Final Prompts

Prompt #1 Due 13 January 13 2016

Beyond my control:

1. I am a man

3. I am from the city

6. I am Jewish

7. I am more of an American than I am anything else

In control:

2. I am a student

4. I am lucky to be here

5. I am safe and comfortable (most of the time)

8. I am a foodie

9. I like bars more than house parties

11. I am addicted to coffee

12. I am someone who does not get addicted to things easily 

13. I am unsure of how to fill the rest of my life. 

I am addicted to coffee. I consider this to be one of two external forces that I am addicted to. I like to think that I am not addicted to anything, but at this point I have to admit that I’m addicted to coffee and to the world of technology. Technology is a whole different conversation that I’m not ready to go into right now, so I will focus on coffee exclusively. The world of coffee consumption has played a minor role in my life until the day I got hired as a barista at a restaurant near my house. The restaurant I work at prides itself in using La Colombe coffee. For the coffee connoisseurs reading this they would know that La Colombe is well regarded in the Philadelphia area and so is its founder, Todd Carmichael. I came to appreciate the history I had with La Colombe when I moved to Philadelphia this fall. After learning everything there is to learn about coffee and working towards my goal of perfecting the perfect latte, I started seeking out other baristas for advice. I have spoken to scores of baristas over the last year. With that I learned about the culture of coffee as well. From the different shops, to the various drinks and brewing methods and the up and coming roasters, I came to appreciate the culture just as much as I appreciated the drink. I think now I’m more addicted to the culture of coffee than the actual substance itself. Yes, my body appreciates its caffeine in the morning, but my soul appreciates the act of going to the warm, lively coffee shop and enjoying the coffee drinking experience. I get to interact with young, like-minded people and I always get something new. Whether it be a new Ethiopian pour over roast, or the best rated latte in the city. What coffee accomplishes for me is more than just a good feeling. To me, it is a focal point of those who seek knowledge. We use it as a catalyst for learning and high functioning. I have always had a thirst for knowledge and learning all there is to know about coffee has enabled me to appreciate the craft and culture of coffee. It is also the most consumed commodity on a day-to-day basis. If over a billion people use it every day, there must be something beneficial about it. I don’t see myself ceasing to frequent every coffee shop in the city any time soon. I’ve already visited over 20. Even if my bank account can’t sustain it, I will always find a way. 

Prompt #2 Due 20 January 2016

Describe in great detail a moment when you rejected some element of your family culture and that you refused to act in a way that was expected of you.

Soon after we moved from New York City to the suburbs of Westchester, NY my mother got sick. She was hiking in the woods without the proper protective clothing and a tick attached itself to her and slowly started feasting on her flesh. Ticks can be easily avoided by checking yourself after being in the woods. Being so new to this way of living, my mother neglected to do that. Just days later, she came down with a terrible sickness known as Lyme disease. Lyme disease puts you into a bed ridden state for weeks and can even cause permanent nerve damage. My mother could have taken antibiotics to combat the illness, but instead she turned to a nutritionist named Dina Khader, who told my mom there was another way to rid herself of the illness. My mom used a juice cleanse to rid herself of the illness. She was so surprised by the effectiveness of using food to cleanse your body that she turned her focus to how food can impact your health in other ways. My mom discovered her bible. A book called “Eat Right 4 Your Type” by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo. My mother read this book countless times. She even created a cheat sheet of what foods my brother, myself and my father were supposed to eat based on our blood type. Her interest developed into a passion into a way of life faster than I can scarf down an 8oz, foot-tall hamburger.

The rest of the family didn’t exactly see the same vision that my mother had. All we saw is the foods we loved slowly being phased out of our house. First, it was the delicious muffins that my brother and I enjoyed each week, next it was the chocolate chip pancakes my dad could no longer make us on Saturday mornings, then the amount of meat was cut down in our diet by at least 75%. Slowly, but surely, the delicacies we were afforded in our household went from slim-to-none. As growing boys without the regard for eating natural, whole foods we despised our mother for doing this to us.

