"Girl Eats Food"

[This was an assignment for my multicultural education class a couple semesters ago.]

To start, I chose a buffet-style diorama because although I have never had an eating disorder, both obesity and anorexia have come very close to me through those I love, and I have nearly been on the brink of both at different points in my life. The culture of food is a big deal to me, and almost all food items really do have deeper associations in my brain than simply, “This is food so I eat it.”

My first item is a package of Top Ramen. A couple years ago, I swore off of Ramen forever because I heard it was one of the top 10 worst foods one could possibly eat. A month ago, I got married and suddenly, I had to eat Ramen to survive. For newlyweds who are both in school and working full time to stay afloat in the cheapest apartment they could find, a quick 17¢ meal is one of the few affordable (and available) options. I now eat Ramen almost every day, but I can’t wait to drop it again. Top Ramen symbolizes my recent (and now semi-permanent) experience as a “starving student.” Turns out living paycheck to paycheck ain’t easy.

My second item is a jar of peanut butter. I firmly believe that peanut butter is the most celestial food on this planet, and I consider any day where I don’t eat peanut butter simply well-wasted. I am convinced that life without peanut butter would not be worth living. The cultural connection here is to my religious beliefs, which form a major part of my cultural identity. In my lifelong LDS church membership, religious activities have become as important as peanut butter: life without religion would not be worth living, any day that does not include religion is well-wasted, and gradually my intake of religion makes my life more celestial. Peanut butter symbolizes my forever commitment to my beliefs and my testimony. Long live peanut butter.

My last item is a can of tomato sauce. My mom used tomato sauce in a lot of her recipes; I know because I was always the one sent to fetch some from the storage room downstairs. After moving out for the first time, I bought some tomato sauce, knowing how much Mom uses it, but I have yet to find a recipe that I can make which requires tomato sauce. Although I was practically raised on the stuff, I cannot yet apply my experiences of the past to my current situations. However, I greatly look forward to the process of learning how to combine my family traditions and my husband’s family traditions into brand new, our-family traditions. Tomato sauce represents my simultaneous return to family roots and forward-looking attitude in the building of my family. Because family tops every priority list.

Food is not just food. And this girl eats food.