When enrolling in the class English 101 for the spring semester, I had a good idea of what to expect. I spoke with my English 090 professor and decided to enroll with her as my teacher for English 101. I was a bit nervous when starting the class, as it is a college level course, but I took what I learned from the previous semester and applied it to my work when writing for this class. I knew that we would have to do a couple research essays, which isn’t my favorite to do because I have a weakness with properly making work-cited pages. I used handouts from the writing center which helped immensely and also having help from my professor. This is something that I would like to work on while in college as it will help me in the future with writing future research papers. As you view my portfolio, you will be able to see how I have grown as a writer and hopefully you find my writing enjoyable.

In my opinion, “Eat Your Heart Out”, is my best piece of writing. I was excited to write this memoir because this essay plays such a big role in my daughter and I’s life. As I was writing this memoir, I wanted to engage the reader as much as possible by using specific details describing how Puerto Rican cuisine was made. Although it was hard to describe every single detail of how the dish was made, I feel like I did my best to describe details vividly.

The next writing assignment I chose to include in my portfolio is, “Organic Overload”. This “text wrestling” assignment was to read an article that pertained to a chosen topic in which we selected at the beginning of the semester. The topic I chose was food, and we were asked to give a summery and response to the article selected. I found this mildly difficult because there was so much content to cover in the article, and the author tended to scatter his thoughts. I realized that even the best of writers have difficulties organizing their thoughts and not to get discouraged while writing. This was the first summery/ response I have ever done along with properly using MLA formatting for citations. With a few revisions on my assignment, I was pleased with the outcome.

My most recent assignment I have completed is, “Getting Schooled, on School Lunches”. In this argumentative assignment, I found that this was the most difficult for me to write. With a plethora of information, and differences nationwide on the topic of school lunches, I found it difficult to include so much information in a 1000 word essay. One could possibly write a book pertaining to the information of this topic. We were required to include sources in MLA format, which I had mentioned earlier, is one of my weaknesses. I have no problem writing in my own words, the problem I have is using in text citations and placing them properly after sentences. Although, not my strongest piece of writing, I feel that it was a learning experience and prepped me for what is to come in the future when enrolling in English 102 along with other classes pertaining to my degree.

My semester in English 101, was undoubtingly a learning experience that I will take with me throughout my college experience. I better learned how to organize my thoughts and ideas in a cohesive manner. This helped me produce writing assignments that are more engaging to the reader, while keeping on track with the main idea. I have also gained confidence in my writing because I have been taught how to write with meaning and purpose, and how to compose essays the proper way. English 101 has given me the drive to become a better writer and to prosper as a successful, well-rounded student. There is always room for improvement when it comes to writing, and I think I will excel in English 102 with what I have learned this semester. As you can see, the writing assignments in my portfolio represent my writing competence in showing development, focus, and organization skills. I hope that you enjoy reading my writing assignments as much as I enjoyed writing them.

 

      I come from a family in which salt and pepper where the only seasonings in our cabinet. Maybe if you’re lucky you might find some celery salt for the occasional hotdog or some Lawry’s seasoning salt for a steak if we wanted to walk on the wild side. I never thought my families cooking was bad because it’s all I knew. Thanksgiving turkeys were seasoned with salt and pepper with stovetop stuffing stuffed inside the carcass. Spaghetti dinners consisted on Ragu sauce with unseasoned meat and some salt and pepper thrown in for some kind of taste other than the plastic from the Ragu container. I look back now and think to myself, “How the hell did I think that was palatable?” I look at salt and pepper now as just a component of what I have to add to season meat, poultry and soups.

Let’s face it. Men love to eat, and the statement. “A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” And boy does that hold true when being with a Puerto Rican man. When I first met him, we moved in with each other after 2 weeks of meeting. I hadn’t a clue about how to cook anything but bland spaghetti sauce and macaroni and cheese. That would not suffice for any grown man. I cooked for him for a while the only way that I knew how, which was mediocre but edible. He never complained, so I never thought to change the way I cooked. I cooked every night for him and he always thanked me, and told me how great it was. This was my first time ever having to cook for another human being besides myself so it was a huge change for me. It was also my first time living with a boyfriend or away from home for that matter.

