We grow up and even though we may go to different places those memories that we have will never change.

Crescent Roll Dumplings Ingredient

Amount

Refrigerated crescent roll dough

2 cans

stick of butter

2

brown sugar vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup 0.5 tsp

cinnamon

1 tsp

7 up

1 12 oz. can

granny smith apples, peeled or just sliced

2

Instructions: 1.

Step 1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.

Wash apples and cut into eight equal slices (or however thick you would like them to be)

3.

Unwrap the crescent roll and separate the triangles

4.

Place apple slices on each triangle of dough on the wider side ( you can do 4 or however many slices in the croissant) and roll it in a croissant.

5.

Butter a 13 x 9- inch baking dish

6.

In a separate bowl, combine butter, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and mix until you get a liquid mixture without lumps and pour over rolls. ( you can also brush them on there to make it stay more )

7.

Pour soda ( I suggest 7 up but they also say you can choose Mountain Dew) between rolls NOT OVER and back for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown

8.

Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and the end

By: Erin Speed Gossip Girl. One Of my all time favorite shows. It has everything you could ever want in a tv series. My artifact I am choosing is a scene that takes place during thanksgiving. They all live in New York in multi-million dollar houses, and don’t ever have to drive because they all have limos and drivers that take them everywhere they could possibly ever want to go. Of course being a drama filled tv series , around thanksgiving there is going to be plenty of drama. This specific thanksgiving artifact is based around there being more drama than usual.

Blair Waldorf is who my artifact is based around. Her parents had gotten a divorce towards the beginning of the show, her father left her mother for another man. It didn’t sit very well with Blair because she felt almost blindsided that she would have never seen it because she didn’t think that would ever happen.

Thanksgiving is their special time together. They have a tradition of baking a pie every single thanksgiving since as long as she can remember… until this thanksgiving. Her father didn’t show up to the dinner and she was shocked and stunned by the fact that no one even warned her that he wasn’t coming.

Blair has had a past of obsessing over how she looks and how other people view the way she looks. So once she found out that her father was no longer coming, a woosh of anxiety and stress came over it and immediately she grabbed the pie that was their tradition and went to the kitchen , grabbed a fork and

immediately just started eating and eating until there was no pie left. Shortly after Blair felt sick and immediately regretted doing what she had done. She then proceeded to cry and throw up to make herself not feel so guilty.

In Gossip Girl at thanksgiving , food is being used to show the symbolic act of mental illnesses. In Blair’s situation, the food is representing a dark time in her life. A time where food wasn't her friend , where she cared more about how she looked than other things. Creating those habits can be such a dangerous thing because you never know what will come out of it. Luckily Blair was able to get out of it, but as you can tell more the show as soon as a little inconvenience happens she goes back to what her body knew , and that was first stress eating and then feeling too guilty of herself that she tried to reverse what she had done.

Mental and body illnesses are a very dangerous thing. Blair had luckily learned and pushed herself out of the trap that she had taught herself to lay in. There are triggers all around us when we feel stuck in those traps. It’s about teaching yourself that certain things are okay and when to tell yourself that you’ve had enough of whatever it is. Gossip Girl shows a great light on what it is to go through some mental illnesses and I am glad

that they do. Because these things are very serious and real things.

Food shows a great importance in eating disabilities , anxiety , and stress. These scenes in Gossip Girl show a great deal of what those are like for someone who is supposed to be living the perfect life. Everyone can go through these things even if it seems like nothing could ever go wrong in someone’s life.

Never judge a book by its cover. Blair , a girl who lived a multi million dollar life. A girl who had to learn to get through an eating disorder , anxiety, and stress. It’s okay to not be okay.

Food can also be a trigger or a comfort to some people. In Blair’s case at first it was a comfort to where she was eating the whole pie till there was nothing left. Then it became a trigger as soon as she started to think of things twice. Blair luckily had friends and family to help her through everything that she had to sadly get through. Even though she didn’t have her father there for her that Thanksgiving , she had her friends Serena , Nate, and Chuck. Even her mother after she forgave her for not telling her that her father would not be making it to New York for that Thanksgiving. Surround yourself with people who lift you up. Blair learned to push herself and be strong for herself and everyone around her. She didn’t let food become stronger than she was. She didn’t let her mind take over her body. She became strong and didn’t let the food or her mind take over.

