Eating with Mike Teavee

In Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory there is much to poke fun at our society and food. Mike Teavee is an interesting character who represents the kid in the everyday American lifestyle. I think it is interesting because he is sitting on the couch watching TV and could not be bothered by anyone around him while his program was playing. Even though there were tons of reporters giving him all the attention anyone could want, he still chooses to sit there and focus on the TV. This leads to how he cannot even leave the TV to go have a family meal. His mother says she serves all his meals right in front of him while he watches TV. I think this foreshadows how Americans eat now. This movie was made in 1971 and yet we have seen a bigger change in how common it is to watch TV while eating any meal.

I grew up in a household where when we ate dinner the TV was turned off and we had family time. The only time when the TV was turned on during dinner was if it was a special occasion, but even then those were few and far between.  I think this concept is lost in most families in America these days. People are so busy they do not really have time to all sit down and eat together because their schedules all conflict. I miss the days when I could sit down at the end of the day and enjoy dinner with my family. When I was younger I would go to my friend house and they would eat dinner in front of the TV whenever they felt like it. It was nice sometimes because it was not like my house, but I could not imagine living that way all the time. Eating should be an experience with other people, not the moving pictures on a flat screen high definition television. 

My Visit to Kumo Hibachi & Steak

I went to Kumo Hibachi & Sushi last night. I have never had sushi in my life and did not particularly want to try it. My friend was craving sushi and I said my class is trying new foods around Kalamazoo so I thought it was perfect to go with her a try some sushi. I have been to Hibachi restaurants in the past and I love it, so it wasn’t hard to get me there. I decided to split a roll with my friend. We got an eel and cucumber roll. Now I’m typically a sea food lover, but the sound of eel was a little much for me. I still got the eel but ordered the hibachi grilled steak and shrimp to fill me up just in case I hated the sushi.

When I tried it I was expecting the worst, but I was actually surprised. It didn’t have much of a fishy taste like I was expecting. I honestly tasted the cucumber more than the eel. I think the texture of the seaweed that it was wrapped in and the sliminess of the eel was the thing that threw me off. I had one roll and in most cases that would have been it for me, but this time I ate a second roll just to try it again. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. I think I am going to try other combinations to see if I can find one I actually like. I can now say I have tried sushi and can add it to the relatively short list of foods I like.

Midwestern Writers on Food: A Review

I know this is super late but…

A couple weeks ago (right before I started getting sick) I went to the reading at People’s Church about Midwestern Writers on Food. The author Peggy Wolff gave us a brief background on why she wanted to write the novel, Fried Walleye and Cheery Pie. Wolff asked 30 Midwestern writers to pick a certain food to focus on in their chapter they wrote. Wolff then combined all the different excerpts to create a book. I thought it was such an interesting idea to have so many different writings in one book.

Bonnie Jo Campbell then discussed her chapter on how her family made a special candy that was passed down in her family. It was so cool to hear an author read some of their own writing. There were points when she would stop ad give her own personal side notes, which I thought made it more special to hear. It gave a little more personality and background to the words on the page.

When I was there I felt like I was in the wrong generation. Most of them were older so it was hard to relate when they were discussing old recipes that were passed down to them from other generations. There was one lady who said she measured her grandmother’s hand because that is how her grandmother measured the ingredient. They didn’t always have a recipe they followed; they would just make it how they knew to make it. I felt like I could not contribute to the conversation because cooking is not as big a deal in my family, and I am a terrible cook. Overall it was a pretty interesting experience, and I am glad I attended this event.