Essay 1 Draft 1
For me, and like many others, college was up there on the list, a faraway attainable that was bound to happen eventually. I moved in two siblings over my four years in high school, and I thought I would never get there, yet here I am. College is something brand new, living away from home, yet you bring memorabilia such as pictures or trinkets to make the space yours. Just like needing a place to sleep, of course one still has to eat. We all adjusted to the new prospects of eating in one way or another. Food is something in our everyday lives that we typically don’t second guess. However, it is so much more than what we put into our bodies. Food has value and the power to change one’s mood, along with the ability to be versatile.
College is the transition of a lifetime. I was forced out of the nest, with nerves and excitement. The transition of being away from home and living with new people is what makes college such a raw and genuine experience for personal growth. No matter how many new things there were, food was always something that was a constant from home. Food was an icebreaker to get out with people and talk those first few awkward days. As I mentioned in my Favorite Meal Essay, “Sometimes it’s the little moments that bring upon a smile or laugh. The dip is more than the food when it brings memories to life”. Back home, food filled my life with little moments of joy, and within the first few weeks of college, food has begun to do that here too. Whether it is going back for second dinner, or the sheer joy of bringing back ham in a cup from the commons, food has brought smiles our faces. It has brought upon inside jokes and countless laughs in between. Beyond the capabilities to bring a smile to our faces, people have come to terms to associate food with certain values. For me, like I mentioned in my Favorite Meal Essay “What I have learned over the course of the past few years is that food is sometimes just a vehicle to bring people together. There are many options I could have chosen, as there are many foods that correlate to warm traditions of spending time with family and friends”. Back at home, the value of food was family and traditions, and here at college, the values of food are becoming the same. It is the tradition of setting a time to eat dinner as a group, or our waffles on the weekends. It is with these newfound traditions that I have found a new home, a home away from home here, at college.
Despite the fact that food has helped with the college social aspect, there are logistics involved with food on the college campus. Some of this logistics include the time and location of the dining hall in relation to one’s dorm. Widdicombe talked with some college students at Caltech about their food habits at school. Widdicombe concluded that “Each [student] had his own signature formula… [and] wondered if their parents were bothered by the fact that their children were living on synthetic food” (16). Widdicombe exposes how the students live their life here on the college campus. To these college students, food had no value compared to Soylent. It provided them a way to interact with each other, yet food provides the same avenue. At this point in the semester, I eat dinner every night with friends and it is manageable. However, soon to start, clubs may take a draw back away from eating regularly with my dorm friends for dinner. When finals start and the work is abundant, will we have the ability to go to the dorm at all? Will it be too much of an inconvenience? However, sometimes it is the tensions in life that keep us on top of things. I find myself to be more productive when I happen to be busier. With that being said, personally I would like to believe I can make it to the dining hall, even just to get out of the room from the constant studying I anticipate happening. If not, there are other food options beyond the synthetics. In the dorm, with a microwave, we have the ability to make quick hot dinners that still are filling. Just because I may be more pressed for time doesn’t mean I need to have Soylent, there are other food options in the world. This is the beauty of food; its capability to be versatile. Food’s versatility allows it to accommodate all lifestyles and changes in one’s life. Not one diet will work for the surprise’s life holds.
After considering Soylent, many people may question the necessity of food and to what extent we need it. However, even in controversial considerations food still has value in the everyday. Widdicombe offers the perspective that “Meals provide punctuation to our lives: we’re constantly recovering from them, anticipating them, riding the emotional ups and downs of a good or a bad sandwich” (14). Although many people may question food’s value if we can barely remember our meals from previous days, I believe that Widdicombe brings an interesting thought to the table. I think about a life on Soylent and how bland and boring it would be, compared to the color food brings to our lives. Whether we are eating food in a celebration or rushing around and grabbing a quick bite, it is food that can keep us on our toes and moving through the day. The thought of having the same drink everyday without question doesn’t seem appealing. Despite food being normalized and potentially overlooked as we get used to its everyday role, food has the power to be something spontaneous and different in our every day. To the point of not remembering our food; why not have something delicious and live in the moment, as maybe this is the real escape from reality. Food brings that appreciate of the little things to light. With the option of giving our body the nutrients it needs, why not make it matter and be valued.
Food may be something we take for granted when it is just something else engrained in our daily routines. Yet, when questioned and considered from a different angle, I have come to realize the values of food. Food has the ability to be versatile, to fit in your life however necessary, the ability to escape from reality and enjoy a meal with friends in the moment. Food has been an interesting part of college, yet what remains in question is how food will be involved in my life once I’m out living on my own. Life is never concrete and is always changing; and with that, so is the concept of food.