Pumpkin Pie Ingredient granulated sugar ground cinnamon

Amount 0.75 cups 1 tsp

salt

1/2 tsp

ground ginger

0.5 tsp

ground cloves

1/4 tsp

eggs

2

Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin

1 15 oz. can

Nestle Carnation Evaporated milk

1 12. oz. can

unbaked 9-in. deep dish pie shell

1

Instructions: 1. Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl.

Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

2. Pour into pie shell.

3. Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Food's History

By Jada Succes This scene of Black-ish takes place during Easter dinner. Most of the family present is Bow’s white family members leaving the four African Americans (AA) in a bit of a discomfort, when they notice most of their guests have avoided the Soul Food offerings. The guest expresses their decisions to be more in line with their health concerns since most of the Soul Food includes high amounts of fat and salt. This frustrates the main character Dre, since the cheese used in the casserole they did choose has a higher fat content than that of the sacrilegious mac and cheese. At this point Dre decides to explain to his extended family members the origins of Soul Food. He describes how AA slaves were often given butchered scraps that contained next to no nutrients or preferred taste. The history of African cooking methods, reusing of garden weeds, and intense use of fats and spices are highlighted as necessities. Not only does Dre give historical context, he also explains why the sacrifices of many put the “soul" in the phrase, and how it still influences the cultural cooking in modern times.

Throughout Dre’s speech, the role of food shifts three times. He first describes the richness of the dishes to provide nourishment and comfort. Secondly, food is a symbol of social structures between the masters and their slaves. This structure

has remained through hundreds of years. In fact this is the concept that sparked the speech, the white family members ignored the soul food only eating their own. Their reasons for ignoring the Soul Food is what brings the food into its third role; an example of resilience. Despite the limited resources, AA slaves made the inedible delicious and nutritious sustainable overcoming the near starvation tactics of their abusers.

Anderson’s character begins his brief history lesson by making the point of Soul Food being a constant method of comfort in the AA community (Anderson 00:13:27). He makes this point by drawing a comparison between "warm bowls of mac and cheese" and “cold, slimy [beets],” being able to provide a feeling of comfort after the passing of a loved one (Anderson 00:13:38). Certain dishes are termed “comfort food" because of their ability to elevate moods by "[stimulating] the brain’s reward system” as a result of their higher “sugar, fat and salt" content (Heshmat). It’s this feeling that Dre is attributing to not only mac-and-cheese but the cuisine coined 'Soul Food.’ But it is not just this neurological response that Anderson's character is referring to. He is also referring to the dish’s connection to certain family members/communities, special occasions, and overall emotional connections. These connections are what

distinct comfort food from junk foods; “comfort food’s power lies primarily in the associations it calls to mind memories of secure attachment and social gatherings" (Heshmat). Dre refers to these emotional associations by using the specific example of a funeral, since AA include mac-and-cheese at all special occasions and gatherings. The emotional connection provided by a dish being tradition is undeniable and likely multiplied by its compositions ability to elicit such elevated response in the brain's reward system.

Though Anderson’s character was correct, his rhetoric was biased. He was too focused on his purpose of proving the unfair stipulations and assumptions placed onto AA Soul Food.

Because of his purpose he lost sight of the reality of ‘comfort’ being subjective. For Dre, and many AA, mac-and-cheese is a source of tasty emotional comfort because of our traditions and gatherings. However, his wife’s relatives have very different traditions, family norms and gatherings, which means their 'comfort’ is not going to align with Dre’s. This is pointed out when Dre’s cousin in law, Brian, explains his family's connection to beets. Brain illustrates the grueling history of his Grandmother's family spending a winter in the wilderness hiding from the fascist Nazi's surviving on beets and little else.

He even explicitly identifies his reason for continuing to prepare the dish each year is “so my kids can remember her” (Sachoff). This detail checks the box off for emotional associations, and the Burrata cheese mixed with the beets checks the box of serotonin release.

