ENGLISH 1101

My clock alarm used to ring at 5:30 am every weekday. My kitchen woke up with me because it was time for cooking. No, I did not have a food business. I just had a mom business. Each school day, I prepared lunch for my kids. They are very selective about food. Rice, eggs, tomatoes, chicken breast, and others were freshly cooked or prepared. It was never a burden for me to do this each morning; I did it with joy and love every time. My two older kids are autistic; therefore, is hard to think about their future and the fact that mommy will not be forever with them preparing their meals. I kept asking myself how they could begin to like other dishes beside mine, and I came up with a brilliant idea: School lunch is a good place to experiment with new kinds of foods. This year, my older son, who is less selective than the other one, is being part of “the experiment”. I hope this idea works; after all, the schools know what the students need better. They have specialized people working to make the School Nutrition Program better every day; at least, it is what they say.

As a caring mother, I had to go and check for myself how my experiment was going. I remember my first time at the school cafeteria when I joined my children at lunch. The front wall had a big painting with intense colors that showed a jungle with all kinds of wild animals. A smile was on my face. I did not know whether it was painted just because kids love animals or because of another hidden reason. I thought it could be the last one because that room was the closest thing to a jungle I ever saw (in a good way). Every person there was different in age range, size, and color of skin. I got a very good impression of the environment. Everything looked clean and messy at the same time, but it was a good mess. Students and teachers shared this moment with joy; they were just relaxed. It was certainly a place to share food, jokes, and opinions. They were speaking, laughing and, of course, eating altogether. The cafeteria staff was very busy filling the lines with food, attending students’ payments, and cleaning some chaotic tables. I was so enthusiastic about spending this time with my kids that I forgot to eat.

“Is it always that busy?” I asked an employee, who was cleaning some juice spilled on the floor. “Oh, yes, mam, it is. And sometimes, it gets worst.” And then she laughed while returning to the kitchen. Every person in that room seemed to enjoy the moment, even the cafeteria workers. My eyes kept looking around, and finally, I saw something interesting. A poster near the door written in colored letters read: “Healthy Meals Served Here!” I looked at my plate inspecting carefully my lunch, and I could almost hear Michel Pollan, an award-winning author, saying: “Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food” (10). I looked over the other plates, but I couldn’t identify anything. Is that what they mean by healthy food? I never could say what were Mozzarella Sticks, Pepperoni Fun Lunch or Steak Nuggets & Roll. I do not know if it is because I am not from America, and I did not grow up here that I struggled to identify these food’s names.

I came to school another day at breakfast time. On that occasion, my interests were different; I was looking for some answers. I approached the Principal to tell her that I was writing about the school cafeteria, and I would like to know more about the food they serve there, as well as the nutrition program of the school. “There is a monthly schedule of our meals where you can find everything about the food we serve here;” she said very politely “also, on our website you can read about the nutrition program” (Smith). Maybe because it was not a good time to ask, I got a quick answer that was not what I was looking for. Later at home, I examined the schedule carefully. A lot of interesting things, I could find. Thirty-four entrees, twelve different fruits, and twenty-five vegetable-based dishes made up the schedule for three weeks; after that, the cycle of meals began again. The beats of my heart increased while I was writing the list. I had wanted to have all this food in my elementary school cafeteria in Cuba. Even though I had not a lot of variety and quantity of food, the meals I ate at my school cafeteria were prepared with fresh and organic ingredients. America is amazing; it is a nation with uncountable resources to be exploited. I am blessed to be here. I am also thankful because my kids have lunch for only 0.40 cents; however, in my opinion, this country has enough provisions to feed its children with real healthy food, and not with “foodish products” (Pollan 11). The school meals it has variety, for sure, but lacks quality in terms of natural food.

“Let’s Eat Healthy!” announced the monthly schedule on the back of the paper, but when I read it, I could only see meals made with highly processed ingredients and non-seasonal or fresh vegetables and fruits. Finally, I visited the school website which sent me to another website that showed this information: “School Nutrition employees follow menus and prepare meals according to standardized recipes to ensure that students receive meals that meet current USDA menu planning guidelines” (Walton). Maybe I did not understand properly; however, what I concluded about this statement is that a hotdog (which is a popular entrée among students) is qualified as a healthy food because the nutrition authorities say so. Well, I feel lost, because I had always heard that hotdogs are junk food.

“October is National Farm to School Month”. It is another announcement on the monthly schedule that got my attention. That phrase reminded me of an article by Troy Johnson, who is well-known for his program Crave on the Food Network and his work as a dining critic, titled Farm to Fable. He uses some stories as examples of the big fraud that many restaurants are doing while using the Farm-to-table concept without putting into practice. “Like any good movement, Farm to table has now been co-opted.” state Johnson, “The stories of restaurants deceiving their customers – or flat out lying to them – have increased” (191). I felt identified with the last sentence because it has a similarity with the school when they tell the parents about serving healthy food to the students, and clearly, they do not. The school meals are highly processed. The food providers are too far away to be local farmers, because the food that arrives at school kitchens came pre-cooked, and people can’t find pre-cooked food in nature. Although they claim to meet the USDA regulations, most industrial food is not healthy enough to feed our kids.