I began to tell all my friends how much or a terrible woman my mother was. In my arrogance, I thought my mother was neglecting me from the sweetness of life. In reality, she was saving me from it. In order to get my fix of the food I loved, I would go over to my friend’s houses and eat all their junk food. I would order soda right in front of my mother when we went out to eat and I would order my burgers with extra bacon while my Jewish “kosher” mother watched in horror as I ate the cured and deep fried belly of a once intelligent pig on top of an over-sized, fat-laden hamburger. This attitude continued for months until my mother started to make deals with me to eat healthy. She offered me $100 dollars in the beginning of junior year to not eat gluten or dairy for 60 days so I can see that it was food that was making my nose all stuffed up. I took her bet and stayed true to it, and in the end I benefitted from it. I was no longer sneezing and sniffling all day. I came to realize that for all of those years my mother was teaching me valuable lessons about how to respect my body and the foods that I consumed. I have come to appreciate what she has taught me since the weeks after contracting Lyme disease and successfully ridding it from her body faster than anyone she has ever known. Though I still don’t believe in not eating night shade vegetables (I love tomatoes and will never stop eating them), or only eating a few ounces of meat a day (a thick hamburger once every few weeks is good for the soul), I do believe in what my mother preaches now and I constantly apologize for throwing a tantrum after she took my Halloween candy away.

Prompt #7 Due 17 February 2016

/

You look around your bustling kitchen and realize its crumbling before your eyes. The line cook yells in your ear,

“hey, plate these dishes”

Staring at the vivid colors of the fire-roasted lobster with pomme frites and shaved basil, you come to realize its starting to stare back at you.

“Try to snap out of it”

you say to yourself.

“Focus”

 you think internally.

your mind is racing in three different directions.

“Get it together”

/

 Later in the evening the line is swamped. The manager approaches you with a face so red you think its going to pop right in yours. The buttons are about to burst off his shirt. He tells you he’s just heard complaints from three tables waiting over 45 minutes for their food. You yell to your expeditor,

“where’s table 27’s food?”

No response.

You turn back to the manager and give him a look of hopelessness. This might be the last night of your career.

“get it together”

/

At the end of the service you gather your team in a circle in front of the line and talk about performance. Words are exchanged, knives are picked up, glasses are shattered, and chefs walk out. You look at the remaining chefs in disbelief. You say to them “guys”,

“get it together”

/

You get out of your car at half past midnight. Wife and kids are fast asleep. This is the fourth day in a row you haven’t spent more than 15 minutes with any of them. Walking into the bedroom you can’t wait to take your shoes off. Feet aching and lower back soar, you stumble in the shower and get down, grab your knees and breathe. You say to yourself,

“get it together”

/

After three glasses of Makers Mark you stole from the bar at work, your feet stop aching and your back stops feeling soar. You finally feel okay again. This is the only time you feel this way. You crawl into bed and she turns around and looks at you. In a hushed voice she says,

“get it together”

/

Prompt #7.5 Due 24 February 2016

            The first paragraph of my essay seeks to illustrate an introduction about why people become chefs. I think it accomplishes this without giving away too much information. Something I think I should do with the paragraph, though, is getting rid of the quotes and instead establishing an identity for a chef. I think not everyone has the same opinion on who a chef is. With my former experience in the industry, however, I can provide a sound example in my essay for what a chef is.

My second paragraph explores the origins of different chefs. Their culinary background and their childhoods are the main source of inspiration for them. What I’d like to add to this paragraph is a personal story about my father.

            In the third paragraph I explore the intersection of culture and cooking. The example of the Manioc root shows how important it is to include your culture into your food. I think it might not be a bad idea to go back to my interviewee and ask him more about he includes his culture into his cooking.

            The fourth paragraph talks about the support needed in order to become a chef. Not everyone can live with one. Finding the balance between the kitchen and the rest of your life sometimes doesn’t work as well as expected. I think I can interweave a personal example about working over the Christmas break.

            Overall, the essay is underdeveloped in multiple ways. From the fact that I only use a first person narrative once, to the lack of identifying what a chef is, there is a lot to be done. I think some of the ways I can improve the essay is by explaining what draws a chef to the profession. Right now my essay only explains the negative. I’d also like to examine the art of cooking. My personal experience also must be heard more than it is right now. I have so much to say on this subject and right now my voice isn’t heard at all. That needs to change.