Food Memoir

Best Served with Company

            For many college students, the idea of fending for themselves in terms of food can be problematic. For me, it is already something I came to terms with. I had firsthand experience at the beginning of my senior year of high school because I moved out of my parents’ house when I was seventeen and at the time I had been working at McDonalds for almost two years. It was not an easy task to learn how to be comfortable and confident with the decision to live on my own, especially when it came down to not having enough money on a minimum wage salary. When it came to balancing work and school it got a little messy, but the biggest mess of all was the fight between bills and food. Luckily, I lived in a small town where most people shared my struggles. I had amazing neighbors and friends, they taught me that what I needed most of all was company. They had perfect timing and would always ask me to come over for dinner when I didn’t have food to put on the table; sometimes they just knew. They weren’t much better off than I was, but they figured that they had enough to share, and for that I was always grateful for the dinners we shared. A lot of freshmen in college struggle with weight gain and proper eating; I don’t share those struggles anymore.  I learned, some might say the hard way, that it isn’t what you eat, but who you eat with.  Living alone isn’t all that it cracked up to be, eating alone is worse. Company makes food worth eating.

            The night I moved out, I didn’t eat dinner. I wanted comfort food, but I couldn’t think of anything that would put my queasy stomach at ease. I was depressed and I had already missed my mother’s cooking, but I was too stubborn to call her and tell her that I wanted a bowl of Jambalaya and cornbread. I didn’t eat much until I had finished unpacking and bought utensil. I bought a few small pots and pans and plastic forks and spoons and knifes and other basic kitchen items. The first dinner I had at my house, by myself I might add, was macaroni and cheese and fish sticks. Cheap and easy was my first choice of direction. Money was tight, and I didn’t have enough time to cook a proper meal anyway. I either needed to get ready to walk to work or finish my homework. After a great deal of weight gain and loss of energy, I figured it was time to change my course of action. I still went fairly cheap, but I decided to put a little more effort into my cooking. Vegetables were going to be a must have at dinner and, when money wasn’t so non-existent, meat. I wanted actual protein and I wanted to nip this weight gain problem in the bud. This is how figured out that I hated pork.  I wasn’t a huge fan of bacon anyway, but after forcing myself to swallow my own monstrosity of burnt and awfully seasoned bacon and scrambled eggs and then later have it come back up, let’s just say that I never looked at bacon the same way again. I decided to start making my favorites and I actually enjoyed them again. One of my favorites from my childhood was mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and roast beef. Of course the version I made compared to my mother’s wasn’t that great, mostly because mashed potatoes were instant and powdery, the corn was frozen, and the roast beef needed to be microwaved, but it was a step away from Spaghetti O’s, macaroni and cheese, and chicken noodle soup that I was living off of. 

Some days I decided to treat myself to more luxurious groceries, like the one time I bought steak and forgot the fact that I didn’t own a grill. So, I learned how to sear steak in a pan, and it wasn’t that bad. The inside was a little rarer than I like, and the outside was black and charred, but I am not going to complain on my first-world problem of burnt steak. If I spent too much on the groceries early in the month, or my bills were on the higher side, I would have to except that fact that dinner wasn’t going to be served, at least not at my house.  Then I officially met my neighbors. There was a two story house at the end of the street, and this is where my dearest friend, Staci, lived. Staci and I had been friends since the 7^th grade and when she caught word of my predicament she introduced me to her parents. Her parents, Sue Sue and Johnny, were the friendliest people I had ever met. Her mom had a soft spot for home cooking, and her dad was a prankster. They had this special ability to know when I needed a good home cooked meal and a laugh. I often felt like I needed the laugh and the company more than the nutritional value of the food. Sue Sue cooked amazing southern comfort food, but she was more comfortable than her food. She made the best pot roast and had the best hugs. After I moved out I figured out that living alone isn’t as great as it seemed. Along with Sue Sue’s cooking, she loved being a mother and she took me in as her own child. She felt more like a mom, than my mom ever did. Which made it really hard and awkward the when I did see my mother again.

The first time I saw my biological mom in person again, it was Thanksgiving. I was forcefully invited to attend, mostly because the rest of the family didn’t have knowledge of my departure. It was a very tense and quiet dinner. The food was the same as usual, but it wasn’t as comforting as it used to be. The warm conversation wasn’t buzzing around the table like it use to and everything tasted bland and cold.  Everyone could feel the tension between my mom and me. I could almost hear the judgment from everyone across the table as they stared at me over the turkey. It was a long and tense day and I had to stay in my old room that night to keep up the façade. My bed had never felt more uninviting that night than any other time, I wanted to leave and go to my own place of solitude immediately. I have never felt so alone, than at my parents’ house filled with my own family. I lived alone and being there felt more lonely. Being alone in a room full of people is an out of body experience. This is one of the worst meals I had ever had.

The best meal that was served in my house was my family’s recipe for Jambalaya. This recipe makes enough to feed an army, so I invited friends and coworkers and told everyone to bring a specific thing, like a lemon, or some vegetables, or sausage. That way everyone contributed, making it a little cheaper on everyone. This was a “bring your own bowl” event, also making the dishes a little easier on me. Everyone enjoyed the food, but I think everyone enjoyed the company even more. A lesson that I learned from these memories is that it isn’t the food as much as whom you are eating it with. Great company makes any food taste sweeter. Any meal can be special, if you are eating with someone special. In college, I plan on eating well and eating with people I love. Even on nights when I am stuck eating ramen noodles for a week, as long as I am eating with friends everything will taste better and fill me up. No one should have to eat alone. I shall never go hungry as long as I have friends to eat with.

