Birthday Blog

Lemon ricotta spongecake made by my auntie over break

Birthdays are a very interesting gastronomical and gastropolitical event for at least in my family and amongst my friends, the event is almost always surrounding or surrounded by food. This year was an especially exciting and intricate event because not only have I reached the "American milestone" by turning 21, but I was also able to celebrate for an entire week as my mom came to the east coast from California for october break. Here is a picture of one celebration: lemon ricotta spongecake with lit candles.

Before my mom arrived and the family visiting/break/celebrations commenced, I celebrated this "milestone" with a group of my close friends from Wheaton at Nortons' local Italian Restaurant, "Sabatino's Trattoria". While the company was superb, the restaurant was not. We waited 40 minutes with a reservation until they seated us, then waited nearly 2 hours for our food to arrive and to make matters worse, my friend and I received cold pizza while my other friend received hers completely burnt.  The overall consensus of the celebration was that if it were not for the terrible planning of the kitchen, the birthday dinner would have been ideal. Luckily, the group of friends I have were extremely easy going and gracious, and although disappointed with such ill-reception, we were able to laugh off the whole event and made it clear that we would not be returning to this local "gem". 

**photos of food not available from sabatino's because empty plates were what we received. When food did come we were too hungry to take pictures**

For my actual birthday (October 5th,) I did something I have never done before for a birthday, I went to a 50's styled diner with my best friend and her parents. The food was described as "classic american" and "comfort food" which made me think because none of the food on the menu was what I think of when I imagine comfort food, although I could clearly see how the dishes were considered as such, as well as could clearly see how they were considered "American dishes." For my birthday, I decided to try something outside of my comfort zone, and went for a traditional chicken potpie. I have only ever had this dish once when I was 7 years old after watching the movie "chicken run" (which is ironic because the animated film is against chicken potpie,) but at this true gem of a diner in Middleboro, Massachusetts, the potpie with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce was absolutely delicious and a very unexpected birthday treat surprise!! 

Chicken Potpie from Dave's Diner in Middleboro, MA

For the final celebrations, my mom and I traveled to New York City and Pennsylvania to visit all of our family (paternal and maternal) over october break. As my mom, my cousin, my auntie, and I are all born under the libra sign (born in october,) we had a conjoint celebration in Pennsylvania that was filled with our mutual favourite pies, Lemon Meringue (sweet) and Tomato Pie (savory), both made by my paternal auntie, Gail. Both of these meals are birthday traditions for me and somehow make me feel like I actually celebrated properly and wholly. Tomato pie is a savory tart filled with tomatoes, parmesan cheese, herbs, caramelized onions, and encapsulated by means of a butter crust. Lemon meringue on the other hand, is the perfect balance of a sweet and tart pie that has a thick custard filling and is topped with perfectly baked meringue. Every year since the start of college until this one, my auntie has come to Wheaton with these pies and we have celebrated by eating them both together. This year, my mom and I were able to go to Pennsylvania and we all officiated our birthday celebration and recognition with these two home cooked delicacies. 

Homemade Tomato Pie (Savory)

My favourite pie in the world: Lemon Meringue (left) and Lemon ricotta spongecake (right)

Upon arrival back at Wheaton, I was greeted with a final "birthday present" of cupcakes. The fact that these homemade cupcakes constitute a gift that is both intricate and thoughtful, shows how deeply intertwined food and birthday celebrations are and how one without the other is implausible. While there are events in which fasting is necessary (whether out of necessity or for religious ritual,) birthdays are a day (or slew of days) of celebrations in which feasting (or sharing food) are vital and represent like Barthes writes in his article, a medium for information. Food signifies in this sense, a change of events and acts as a marker for celebration and recognition for festivity.

Earl Grey Cupcakes with almond butter and chocolate ganache

Mess Food

Room Food is Always Better than Mess Food
My last post featured a regional cuisine we are all familiar with known as "Chase Food." The Royal Thimphu College in Bhutan equivalent is called mess food and is equally as underwhelming. A common mantra among students is "room food is always better than mess food," with "room food" referring from food brought from home in tupperware and eaten in the dorm room or food prepared in the room, always with friends. But unlike at Wheaton, students are not even given the option to cook independently and they are not given access to a kitchen. The solution: electronic rice cookers used to make curries, particularly kewa datshi- potatoes and chillies with cheese, and electric tea kettles to make Maggi. Maggia Marsala Magic 2-minute noodles are the Bhutanese college student's equivalent to Annie's mac and cheese or Easy Mac among American college students. Both are well recognized and valued brands and dorm room must-haves.
Room food has a whole culture of its own. First of all, it is never consumed alone. Friends have told me they would rather be hungry than eat alone. There is also the cultural phenomena that I refer to as "hypergenerosity." Students will sacrifice eating to make sure a friend or guest is well fed, and refusal of food is not an option. When my roommate told me I had gotten fat I told her it was her fault because she was always feeding me!
At this point I would like to draw the readers attention to the picture: fried rice and chillies. This is a standard breakfast at mess. Meals never stray from these staple items and are usually a variation of rice and chillies. Similarly, Chase rarely fails to provide students with "Buttery Penne" and all its variations. It just goes to show that on opposite sides of the world, similar themes can be identified within the college dining experience.

Pilaf, "Latino" Aramark's attribution of cultural identities to their meals

Have you ever walked through the dining hall and seen meals with general and vague titles like, "Spanish Rice", "Mexi Rice", "African Sauce", or in this case, "Pilaf, Latino". Aramark's descriptions of their food reference countries, entire continents, and in this case, an entire ethnic/racial identity. 