We can find in classic literature as in Little House on the Prairie or Anne of Green Gables, how was back in the 19th century when rural students went home during lunch break and ate fresh homemade meals. The image of kids bringing to school apples for their teacher and their snacks, makes me feel nostalgic for moments that I would want to be part of my childhood. Why did things have to change? An article from Time written by Emmerly Rude, a food historian and the author of Tastes Like Chicken, writes a bit about school lunches history. “By 1900, 34 of the then 45 states had laws calling for compulsory education of all children under the age of 14… reformers saw the need to improve the outcomes of all students drawn into the education system… Philadelphia and Boston were the first two American cities to institute school lunch programs,… serving up hot meals for the price of a penny in high schools as early as 1894”(Rude). The first problem was solved. However, another issue came out to light: The use of cheap food at schools compromised the student’s health. “No Such Thing as a Free Lunch” is the title of another article, which was written by Dr. Teja Pristavec a sociologist and a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute and Initiative. In her article, she explores the idea of the evident cost of free meals at schools. She suggests that the government solution of resolving the money issue is affecting kids’ health (Privastec). I think she is not far from the truth; the increase of diseases as diabetes and obesity in America maybe has its cause in school lunches quality.

I felt like my brain was going to explode. The proverb says that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this saying fits perfectly in my reasoning about how wise could be the decision to let our children eat the school cafeteria food. Well, we cannot blame those people who advocate for our kid’s rights and are always finding a better way for everything; they also have the best of the intentions. But neither we can’t leave our responsibility in others’ hands. We need to do our best to find the issues, communicate them, organize them in terms of significance and try to fix them in that order. They are our children after all, and we need to decide what matters, and what are our priorities. I will state my determination going back to the days when I prepared my son’s school lunch, and when somebody asks me why I do that, then I could explain my good reasons; who knows if I can help other parents to open their eyes and question their priorities as I did once.

"Apple, Carrot, and Celery Juice 1of2" by Food Thinkers is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
"Boy and Girl Enjoy Lunch" by Old Shoe Woman is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
"KTA Lunch Lady illustration" by Alexis Moulds is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

WORKS CITED
Johnson, Troy. “Farm to Fable”. Food Matters, edited by Bauer, Holly Bauer. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 191-195.
Pollan, Michael. “Eat Food: Food Defined”. Food Matters, edited by Bauer, Holly Bauer. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 10-19.
Pristavec, Teja. “No Such Thing as a Free Lunch: Part I”. The Society Pages, 14 May 2014, thesocietypages.org/socimages/2014/05/14/no-such-thing-as-a-free-lunch-part-i/.
Rude, Emmerly. “An Abbreviated History of School Lunch in America.” Time, Sept. 2016, time.com/4496771/school-lunch-history/
Smith, Sarah. Personal interview. 26 Sept. 2019.
Walton County Public District. Walton County Public District: School Nutrition, Accessed Sept. 2019, www.walton.k12.ga.us/SchoolNutrition.

I remember hearing a female voice saying: “Pour it in frozen water for it to be scared.” That was one of the weirdest phrases that I could ever hear from my grandmother. All her creepy sayings always came from the kitchen. Maybe because of that, neither cooking is my strongest area nor eating. Although, I must admit that food has been a co protagonist in my life’s screenplay. Like a living character with its own story to tell, food has been animating my existence. The cassava, which is same as yuca in Cuban Spanish, for example, has accompanied me in my lifetime.

Yuca is a root that has plenty of carbohydrates, but poor in vitamins and minerals. However, it is a delicious dish of many Caribbean and South American countries, including Cuba. In Georgia, Farmer’s Market are always best option to buy yuca, but, also, you can find it, frozen, at stores like Publix, and it still has good quality. If I would share a recipe, it would be this one, named Yuca con Mojo.

Ingredients:

4 Yucas (cassava roots) chopped

1 Sour (bitter) orange

½ Onion chopped

5 Garlic cloves

½ Cup of Extra virgin Olive Oil

Add salt to taste.

Steps to cook are as follows. Boil the yuca in salted water until it changes its color, maybe, about 35 min. (By the way, my grandma’s phrase means that when yuca do not change its color after boiling for long time, the solution is: “scared it” with freeze water). In the meanwhile, combine the chopped onion, the garlic cloves and the oil in a hot pan until garlic change to a golden color, just before it gets burned. Then drain the yuca and place it in a serving dish. Pour previous sauce over the yuca, and you can garnish with some parsley leaves if you like.