These differing ideas of comfort food could partially explain why the white relatives skipped over the sacrilegious mac-andcheese, but comments made by another prove it was not the only reason. Another relative explains skipping the mac-andcheese was due to wanting to watch her “calories and cholesterol" and that the “all of the fat and salt" is what keeps her from eating all AA Soul Food (Grossman 00:13:57). Not only does Dre point out her faulty logic by explaining Burrata having a higher fat and salt content than the Cheddar in the mac-and-cheese, but he also explains to her why AA Soul Food is cooked that way.

Soul Food became a symbol of the unfair treatment and society's lower perception of an entire race. Anderson’s character is launched into a fake sequence of “Chopped" where seemingly awful ingredients are listed off. “Pig intestines, weeds, ham hocks, pigs feet, lard and hot water,” (Allen 00:14:03). The nature of supplying the slaves with the less desirable parts of the animals and producing clippings was a method of reinforcing the less than status of the people themselves. Even the earliest societies developed “societal structures" and hierarchies based on food (Bramen).The slave masters encouraged this same practice accomplished by not only the less edible and nutritious rations, but by also constantly limiting the amount of rations allowed. Abolitionists often cited the grossly lacking rations to be inhumane, for it left many slaves in a perpetual state of hunger while also neglecting to meet “nutritional requirements of captives” (Guzmán).

Many will argue that this lack of nutritious food was purely for economic reasons, the fact that it would simply be too expensive to feed them decently, or due to their underestimating of good health increasing labor potential (Guzmán). Though the facts are the slave masters were using the exact method practiced by the ship captains during the Atlantic slave trade, who did so to ensure captives were too weak to overtake crew members on the ship. Malnutrition and chronic metabolic damage often leads to chronic illnesses, constant low energy and muscle atrophy. In other words a consistently near starved human would mostly be physically incapable of defending themselves or surviving on the run.

By carefully depriving their slaves of adequate nutrition, slave owners not only saved money and left captives incapable of rebellion, but they also reinforced a hierarchy based on race and now food too. This predetermined structure is even evident today, a point made by Anderson: “it isn’t acceptable food until a white person puts their stamp on it” (Anderson 00:14:38). This unbalanced nature is the reason why his character is so offended by the relatives behavior to not eat their food; it exhibits the lasting impression of this hierarchy.

Anderson then describes the need for cooking with lard and lots of salt; since this was criticized by the family member. The lard was crucial since the fat it offered was the only source of energy they would have the next day (bread was sparingly given to slaves). The salt was even more crucial to include in the meals for two reasons: it allows for food to be preserved longer, and it offered flavor so the young ones would eat the

food and have their energy. “We also had to make it taste good so we used lard and tons of seasoning,” (Anderson 00:14:40).

The message Dre’s rhetoric is communicating is that food was not a method of fixing one survival need, but the method of several and often the now frowned upon additions are what increased the odds of not dying a violent death from not working enough.

The family member truly thinks these “unhealthy" components are the only notable aspects of soul food. There is some truth, to her statement, that excessive fat, salt and sugars over years is undoubtedly linked to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. All of which AA communities are far more susceptible to than their white counterparts. These are reasons one might use to defend their choice to refrain from the food as Gwen did. However, as previously noted comfort food outside of the AA community is also high in the “unhealthy” tasty elements. The faulty argument is evidence of the remaining social hierarchy.

The generational cooking practices are not the only reason why AA are more likely to fall ill with these deadly diseases. The culprit is still food nonetheless, or rather the lack of nourishing food in most AA communities. These food deserts are mechanisms employed in minority communities that limit access to “healthy” food choices and instead provide numerous fast food chains or undersupplied markets. These artificially preserved, highly processed, and packaged foods are higher in fat, salt, and sugar than any homemade dish is capable of accomplishing. The presence of these food deserts

and absences of sustainably healthier choices is a direct reflection of the same methods used by slave masters.Much like the cooking methods of slaves have been passed on to their descendants it is evident the masters inhumane malnourishment methods were also remembered generations later.