It's easy to see that there is no genuine cultural foundation justifying Aramark's use of general terms like African, Spanish, or Latino. This title makes me wonder, what is so Latino about this Pilaf? The Latino identity is extremely diverse characterizes not only South and Central America, but also areas of the United States and the Carribean. If over 20 distinct countries each containing a variety of cuisines, and millions of people identify as Latino, what makes Aramark's Pilaf Latino? The fact that it may be submerged in a spicy sauce, or that it contains corn? 

Does Aramark's use of these cultural identities demonstrate how uncultured or uninformed the organization is? The titles of these meals represent a lack of knowledge and care regarding the genuine traditional cuisines of these areas, and promote false notions regarding Latin American, African, Spanish, and many other traditional dishes.

Most Important Meal of the Day?

If you were a college student and you had to juggle athletics, classes, finishing a huge lab for bio, studying for your econ mid-term on Friday, going to the SGA meeting, trying to keep a social life, while trying to get 6-7 hours of sleep a night, when do you have time to eat!? Growing up, my mother made sure I ate a hearty breakfast every morning before school or before I left the house (a granola bar or yogurt didn't suffice). My mother would have french toast, homemade cinnamon buns, scrambled eggs, cinnamon toast, pancakes, coffee cake, dunkin donuts, or danish prepared for my siblings and I whenever we woke up for school. Although I'm in college now and away from my mother's cooking, I still must eat a filling breakfast every morning before my first class or I cannot be functional. During the fall semester, I have to rely on Chase or Emerson to provide that breakfast because I usually have 7:00am practice that ends right before my first class of the day.

This morning, I didn't have morning practice so I woke up and prepared myself my own breakfast the way my mother used too. I made homemade batter (my favorite) and used my griddle pan to cook the pancakes. Of course butter, syrup, coffee and milk are necessary with pancakes and I also had some rice pudding that is not shown in the picture below. I am fortunate enough to live in a themed house on campus and be able to cook my own food at my convince and not have to fight to use the stove with other students in the dorm or on a floor. No matter what I have to do, I will always eat breakfast in the morning because it is what keeps me fueled all day.

a test

Showing Affection Through Food

As a sophomore at Wheaton, I would like to think I am fully transitioned into college life and all that comes with it. I love almost everything about Wheaton, but there are one or two areas I would improve on if given the chance, and one of those areas is food. I have seen many people express this opinion in their blog posts, so I am obviously not the only one who constantly craves a home cooked meal. I think the reason the transition was especially hard for me freshman year due to my family background.

Most of my family grew up in Italy, and we are extremely stereotypically Italian. We are loud to the point of being obnoxious and occasionally rude and overbearing, but we also have a very specific way of showing love towards each other: through food. My memories of my grandmother start at a very young age, and are almost all associated with food. She let me help her cook, and always made me try her homemade sauce before serving it. She made it a fun experience for my cousins and me (letting us lick the spoon) and always kept us extremely well fed. To this day, visiting her means everyone running around the kitchen, chatting and yelling at each other lovingly (and usually gaining a few pounds). She never stops asking me if I’m hungry, and will always pester me until I eat something, constantly exclaiming "You look so skinny!"  Although I only see her about once a year, my mother has carried on her tradition of homemade Italian cooking.

Chapter two of FCR talked a little bit about comfort foods often being from your childhood, something that reminds you of home. I've experienced this concept here at Wheaton, because whenever I feel like getting off campus and going out to eat, I crave spaghetti and meatballs, pizza, and lasagna. I love my life here but am always counting down the days until I can walk into my house and smell wonderful Italian cooking.

Finding Your Groove

As a student newly off the meal plan, my first thought was, "Am I going to be wasting my time cooking?"

I was used to my tradition collegiate setting, where food became a passing thought. It's just there. Everyday you just sign in to the dinning hall pick up your ready made food and you are on your way. I never gave a second thought to the time and effort it took to make the meal that I was eating. Food became a commodity, something I could pick and choose from with little to no thought as to the implications of my choices. It seemed as if I devalued the food. I made it out to be something that was there because it just was, not because someone behind that counter slaved away, planning and executing a meal for 1500 students to eat. 

This year, I challenged myself to change my relationship with food and removed myself from the meal plan. This change has forced me to sit down, plan my meals and shopping trips. I no longer eat based on what I feel like eating, like chocolate cupcakes and chips, but rather what is necessary and realistically something I can make for myself. I have been forced to take a break during my day to cook my food and create something delicious from various different ingredients on my own. 

The whole experience however has not been easy. It has given me a real appreciation of how difficult it must be to, not only create a menu fit for a whole campus, but how hard it is to shop for food on a budget ensuring longevity of both the fresh ingredients. On top of that, ensuring the dried/canned goods, that are sure to last longer, are used in conjunction with more healthy options. 

This experience has given me an appreciation for the food supply industry, and just how important a good meal is for both my physical and mental health. While Wheaton's supplier Aramark is not my favorite, in fact I find a lot of the food options to be tasteless, or in general unhealthy, I understand why they struggle. In the modern day access to fresh food is expensive. Where as foods packed with preservatives and canned goods are readily available for a fraction of the price. Living on a $200 a month budget I supplement my pasta, rice and bread with frozen chicken breast and frozen vegetables. I avoid buying fresh fruits or vegetables and treat them as a luxury, something I cannot afford as most of the time they do not last more than a week. 

Food is not, and should never be, treated as a commodity. It was a mistake I made. I took the food I had for granted. Through my experience off the meal plan however, I was able to find the joy in preparing my food, while simultaneously finding a way to appreciate all the hard work it takes to feed a campus even the size of Wheaton.