"Home Cooking"

In this piece, I noticed a great deal of connection between nature and nostalgia facilitated by the cooking process and the experience of being in the kitchen together with her grandmother. The grandmother described many memories involving the grandfather, his experience fishing and their relationship together while the granddaughter recalled her memories of playing outside as her grandmother looked on. The kitchen serves as a place for the two to gather and share. It conjures up old memories and connections between the two creating a special moment of reflection. Nature is described with several human qualities. It is obvious that the narrator and the grandmother both appreciate the connection between human life and natural phenomenons as one. The trees are described as breathing, their heart beats under the land, and the mountain is described as a lover. She recognizes the science behind the volcano from her teacher but she is able to see and appreciate both the spiritual and the physical. I enjoyed how the narrator drifted in and out of dream states as she cooked describing these mystical thoughts but snapping back to reality as something calls her attention. Dreams are obviously significant and important to her.

"In 1864" and "How to Make Good Chili Stew"

These two poems took on two very different forms but interestingly covered similar content. Reading "How to Make Good Chili Stew"I did not feel as dark and saddened as I did reading "In 1864". Food shortage is a central theme to the recipe, but there seemed to be an overall sense of gratitude for once knowing the taste of the missing ingredients and an ability to make due with what was had. With each step in the recipe, the cook instructs followers to appreciate sensory details smelling the ingredients, listening to the individual sounds that each step contributes to the harmony of the whole process. I thought that the instructions were actually somewhat beautiful in the attention paid to the little things having to do with cooking. A sense of spirituality is brought into the cooking process paying attention to the earth, wind, and the sun as they all contribute to the dish. Community is also a big theme towards the end of the poem when you are instructed to invite those you see around to dine with you. 

As for "In 1864," terrible subject matter is covered as the Native Americans are not only uprooted from their land but their entire sense of livelihood and in some cases actual lives are taken. They do not know how to move on from the loss of their sheep and land as this comprised a large part of their lifestyle. A sense of community is also seen in their efforts to get through the march together with a common goal of first survival and second rebuilding. The soldiers seem to manipulate the importance of community as they force Natives to leave behind the elderly and those who cannot keep up. This seems to be a way of further breaking down the tribe. The man remembering these horrors in the car with his daughter does seem to exhibit some sort of hope in what he will tell his daughter of their new life one day, making the new bread and the velvet shirts for the men. 

"You're Not the Indian I Had in Mind"

I found a lot of similarities to other stories we have read regarding the idea of identity in this story. The indian man struggles with his own understanding of his heritage and balancing that with an outsiders view of the "typical indian". He admits to having conformed to that image growing longer hair and wearing a fringed pouch, but he is well aware of the fact that a majority of indians, including himself, do not conform to this almost constructed image. This somewhat reminded me of the reading containing the recipes written in the language of the stereotypical black woman in the kitchen. This image was meant to appeal to the outsider, and variation was uncomfortable and somewhat unacceptable. The narrator is aware of the fact that conforming to this image makes it almost easier for him to be accepted into society and social standards. I found it interesting that the man moved across the world to New Zealand and Australia, and there, he faced another uphill conflict of defining his identity against that of the stereotypical indian from India and further the image of "cowboys and indians." Admitedly, I know very little, besides major historical context, when it comes to Native American culture, and I recognize that I have often fallen into these sterotypes, but I am very interested in learning more about the differing cultures, their traditions, and their integration into today's society.

"Tastes Like Cuba"

It was very clear throughout this entire reading that food defined identity for this Cuban family struggling through the uncomfortable process of exile. In the beginning of the reading, food was described with great, almost seductive detail to the point that I felt like I could almost taste the meals being made. It is obvious that a meals contents were just as important and just as appreciated as the act of the meal gathering a family or community together. Both aspects were equally enjoyed and equally emphasized. Fun fact: I spent last semester studying abroad in Spain, so the descriptions of traditional Spanish food such as Serrano ham, manchego cheese, and croquetas were very familiar to me, and I could relate to their importance in their diet. I thought it was interesting that with the move to America the author chose to stress the difference in food as opposed to other lifestyle changes. The family experienced a massive change from rich to poor, from Spanish to English, and a difference in surroundings, but the food was the biggest obstacle to be faced. The mother seemed to take this change the hardest of all of the family members, and I think this could have been because providing an enjoyable, Cuban meal each day was a large part of her identity as a mother, and she struggled with the fact that she could not provide that comfort and familiarity for her kids in this situation. This contrasted with the father's role as a provider and his struggle with the fact that he could not immediately afford to allow his wife to shop at any grocery store around town in search of these ingredients. Once the Grand Central Market was discovered, there seemed to be new life in the family. It was a symbol of hope and comfort that had been all but lost in the move.