As the relationship progressed I was introduced to his mother, Grisella. I was also introduced to some foods that I have never seen or heard of. The first meal I had when invited for dinner was corned beef from a can with onions and peppers and French fries mixed into this what I thought was a dog food concoction. First, she measured about two coffee cups of water and put the water into the calldela which is a special metal pot used to cook the rice. Next, a spoon full of canola oil was added with one of the big metal spoons you use for stirring sauces. Lastly, salt was added. No particular measurement just by eye. I’ve learned by watching her cook, that she never measures when seasoning but somehow the taste is always consistent. After adding all the contents to the pot, you wait until the water, oil and salt mixture is brought to a boil and then add two coffee cups full of uncooked long-grain white rice. After that you put the lid on and let the rice cook for about thirty-five minutes, only mixing the rice twice or so. I was always told to start the rice first because it took the longest to cook. When the rice is cooked perfectly at the right temperature, something forms at the bottom called “pegao”. This is not fully cooked, crunchy rice with a golden hue that Jose particularly loves and is usually served on the side of the plate. The corn beef is pretty straight forward and easy to make. She takes the corn beef from the can and empties the contents in a large frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil. Then seasonings such as sazon, adobo, sofrito, garlic powder, a little bit of Goya red sauce and chopped cilantro are added. All measured by eye which at first I was amazed by and soon learned to do over time by watching her cook. Potatoes are peeled next, cut into French fries and put to a pan with oil to fry. These are added last along with onions and green peppers for added flavor and so they stay a bit crunchy and fresh tasting. The smell was intoxicating with a meaty smell and notes of the freshly cut veggies and seasonings. It was finally time to eat.

Then this porridge-type mixture was poured over the white rice it looked amazing even though it was simple and quick to make. The only rice I knew how to cook was rice-a-roni. I thought to myself, “Well, I like French fries. And I like rice. So what the heck, I’ll try it”. At that very moment of tasting what I thought looked like dog food, I fell in love. The flavor was something I had never experienced before and I instantly had an inkling to learn how to cook this meal. I started learning little by little from his mom how to make the perfect rice and how to perfectly season the corned beef with ingredients I’ve never heard of such as adobo and sazon and sofrito.

After mastering my favorite meal, I was eager to learn more about the Puerto Rican way of cooking. Over the years I watched my mother in law prepare and cook meals every time we went over to eat. I learned how to season meat so that it didn’t taste bland but also not too salty either. This usually pertained to seasoning chicken or pork chops, which is my boyfriend’s favorite dish. I also learned how to make white rice and beans which is a staple side dish when it comes to Spanish cooking. This was the hardest to master because you have to cook the rice in a certain pot called a caldero and you have to watch the temperature while cooking the rice so it doesn’t burn. Rice takes about thirty to forty minutes to cook to the right consistency being soft and fluffy. The beans were pretty easy to cook with included boiling a broth with water, Goya red sauce, potatoes, red beans sofrito, sazon and adobo. This usually takes fifteen minutes so it is always a good idea to start the rice before the beans. Although, simple to make these meals seem like rocket science to someone that is just starting out to learn how to cook for the first time.

Now after five years of being together and adding a child to the mix, I am happy that I can teach my daughter how to cook traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. When we go to her “nana’s” house and is asked what she wants for dinner, she always has a request for rice. I must say, she is growing into her Puerto Rican roots quite well and always compliments the chef that the food is “Bueno”. As we know, children grow up in the blink of an eye, and one day I hope to teach her what I have learned from her grandmother. It is part of her culture and it gives me great joy to be able to teach her things that I once knew nothing about.

 

When the word “Organic” comes to mind, I think of a family owned farm with cows out front in a luscious green pasture, basking in the sun while eating the greenest of grass known to man. I also have the preconceived notion that when a product is done at an organic farm, it is picked up on a pick-up truck with a wooden planked truck bed and driven to its location where it will be sold. When something carries an “Organic” label, I also associate it with a high price tag which holds true for most organic products. When purchasing these “wholesome” foods you expect that you are getting products that are produced with no chemicals. This is far from the truth, and I learned this while reading the article.