Essay 1 Draft 2
For me, and like many others, college was up there on the list, a faraway attainable that was bound to happen eventually. I moved in two siblings over my four years in high school, and I thought I would never get there, yet here I am. College is something brand new, living away from home, yet you bring memorabilia such as pictures or trinkets to make the space yours. Just like needing a place to sleep, of course one still has to eat. We all adjusted to the new prospects of eating in one way or another. In her article “The End of Food”, Lizzie Widdicombe follows an interesting story revolving around synthetic food. Widdicombe’s analysis and experience makes one question what exactly food is. In my favorite meal essay, I explore the prospects of my favorite meal and associate it with certain values in my life. Food is something in our everyday lives that we typically don’t second guess. However, it is so much more than what we put into our bodies. Food has value through little moments, or grand traditions, along with the ability to be versatile.
College is the transition of a lifetime. I was forced out of the nest, with nerves and excitement. The transition of being away from home and living with new people is what makes college such a raw and genuine experience for personal growth. No matter how many new things there were, food was always something that was a constant from home. Food was an icebreaker to get out with people and talk those first few awkward days. As I mentioned in my Favorite Meal Essay, “Sometimes it’s the little moments that bring upon a smile or laugh. The dip is more than the food when it brings memories to life”. Back home, food filled my life with little moments of joy, and within the first few weeks of college, food has begun to do the same here. Whether it is going back for second dinner, or the sheer joy of bringing back ham in a cup from the commons, food has brought smiles to mine and my friends’ faces. It has brought upon inside jokes and countless laughs in between. Soon to be, these little moments will turn into memories that we look back on as we think about that transition to college.
Beyond the capabilities to bring a smile to our faces, people have come to terms to associate food with certain values. For me, like I mentioned in my Favorite Meal Essay, “What I have learned over the course of the past few years is that food is sometimes just a vehicle to bring people together. There are many options I could have chosen, as there are many foods that correlate to warm traditions of spending time with family and friends”. Back at home, the value of food was family and traditions. Here at college, the values of food are holding true to what I know back home. It is the tradition of setting a time to eat dinner as a group or having waffles on the weekends. Food is getting a chance to just sit with friends and take a break from the college workload. It is with these newfound traditions that I have found a new home, a home away from home here, at college.
Despite the fact that food has helped with the college social aspect, there are other ways to eat beyond the dining hall due to food’s versatility. Widdicombe talked with some college students at Caltech about their food habits at school. Widdicombe concluded that “if you were a non-Soylent drinker it was hard to live in Ricketts” as the students would sip their drinks and talk about their recipes (16). Widdicombe exposes how these students live their life on their college campus. To these college students, Soylent was a bonding experience and provided them a way to interact with each other. Their food spared them the time of going to the dining hall and taking time out of their days. At this point in the semester, I eat dinner every night with friends and it is manageable. However, soon to start, clubs may take a draw back away from eating regularly with my dorm friends for dinner. When finals start and the work is abundant, will we have the ability to go to the dining hall at all? Will it be too much of an inconvenience? However, sometimes it is the tensions in life that keep us on top of things. I find myself to be more productive when I happen to be busier. With that being said, personally I would like to believe I can make it to the dining hall, even just for a change on scenery from the lists of things to do above my desk and from the constant studying I anticipate happening. If not, just getting out of the room will be critical to take a break from studying. Even with a microwave meal, eating in the lounge on the floor or in a friend’s room will provide me with the same interactions that occur in the dining hall. Just because I may be more pressed for time doesn’t mean I need to have a full sit-down meal as there are other food options in the world. This is the beauty of food; its capability to be versatile. Food’s versatility allows it to accommodate all lifestyles and changes in one’s life. Not one diet will work for the surprise’s life holds.
After considering Soylent, many people may question the necessity of food and to what extent we need it. However, even in controversial considerations food still has value in the day to day lifestyle. Widdicombe offers the perspective that “Meals provide punctuation to our lives: we’re constantly recovering from them, anticipating them, riding the emotional ups and downs of a good or a bad sandwich” (14). Although many people may question food’s value if we can barely remember our meals from previous days, I believe that Widdicombe brings an interesting thought to the table. I think about a life on Soylent and how bland and boring it would be, compared to the color food brings to our lives. Whether we are eating food in a celebration or rushing around and grabbing a quick bite, it is food that can keep us on our toes and moving through the day. The thought of having the same drink every day without question doesn’t seem appealing. Despite food being normalized and potentially overlooked as we get used to its everyday role, food has the power to be something spontaneous and different in our daily routine. To the point of not remembering our food; why not have something delicious and live in the moment, as maybe this is the real escape from reality. Food brings the appreciate of the little things to light. With the option of giving our body the nutrients it needs, why not make it matter and be valued or something to smile about.
Food may be something we take for granted when it is just something else engrained in our daily routines. Yet, when questioned and considered from a different angle, I have come to realize the values of food. Food has the ability to be versatile, to fit in your life however necessary, the ability to escape from reality and enjoy a meal with friends in the moment. Food has been and will continue to be an interesting part of college, yet what remains in question is how food will be involved in my life once I’m out living on my own. Life is never concrete and is always changing; and with that, so is the concept of food.