Junot Diaz "Aguantando"

I noticed that food played a very descriptive role in the beginning of the story. It serves as an obvious symbol of economic hardship as everything is boiled, meats are a luxury, and the act of putting food on the table is characterized as a constant worry or strain on the family. I thought it was particularly interesting when it was mentioned that the kids had to skip meals in order to afford worm medicine. This presents a complex in which food is life sustaining, but it is the first to be sacrificed when other things threaten that life. Told from the perspective of the child, the story presents a sort of understanding innocence and childish hope when it comes to the father. The boy is not necessarily resentful himself of the father's absence and he dreams of their perfect reunion, but at the same time, he is aware of the way in which his absence adds to his family's struggle and the way that his resent him. The boy is aware of the family's economic situation, but he still describes his life with great exuberance through a lens that only a naive child could as he spends his time playing games and climbing trees which may serve as a form of escape for him. I was a little confused by the plotline of the interaction with the stranger smoking the cigaret who seems to get startled or scared and walk away after his mother tells him that they are visiting her husband's parents. At first I thought that this might actually be the father, but I am still confused by the role that he played in the story.

Corazon's Cafe by Judith Cofer

I assumed that this story line followed that of the woman described in the poem from the "Latin Deli" collection that we read for class yesterday. I appreciated that the short story gave more background to the subjects and the deli itself exploring the way in which the owners and the neighborhood interacted to build and grow the store. I noticed a lot of attention given to gender roles in Corazon's story from the very beginning of her life. Corazon's relationship with Manuel's mother was one of tradition and gave insight into her heritage as she cared for her in her poor health and learned domestic skills in the home and kitchen. She is meant to serve her elders and her husband, although they seem to have a mutualistic understanding of the fact that they consider themselves to be a more equal partnership than others. She has a similar understanding with Innocencia of the role that gender plays in their relationship due to their different backgrounds. I particularly liked the story line containing Innocencia because I thought it gave a more personal and relatable depiction of two foreigners struggling to establish themselves in a foreign setting and simultaneously holding on to their idea of "home" and tradition through the food and the store.

Cofer selections from "The Latin Deli"

In my own life, the grocery store, particularly the smaller neighborhood style specialty stores, has always been a hub for socialization. It is rare that I do not run into someone familiar to me or a good friend while running errands here, and my experience is always marked by some sort of conversation with either a stranger or an acquaintance. The deli in this poem is described similarly, but this neighborhood is populated by immigrants, particularly of Hispanic decent. I think it is pretty well known that food is a tool that brings people and communities together. I liked the idea of recounting this union from the store clerk's perspective as they are regular observers of conversation and interaction. Through the dialog described, it seems as if these customers are united both geographically (as they frequent the same store) and culturally. They share in a longing to return home and a struggle through economic hardship. The store clerk seems to be aware and understanding of the fact that her store provides a bit of a "return home" for her customers as they relive memories through products and retell stories and this brings her satisfaction and comfort.
The poem "Nothing Wasted" particularly stood out to me. It is very important to the mother that, through every move, she brings with her a semblence of life and familiarity in the form of her gardens. Maybe she strives to make her child (and herself) more comfortable in each new home. Although the garden must start anew in each place, just as the family must, one thing remains constant in the jar with the avocado pit. This was interesting to me because it is common to start the growth of an avocado plant in this way but it eventually grows into a larger, more stable tree. This might symbolize her desire to eventually put down more deep seeded roots in their lives. The part about the egg breaking in the cage and her disposing of it so casually into the garden combined with the title of the poem may have something to do with the family's struggle to make ends meet (everything is used, nothing is wasted) or also the idea that with an end something begins again (the egg giving nourishment to the soil and new life).