In the article, “Naturally”, by Michael Pollen, expresses his curiosity in how organic food is processed in such a way for it to be available in a TV dinner form. Everyone “Assumes organic is more “healthful” and safer, more “wholesome”. Pollen also mentions that when buying organic products that he is “Casting a vote for a more environmentally friendly kind of agriculture.” In his curiosity to find out how organic products are made, he set out to verify his and the worlds claims on preferably choosing organic products. He first learned of Cascadian Farm when it was pictured on a TV dinner he had purchased. Gene Kahn was the founder of this organic brand name. Curiosity lead him to meet up with Gene and to find out more about the organic industry. Kahn, in 1971 was a grad school dropout and at the age of twenty four “decided to change the food system” (Kahn). His decision to do so came after reading two books called “Silent Spring” and “Diet for a Small Planet.” This seemed to be a tall order to fill at the age of 24 but at the ripe age of 52, he is now a millionaire and the vice president of General Mills. He even went as far as putting vanity plates on his forest green Lexus that reads “ORGANIC”(Pollen).

After speaking with Kahn, Pollen set his sights on Small Planet Foods which is now owned by General Mills. Pollen learned things like how to prevent an herb sauce from separating after being thawed and how to give a processed taste to the TV dinner, which we are all used to. Making an organic TV dinner is very labor intensive because again it is organic of course. In the organic industry it is all about not having to sacrifice taste for something that is seemingly a better quality of food. After visiting Small Planet Foods Kahn sent Pollen to a Greenways Organic which is considered to be an industrial organic farm in which everything was done on a large scale. Pollen explains that, “It’s simply more efficient to buy from one 1,000-acre farm than 10 100-acre farms.” Pollen also accomannied Kahn on his monthly visit to the General Mills Headquarters and where they toured the General Mills Bell Technical Center. This was the first time for the both of them visiting the Technical Center. Pollen states that this facility has specialists,”where some 900 food scientists, chemists, industrial designers and nutritionists dream up and design both the near- and long-term future of American food.” They produce things that we consume every day and we don’t even think about where it came from, which is why Pollen set out on this journey in the first place. To find out where his beloved organic TV dinner came from along with other organic products he consumes.

This whole experience for Pollen has been somewhat life-changing as he decided instead of buying Horizen Organic Milk from the grocery store, to now buy his milk from a local dairy farmer. Debra, the local dairy farmer states that, “My customers can see for themselves what I’m doing here.” This gives Pollen the sought after feeling he was looking for. He was buying something that he knows exactly where it came from and was truly organic.

After reading the article by Michael Pollen I have gained insight into the world and lifestyle of organic foods and products. I was amazed that someone would go to such great lengths to find out how “organic” the food he was consuming and purchasing at big name grocery stores. When I think of organic, I think of it as just another title to put on a product to be able to ask for a higher price. When in actuality it is so much more than that. From the way the product is made, produced, shipped, and brought to the consumer. It is more of a science than a process. I never thought that manufacturers really took the time to make sure that their product was organic and always thought that this “Organic” label could be slapped on anything. In this article when Pollen visited the General Mills Bell Technical Center where he mentions there are around nine hundred food scientists, chemists, industrial designers and nutritionists. I found it interesting that there are so many people in one facility that are dedicated to creating, probing, testing, and conduction experiments on food. Just food. I would not mind having that kind of job. We never realize how much thought process goes into producing the things that we eat and drink every day. I suppose the less probing and experiments done to our food that we consume daily, the better. That is exactly what Mr. Pollen agrees with and why he chooses to purchase organic labeled food.  Although it is a tempting idea to switch over to the organic lifestyle, I still chose to opt for the non-organic lifestyle for reasoning of prices that are put on organic food products. Although it is a healthier choice, the FDA still allows and regulates food to be able to contain a certain amount of undesirable things like maggots and whatnot that don’t even have to be labeled on the product which I found in, “11 Revolting things Government Lets in Your Food“. Which makes you think that the label may say “Organic”, but is it really? This is why I won’t step into the world of organic and its overloaded prices.