Soul Food became a practice of resourcefulness of slaves who were given next to nothing to survive. This resourcefulness is a craft passed down generations that has pulled African Americans through all the economic disparities of racism and continued to drive survival when the country denied them every tool. The food becomes a symbol of resilience, sacrifices and perseverance that allows Black Americans the energy to continue to fight for their deserved opportunities.

Throughout Life Last December meant rushing to the airport, a field trip around all of Chicago seeing family, and movie time in the upstairs den passing snacks to all of my cousins. Most importantly December meant lots of weight gain. It was the time to restaurant hop as if I was racing against last call in the Warehouse District. The time of every relative telling me to take a plate and sit by the fire. Chicago winters are all about keeping the oven on all day, roasting and baking, and packing everyone in the living room and kitchens to keep the house warm. Laughter, stories, full bellies and those petty tiffs that make everyone laugh when it's over. Being in Texas, so far away from most of our relatives, meant the three of us spent quite a bit of time away. But even here we've found a family willing to take us in as if we were their own. Even more lucky they cook the best southern soul food, a perfect company to the Baptist sermon heard before lunch (and dinner because Old School Baptists go right back to church after the game). With these differently full bellies and spirits came more stories, laughter and love. The commonality between these two families I call my own; amazing food and even more amazing people. The times I’ve spent setting tables, mixing spices, and sneaking “taste tests” fill my memories and heart. They nurture my spirit in times of loneliness, and on many nights after waitressing all day, they helped the dollar menu items fill my belly.

After all that's what it was always about, creating memories and being around loved ones. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, were the times we got to stop working, clock out, and put down the books. Everyone in my family worked day in and day out to provide for themselves and households. While the adults worked all day we kids went to school, then our after school programs, and then the community center until our parents came and brought us home. Most adults in my family had more than one job or went to classes after work, if not they were usually working overtime. Meal times were the only times we really got to see our families.

Somehow our tired and overworked parents managed to come home and cook dinner for unintentionally ungrateful kids. After a long day of working in a world that didn’t treat him like a man and for bosses who didn’t respect him; our fathers came home doted on their daughters and wives and rough housed with their sons. We watched our mothers, aunts and grandmothers, prepare each man's plate before anyone else's. Not because they were submissive or because he was the breadwinner, or some patriarchal culture. Simply to remind him that he is a human, worthy of kindness. In return they praise our mothers for a meal they’ve had a hundred times. Between our parents food was an exchange of respect, of mutual appreciation and understanding. When they gave us food, it was all about nourishment, teaching us to be grateful, and eventually selfsufficient.

This is what cooking first meant to me, self-sufficiency. When we got old enough summers were spent at home, waiting for club meetings or for our favorite TV shows. This also meant we were old enough to cook for ourselves. My older sister and I started off with the typical stacked sandwiches, hamburger helper and microwaved vegetables. These were the things we didn’t have to be taught, but my mother still did. She would bring stools into the kitchen and lay out all the rubber cooking utensils (so we didn’t scratch up the good pans). She would tell us how they did it before the box was an option. She quickly taught us the tricks of “stretching" the groceries. Adding tomatoes, onions, bell pepper and spinach to the boxed dinners for less than a few dollars and minimal knife use.

Though I valued these cooking lessons I never truly realized what they were, lessons of resourcefulness and resilience. Tools for getting us through the times of little money and little options. She did what she could to keep us off of the dollar menu, even if we had nothing, she taught us meals that would cost about the same.

The best nights were when my sister and I decided to make “kitchen spaghetti,” one of those “everything but the sink dump meals.” Anything in the fridge was up for grabs when these were the plan, half of them were absolutely disgusting and the other half- enough leftovers for mom to take to work for lunch.

The meals became a time of dancing to 2000’s songs I still shamelessly know all the words too, forgetting to do homework, and laughs that filled the entire apartment. By the time we finally got to finishing the dish we wouldn’t be hungry

anymore, but we’d fill our bowls and head into the living room to watch our favorite network sitcom.

