Food Memoir

Food Memoir I’ve always thought food as just a substance to give nutritional support to the body, but there is much more beyond the concrete definition. The meaning of food is defined differently from people to people. Sometimes food is the key to survival, their source of income or just a hobby. But for me, food has help me identify what type of eater I am, reveals my upbringing and has certain roles in my personal life. During the Christmas holiday, my family and closest relatives always travel to Thunder Valley casino for the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Time goes on and people finish their first helping of food and decide to get up and get another helping. While my family is still shoving food in their mouths, I am the only one that is done eating. It caught my attention that I could identify myself as an intuitive eater- I eat to feel satisfied and I am not afraid of overeating, instead I trust myself to eat exactly what I need and have no guilt about eating foods I enjoy. Sure, I have a wide variety of “junk food” such as sour punch straws and sodas filled with high amounts of sugar, but I am able to control what I eat and still be healthy.

Although I am considered to be an intuitive eater, I’ve had many occasions that would represent that I am an industrial eater. While I was in high school, my agenda rarely had any openings. I was either at school, doing homework, playing a sport, volunteering, or enjoying my social life. Our family rarely had the time to have a home cooked meal, so our only other option was fast food. I didn’t want my home to become a “filling station” like Wendell Berry said so I made a change in my life. I gave up playing baseball in high school since it took up a majority of my time after school.

Since I had more time, I became less of an industrial eater and started to cook at home with my family. Food has also played certain roles in my personal life. When I was 7 years old, I remember going into my houses downstairs closet and finding my dad’s bowling ball. The first time I saw it, I was hooked to the sport. I started out just bowling once in a while and then started bowling in leagues and eventually bowling tournaments. I needed to get better so I started practicing with my grandpa. As I got older so did he and his health started to deteriorate, which meant no bowling.

I had a strong bond with my grandpa due to bowling and then we had nothing in common due to his health. One day, I went over to my grandparents’ house to visit them and they were cooking up a traditional family dinner. I was so intrigued on how to make the dishes that I asked my grandpa to teach me the recipe. From then on, I went over to their house every Sunday to cook with him. That very food was able to play a role that would connect me and my grandfather’s relationship once again, substituting bowling for food.

Food has also played a role of teaching me civic virtues as stated in Alices Waters article. When at the dinner table, I learned to always chew with your mouth closed, put your napkin on your lap, be respectful to other guests around you, and always clean up your mess. All of these traits I have learned through the usage of food. With the variety of food that I have, it reflects the upbringing that I had. When I was a child, I traveled to Washington to visit my grandma during my school vacations. She grew up in an oriental background and is accustomed to their type of food.

When I went to go visit her she would always make traditional noodle bowls. Times have changed and I am unable to see her as much as I did. The closest thing that I have to her noodle bowls is a pre-packaged brand name. Another family upbringing that I stay close to is when my family went over to my grandparents’ house to have dinner; she would always make German dumplings. Now I am forced to buy Campbells Chunky Soup with dumplings. Furthermore, when we had family dinners, each family member would have their own task to do.

Whenever we had macaroni and cheese I was in charge of making it. I want to remember the times that I spent with my family and so I bought Velveeta microwaveable shells and cheese. Even though I am unable to get the authentic family meal, I try to buy food that is most similar to what I grew up on. As you can see, we don’t only eat food to survive in this world but to connect with our family members, to reveal what type of eater that person is, and to show how that person was brought up as a child.