Final Draft

Casey Price

English 101

How I Learned to Love Food

Growing up, I had always eaten food, and I always knew it was pretty darn good. But as I aged, I learned at being a picky eater is a flaw. I first learned this when I traveled to Japan when I was 13. I went without my parents, or anyone close for that matter, to a strange country. I had been traveling with a group of students all about my age, and a few of us decided we were pretty hungry. I, of course, assumed we were going to go to what I thought was McDonald's across the street, or maybe even the coffee shop that resembled Starbucks (as I couldn't read the signs). However, this was not the case. We went very far down the street, into a deep alley that you couldn't fit a Mini Cooper into. As soon as we exited the alley, we were in what seemed like the projects. The city was Osaka, a very urban area. Where we were at that moment was a huge food market. Sushi and rice were all over, of course, but there were also dishes that I have never heard of! One that we came up to was an octopus ball. No, not an octopus testicle, instead octopus meat that had been rolled into a ball, covered in a smaller octopus, stuffed with mayonnaise thrown onto a skewer with a few others and deep fried.

Now, up to that moment in my life, I had been a picky eater. I wanted to experience Japan, but this just seemed like too much for me. At that moment, I realized that if I ever wanted to enjoy retelling this experience later, I would need to eat the balls. So as quick as I could I shoved it into my mouth and took a bite, and it was amazing!

36% of adults in the United States are obese. Over one-third of the entire adult population in America alone are facing serious health risks due to poor exercise, and the number one cause, food. In a lot of cases the blame can be directed towards the fast food industry and some people may say it all comes down to labeling food and so on and so forth. What do I think? I think that people just love to eat.

Now, there is nothing wrong at all with loving to eat. In fact, I think its a good thing. Growing up, I didn't really enjoy to eat. I mean, of course I liked to snack on cookies and when I got hungry I tended to whine until I got what I wanted, but I assume that most of us were like that in our early childhood. It wasn't until I hit my teenage years that I really discovered how to love food.

I don't mean that I discovered how to love TO EAT food, no, I mean to love food in all ways. I personally don't believe that most of that 36% of adults in America really love food, they just love to eat it. Food is more than, well, food. Its art, its presentation, its color, smell, texture, taste, and so much more. I didn't know this, but once I opened that door I knew that I was never coming back.

You see, up until I was about 12 all I knew when it came to food was cheerios and chocolate, and of course my personal favorite at the time, PB&J with the crusts cut off. So when I took a trip to Japan by myself, I knew that it would be a learning experience for me, but I never expected it to change my opinion on anything.

I can't give credit to only Japan, of course. A lot of credit goes to my father, too. My father has been a food lover for as long as I can remember. There hasn’t been a single night where my father hasn’t watched at least one hour of the Food Network channel and cooked some crazy meal that I’ve never heard of.  The constant requests for me to taste his new sauce or help him dice up some onions and tomatoes have been engraved in my brain for the rest of my life, but if it wasn’t for all of that, I wouldn’t enjoy food as much as I do today.

There’s a different level of experience for certain things, and food is one of them. Most people, especially in America, don’t necessarily care about anything but the taste, but its so much more! Food is an art, from the processes used to prepare it and the presentation that it has when it hits your table, even the noises that it sometimes makes. The taste is just the final part, because after experiencing all of the preliminary works, the taste is what sums it all up and makes the whole thing worthwhile. Learning that lesson was one of the most important things that I have ever learned.

This lesson that I’ve learned has rippled through more than just my choice of food. I’ve also become much more open-minded and optimistic throughout all aspects of my life. I am now always willing to try any opportunity that is given to me, provided there’s a level of safety of course. I realize now that if it wasn’t for the lesson to not be afraid to try new things than I would be a completely different person. By and large, that attitude is part of who I am as a person.

I encourage everyone to try and be more optimistic, to see every opportunity as a chance to really live. I am glad that I learned to seize the day early in my life, because there are many people on this planet who haven’t learned that yet. Its really sad, actually, because I just wish that everyone could be able to understand how to really enjoy everything, not just food. So next time you’re eating at Mickey D’s, just try to imagine how much better it could get.