I was eating yuca puree before I was six months old. When I was born it was a normal practice that babies begin to eat solid food at about three months of age. Now, with all this exclusive breastfeeding thing, babies begin to eat after 6 months old. As a first-time mother I did follow the new rules, and because yuca could be unaffordable for us in our country my kids barely ate yuca puree one or two times as infants. I know it could sound weird because roots can grow easy, but since we have seasonal production and consumption of vegetables and fruits in Cuba, when is yuca harvest time, most part of the harvest goes to hotels and restaurants; people only get a small portion of the harvest and therefore, the demand of it raises. We’ve been in America for three years, and guess what, we still eat yuca. Although, it is easier to get yuca here than in our own country, something else is happening in our home. Hamburgers, broccoli, hot dogs, strawberries, pies, Tostitos, cheese dip, and other kinds of foods are filling our table instead of the old Cuban cuisine. I have always wanted that my kids like yuca, but I have never been able to make them like it. My real concern is that they do not want to eat yuca or other Cuban food even without trying. The food which they share stories with, are so different from mine. It would be sad that at some point in our lives, we cannot share the same memories about food.

Eating yuca is easy and cooking too, but my very first time making a yuca dish was a fiasco. I was just married and happy to be making dinner for my husband. I wanted to surprise him with a delicious recipe which included yuca. As I shared before, basic steps to cook yuca is boiling it in water until it changes its color, and then, to add salt and oil while it is boiling. Well, I followed the steps but not entirely right. I added too much salt, and the result was a husband making silly faces when he tried the first bite. All I can say on my behalf is that after 12 years of practicing, I am good at cooking yuca (better late than never).

Barrio Tirso Diaz, Santa Clara, Cuba. 2019

Cuban family eating Caldoza

In Cuba, we eat yuca mainly at holidays parties, but in different ways. For example, for Christmas Eve and New Year Eve, we eat Yuca con mojo. Next day of each holiday we fry spare yuca and then we eat them as snacks. It is delicious. There is another national festivity in which we make a large broth for all the neighborhood, and, yuca goes in the big casserole along with other vegetables and pork body parts. We call this meal Caldoza. I must confess that nobody could make me eat that kind of food, or at least I used to think in that way, until one day came. I was in a Bible Camp working as a Bible teacher. It was in a very small town. All people there were very kind and social, but also, in those days, there was not many foods to eat. Therefore, Caldoza was the best option to feed a group of one hundred fifty adults and kids. I remember the first day when I was waiting at lunch and they served me a deep dish full of Caldoza. A pork bone and a piece of corn cob were swimming in a yellow and greasy broth along with other vegetables including yuca. I could not avoid the expression of disgust on my face.

“What is wrong?” asked the boy next to me.

“I can’t eat this,” I answered. “Just the smell it makes me sick.”

“Well, I used to be the same,” said the boy while wiping his plate with a little piece of bread.

“But you almost have finished.”

“That is because I have found the key,” and then, he ate that piece of bread in one mouthful.

“Please, share it with me.” I said desperately.

“You will need a piece of bread, a half of lemon, and a long of hunger.”

“Well,” I said, “thank you for sharing. Now, do you want my lunch?”

“Sure!” He exclaimed.

I didn’t eat my lunch hoping dinner will be coming soon. Then dinner came and Caldoza with it again. If you suppose that I ran looking everywhere for a piece of bread and a half of lemon, then, you are right. After three days, eating Caldoza for lunch and dinner, I returned to my home like a different person. At least I felt that way. After that, I kept eating any kind of soup with a piece of bread and a half of lemon, and, I still remember my little hero too.

Yuca has also been a reason for fights. Picture this. The aroma of food filling the dining room, and everybody waiting for the last twelve strokes. Some people talk and make jokes, other, are just sleepy, and some of them are focusing in a certain dish on the table. Apparently forgotten, there is, the last one, floating in olive oil, topped with garlic and onions. A lonely and still creamy yuca is being hunted by three pair of eyes. Suddenly, someone got it from the table toward his plate with lightning speed. He is the lucky one, because, to welcome a New Year with the taste of Yuca con Mojo in your mouth it is like beginning with the right foot. At least, that was the thinking in my house 30 years ago. What about now? Only the old people enjoy this yuca-hunting at parties. My kids only fight for fried potatoes.

I must add, yuca is not just a meal, it is more than that, at least for my generation and generations before. It has even become part of Cuban music. There is a funny song, popularized by Benny More, a Cuban singer which told the story of a fool who wants to marry. The title of the song is “El Bobo de la Yuca” (the fool of the yuca). My grandfather used to sing that song in such a way that I am smiling while I write this. My kids didn’t get to know him, neither that song.

After this review of my reasons to believe that what we eat accompanies us, in joy and sorrows, like good friends do, I have noticed that maybe I am the last generation who likes yuca. Maybe, my kids will never know the meaning of that weird phrase of my grandmother. I feel sad, but at the same time I recognize that they are different persons with different stories which means a bunch of memories like mine, and that matters. What is our common factor? We all share stories with food. We all have friends in the Menu.