Those years ended quickly, my mother went back to school and my sister started her high school activities. It was finally time for me to cook for everyone. And then food became my time to show how much I loved the women in my family. I would pick up a magazine in the grocery store, flip through the recipes and pick out all of the ingredients. A new one every week, still somehow too young to understand we ate the same meals each week for financial purposes. But, my mom never said anything, she encouraged my creativity in the kitchen and endlessly praised my weirdly textured concoctions.

Perhaps this was the start of my never ending “eat everything once" type of mentality. This is where food and cooking became my source of creativity and exploring the world.

Thanks to pinterest- and my mom’s great job after finishing school - I was able to spend high school making different dishes inspired by other cuisines. Well at least inspired by them. I began exploring the different regions of the country, of the world through my kitchen, grocery stores and local cultural markets.

As my body changed my relationship to food changed. It became experiences of pain and physical suffering. Constant nausea and states of uncomfortable bloating following by a general unwillingness to put anything else near my mouth. My colleged sized budget was enough to support the endless amounts of pre-made salads and Canada dry in my fridge.

Food quickly turned into a source of dread, a mere

requirement to energize me enough to get through classes and work. Food became a reason as to why I couldn’t enjoy family outings at restaurants, holidays, and the grand tour around Chicago homes.

And then came the vegan world. No more pain, maybe a little aching craving for a bloody burger, but the actual suffering ended. I became one of those food nuts who rarely wandered into the grocery store isles filled with packages and damned all her favorite snacks to be too bad. However, I felt better than ever, I was full longer than two hours, and cooking was once again a way to explore my creativity. Creative ways to make vegetables taste good- except for cauliflower that never taste good. Even more creative ways to make dairy and nut free soups, dressings and curries. Trying new countries more “healthy” and “hearty" recipes. Eventually food became a series of nutritional bullets to fuel me for 13 hour doubles.

Right when I felt like I was getting the hang of things with food and a seemingly new body, the pandemic happened. Suddenly going to the grocery store and picking out my own produce was too dangerous. Suddenly loss work meant not enough money for even the dollar menu. With a body unable to handle the “stretching” meals I was taught as a child, cooking stopped happening. Despite the free time, the fridge became stocked again with pre-made salads. The restaurant outing, however frustrating, was an option I would’ve killed for, the chance to sit around a table and listen to my loved ones talk through air rather than a phone speaker.

The little cooking I did get to do was far from creative. They were bland, often rubbery or doughy, or mostly just sauce.

Though these times in the kitchen were the only times of certainty I had for months. I didn’t know what was happening with my job, I didn’t know when I’d be able to see my sister or friends again, and I didn’t know if my healthcare working mother would suddenly be swept into isolation. But what I did know was what each recipe was going to taste like. Each dish came with explicit instructions- directions I couldn't possibly mess up. Food and cooking became the only sense of direction I experienced for months. This is what food still is for me, the benefits of survival and energy are pleasant by products. But recipes, a known ending and time of expectations are more comforting than any comfort food can be.

Succes Mac & Cheese Ingredient

Amount

elbow macaroni

1 box

velveeta cheese

8 oz

mozzarella cheese

8 oz

heavy cream

1 cup

2% milk

1 cup

butter

4 tbsp

garlic powder

1 tbsp

onion powder

1 tbsp

mustard powder

1 tbsp

paprika

1 tbsp

crushed ritz crackers

2 cups

salt and white pepper

to taste

Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a baking dish deep enough to hold the pasta 2. In large soup pot, cook the pasta to it’s packaged instructions- take care not to over salt the water 3. In a separate pot combine the heavy cream and half of the milk. Warm over medium heat 4. Cube the velveeta. Shred Mozzarella Cheese 5. Slowly add cheese to heated milk. Stir and combine until melted, gradually adding the remaining cheese 6. Drain the macaroni, keep about ½ cups worth of pasta water 7. Mix the melted cheese, cream cheese, macaroni and remaining milk in the soup pot 8. Pour into baking pan and cover. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes 9. In a small bowl, melt the butter. Combine butter with crushed crackers and spices.

10. Remove the macaroni from the oven, uncover and top with mixture 11. Bake for an additional 10 minutes on bottom rack

12. Remove and allow to cool enough to serve.