3rd Service Learning Reflection

I have had the opportunity to attend to gleaning trips, as well as, an orientation and a tour giving me a total of 13 hours thus far. During the gleaning trips we conjured up almost 6,000 pounds of apples, a large crate of cabbage, and a large crate of pumpkins together weighing in at almost another 1,000 pounds. The morning of the first gleaning trip I was excited and I arrived at the meeting spot about 30 minutes early. The first gleaning trip seemed foreboding because the weather was freezing, but as the day progressed the weather became warmer. Not all of the participants that signed up, showed up, but even with the lack of people we managed to finish an hour early and fill all the boxes available. During the second gleaning trip we had twice as many participants and more boxes to fill. The weather was definitely colder, but many of us kept working and making this a fun experience to get past the idea of working in the cold on a Saturday. It was crazy to pick up apples that weren't being sold in stores because many of the apples seemed in perfect condition and these apples were being sent to food banks in town. These apples were going to families who might not be able to buy apples from the store. I am glad I got to help families who are starving in these hard times. I have been in that situation more than once were my only hope for dinner was stopping by the food bank. I know that service learning is more about others than yourself, but I can't help but feel good helping people whose shoes I have been in. Going in to service learning with this experience has made me want to do it that much more. I will say that it has been hard finding the time to go out and complete my service learning hours, but I am glad that I did managed to attend the two gleaning trips.

The Trouble With Tofu

The Trouble with Tofu, show viewers the debate between townspeople, a debate about a choice whether to have a regular supermarket or to have a more organic based supermarket be the central supermarket for the town. Some think this is an issue between classes, claiming that people of the  lower class can not afford to buy from the Co-op and more privileged middle to upper class people were forcing this idea of expensive organic food upon those who do not want it. I can see the point that both sides are making, because those of the lower class might not have the money to buy from the Co-op or the transportation needed to get to another supermarket. Those in favor of the Co-op are educated enough about the place, to know how it runs and how to get the products they want on the shelf, but yet again, people who are against the Co-op seem to be uneducated about how the place runs and because of the uncertainty they have towards the place, they boldly make false claims about the co-op and are close minded to any solutions the council tries to provide. Many questions are still raised when watching the clip, simply because enough background information was not provided to the audience. Ironically, the Co-op wins the debate and becomes the central supermarket and they also stock ther shelves with 99 cent loaves of white bread.

In Response to Eat Food: Food Defined

I honestly get the point that Pollan's trying to make, I really do, but there will always be that little part of me that knows that Mr. Pollan is talking from a point of privilege. He has the money, time, transportation, and the means to go to farmer's markets and buy fresh whole foods. I have never had these privileges. I am a very poor and very busy college student. I am lucky to get myself to the Caf to even eat, much less go to a supermarket and read every label and prepare meals for myself. I live in a world where you work long hours for cheap money, while you watch the price of living go up. As I have gotten older, it gets harder and harder to eat whole foods all the time. I wish it were as simple as Pollan writes it out to be, but for some of us, it is a stretch. During this course I have learned the practical side of industrial farming and the benefits of Organic farming, each still, and always will have their pros and cons. Whether that be inhumane animal treatment to the inhumane workers' injustice. Each serve a purpose and I still feel like I can't properly pick a side of the argument. Maybe that is irresponsible for me to say as a consumer, but how can a person who knows what it is like to be poor, pick the side of people who don't? How could I pick the more expensive produce, or even think about siding with either one, when both have some serious consequences? If I had the means to buy whole food, I would, but I don't. So for right now the only option I have is to eat food and live happy.

2nd Service Learning Reflection

I still have not experienced the joys of service learning quite yet, but I shall. Soon. I have been quite a busy gal the past few weeks, but now that the show is over (quite literally), I have time to go enjoy working in the garden. I will be participating in at least one of the gleaning trips and probably work at two of the gardens on Sundays. I am excited about the gleaning trip and hope to motivate myself to get out and work!

"The Pleasures of Eating" -Wendell Berry

In 'The Pleasures of Eating,' Berry makes a list of things a person can do to become a more responsible eater.
1) Grow something edible. Try it once, if possible. Just one herb or tomato. You will appreciate the care it takes to make your food.
2) Cook your own food. This teaches you kitchen skills and gives you the benefit of controlling what you eat and how much.
3)Learn about the origins of the food you buy and try to buy locally.
4)Whenever possible try to deal directly with the person who grows your food.
5)Learn about industrial food production.
6) Learn about farming and gardening.
7) Learn about the history of food species.
I personally have done many things on this list. I have grown some herbs and used them in the food that I prepare. I have bought locally and talked to someone who grew my corn. Berry also brings new ideas to the table. These ideas are simply done and all it takes is for someone to care.

1st Service Learning Reflection

Even though I have not had the opportunity to work in the garden lately, I had the chance to tour the campus gardens. It was a great walk on a sunny day. I was lost at first, but I eventually caught up with my fellow classmates. I learned about the gardens we have on campus and the times that they are available for volunteers. In the future I hope to learn how to plant vegetables, sustainable agriculture, and they help the community.