Gary Soto Readings

To start, I really enjoyed the short story "Like Mexicans". I liked how Soto brought the characters from innocent, literal understanding of life through complicated adulthood. I found the relationship between the narrator and his best friend to be very relatable. At a young age, we all tend to see the world through a simplistic filter. We are taught to believe certain things that dictate our lives and we tend not to question or analyze these teachings. The narrator is told to marry a Mexican girl and his friend is to marry an Okie. Both boys accept that this is normal because those are their respective "people" but it does not interfere with their relationship. As for the food, the narrator describes all of the differences between the boys and their lifestyles, the orange seems to be the unifying factor, the only similarity between the two. His mother seems to be over occupied or exhausted by cooking, giving insight to the family dynamic. As the narrator grows up, ethnicity begins to confuse him as he struggles to realize that he and his true love are not united by culture but rather by economic status, and he soon realizes that this was clear to others as well. The sushi makes him slightly uncomfortable, it is no longer a unifying factor, and it is the "poorness" of the family that allows him to settle in. Honestly, I was a little confused about the cat story line, so I would like to see how others interpreted their meaning.
As for the poetry, admittedly, I was never really taught how to read/ interpret poetry, at least in a classroom setting, but I did enjoy these poems as well. My favorite was "Oranges" because of the delightful innocence of the young boy and his first big interaction with the girl he likes. Money again plays a large role in the comfort of the relationship, but it is the treats that bring both characters joy. "Salt" similarly used food as a way to express financial status. Lastly, "The Estonian Comes to Dinner" was also kind of confusing for me, but what I gathered (which may be completely wrong) is that the narrator is dreaming of a time of endless food which evokes pleasure and happiness, but in reality, food is scarce and unavailable evoking sadness and disappointment and this comparison of fantasy and reality signifies a time of financial hardship.

Wallach and Salazar

Wallach's piece relating food tradition and transformation to cultural stereotypes and thinking opened my eyes to many aspects of American society I had not previously recognized. Yes, I know that the Mexican and Chinese food that I regularly eat cannot be considered remotely authentic, but I had not realized the implications of such a hybrid in terms of cultural hierarchy. This was the first time I had been made aware of some of the historical aspects of the evolution of cuisine from foreign cultures within America, and I was actually very taken aback that the way in which immigrants were manipulated both physically and culturally into conforming to American society's wants and needs. I have never considered food to be an indication of what Wallach refers to as "imperialism" but this reading certainly brought my attention to it. The fact that foreign cuisines were so heavily criticized before conforming to both the image and the palate of America is pure evidence of the superiority complex occurring among these cultures. It almost seems as if American society feared the unknown until an "upper hand" was established and inferiority was enforced on the unknown. Food is a staple, comfort, and large part of identity for any culture and its diminish, conformity, or acceptance as a means of societal survival is an indication of cultural relationships.
As for the Salazar reading, I must admit, I was a little overwhelmed by all of the cultural comparisons and relationships being described, but the point that I found most interesting was that the piece did not take the approach of comparing "white" to "the other" but rather gave me a historical and cultural insight on the relationships between all of the minorities that are often grouped as one.

"Unpacking the Backpack of White Privilege"

Most of the points made in this reading are ones that I have actively debated, discussed, and analyzed both in the classroom and in more casual conversation, and I must say, I agree with the vast majority of  them. The author brings up valid, often undeniable points regarding American society and the privileges and/or disadvantages that all citizens face. I think it is important to stress the fact that this analysis is inclusive of all races, ethnicities, genders etc because it is often that I find myself and friends taking the approach of looking from "inside" to the "outside" comparing "us" to the "other." This reading brought up a point that I have mostly overlooked: "whiteness" is a race. It is not the baseline from which all else should be compared or critiqued. Rather, it is one of the many. Others should not be expected or encouraged to "catch up" to us but a larger, all encompassing change of society is needed. I recognize that been taught, not necissarly directly, but through societal norms to largely ignore or overlook the privileges that have been granted to me based on my race. I do agree with the author that recognition of this problem is only the first step. I found this reading particularly relatable especially through the use of specific examples in the form of the list that highlight this the difference in advantage that penetrates all aspects of daily life.