 

 

 

Work Cited

Michael Pollan
“Naturally”,The New York Times Magazine, May 13, 2001

Gene Kahn

Quoted in “Naturally” The New York Times Magazine, May 13, 2001

CBS News

Web article,“11 Revolting things Government Lets in Your Food”

When you think of the usual school lunch, you think of a plastic tray filled with whatever the special is for that day. Maybe its spaghetti with meat sauce, or a slab of meatloaf accompanied with an ice cream scooped blob of mashed potatoes. Whatever it is that the school is serving for that day, a person is to wonder, how healthy is this? Even to think, where did this come from? Or, how many calories does this meal carry and if this meal is even nutritional. I don’t think that schools really think this out enough to give kids the nutritional value that one should consume on a daily basis. It also raises the question how this is contributing to early childhood obesity, which is considered an epidemic in the United States of America. Although, the USDA requires schools to follow guidelines when it comes to nutrition, when kids are offered these grease filled meal options or a salad, nine times out of ten the kids will choose the more flavorful less healthy option. This is why I think that they should strictly offer healthy food instead of giving students the option to choose otherwise unhealthy foods.

In 1966 the United States implemented the Child Nutrition Act. In an online article written by Gordon W. Gunderson he mentions that Congress had stated, “In recognition of the demonstrated relationship between food and good nutrition”. This act included “The Special Milk program” which encouraged school children to consume milk while also providing the option for giving families that are under income levels to be able to get free milk. Although this is a great program, you have to remember that along with the milk that is offered, there are also sugary drinks and juice that is offered which is high in sugar as well. With parents not by their side to guide them in making the right nutritional decision when it comes to consuming healthy products, how is this helping? Then it is now up to the child or young adult to make the correct decision in what they decide to choose as a healthy option. But how can we eliminate this poor decision making by children and young adults? I feel that the answer is to eliminate any kind of non-nutritional options from the menu and to only offer what is healthy for a sustainable diet. (isbe.state/il.us)

Almost every school I have been too has offered pizza as a lunch option. Now at a children’s standpoint, if this is offered every day, chances are they are going to have pizza as their go to choice as their meal option daily. Now if we eliminated this option, along with the unhealthy drink options then I think we would be in the works to solving a problem. At my high school, pizza was offered everyday along with whatever was also offered as a daily meal. A majority of the students would eat this pizza every day and even go up for second helpings along with their bag of greasy chips and sugary drink. We also had a vending machine which offered soda. What is better than a bottle of soda and a couple slices of pizza? Although tasty, there is no nutritional value to this, and gives you little to no protein which is needed on a daily basis and helps with providing energy to last you through the day.

In the article, Hungry vs. Healthy: The School Lunch Controversy by Bonnie Taub-Dix, she mentions that, “one in three American children is overweight or obese and at risk for diabetes, meaning that so many children are overfed, yet undernourished.” When given these statistics, one cannot deny the alarming rate of childhood obesity. To fully understand what needs to be done to fix this problem, I think the United States has to look at other areas of the world and look at the childhood obesity rate in those places in which the rate is at its lowest. In Japan, children are consuming school lunch options that are made from scratch. As a result, Japan’s child obesity rate ranks among the world’s lowest. They are offered healthy food which is both filling and nutritional and is also the only daily option for the children. This is a great system because if the child does not want the food they have two options: you either eat it, or you don’t. I think that the United States would highly benefit from this plan that Japan is using. (Chico Harlan)

As a nation full of resources, the United Stated has plenty of options that could be implemented on school lunches to lessen the rate of childhood obesity. As a nation full of resources, the United Stated has plenty of options that could be implemented on school lunches to lessen the rate of childhood obesity. One school decided to dye their apple sauce a bright green and offer it to students hopping they would choose it instead of an unhealthy option. Well this worked. It is all about making the plate or options palatable to students and make them want to eat the healthy options. It seemed as though they chose this option because they actually thought it was sweeter which would be unhealthy. Maybe an option for the younger generation would be to “trick” them into eating healthier food. Although this worked for the younger crowd, I do not think this would work for the high school age students. Youth of this age are more set in their ways of eating. (Alexandra Sifferlin)

 

 

 

WORK CITED

Illinois State Board of Education, isbe.state/il.us

U.S. News, “Hungry VS. Healthy, the School Lunch Controversy”, Oct. 5, 2012, Bonnie Taub-Dix

The Washington Post, “On Japan’s school lunch menu: A healthy meal, made from scratch”, January 26, 2013, Chico Harlan

Time, “Why Some Schools Are Saying ‘No Thanks’ to the School-Lunch Program”, Aug. 29, 2013, Alexandra Sifferlin