The Soup Nazi I remember sitting down at 9:30 pm on Thursdays throughout the beginning of my high school career like it was yesterday. It was sort of a tradition between my father and me. And what made these nights so special you ask? Why, only the best show about nothing: Seinfeld. It was my understanding that the Soup Nazi episode was based on an actual soup-maker in New York, but was never able to substantiate the claim. This is why I loved reading the article “Soup” from our textbook. It was anonymously submitted to the New Yorker in 1989 and examines a day in the life of Albert Yeganeh, an Armenian and inspiration for the eponymous character. The author begins his observation with two quotes from Yeganeh, one of which I immediately assign to the fictitious Soup Nazi, “I am extremely hard to please.” Any fan of Seinfeld will immediately understand the reference. Just as the author states later in the essay, Mr. Yeganeh doesn’t tolerate any deviation from his rules. A young woman, unsure of which soup she would like, is summarily waved out of line with a deafening, “Next!” …show more content…
Yeganeh by the author is one of the highlights of the essay. I can almost picture his gesticulations and facial expressions as the anonymous writer lets him go on what was very likely a five minute rant. In it Mr. Yeganeh covers everything from the ingredients in his soups to the ingredients included in in other supposed “chefs” soups’ around the city. I found myself chuckling when he related how he fired someone after discovering an errant mushroom on the floor. Mr. Yeganeh ends his tirade by noting that, of course, “All the big-shot chefs and the kings of hotels come here to see what I’m
Sometimes she’d come to my regional finals. During the season, Sunday was soup day- she’d make it while we were with dad, zipping up and down the sidelines, and heated it up in that well-scrubbed, large silver pot when we came in from soccer. Some days it was kind of a proper soup, a bit like those Penelope had in her mansion near town, from a real recipe- cream of mushroom, minestrone, or French onion. Never cream of chicken though… the place up in town was quite pricey. Other times it’d just be a Mum’s Mix just the way I liked it, made from whatever scraps and bits and pieces needed to be used up. The ultimate rule to good cooking, she’d say, if you put nice things in it, it can’t possibly turn out nasty. In went the leftover bits of ham, corn cobs, softened tomatoes, the stalk of chives sitting at the back of the fridge, left over herbs from the garden, and a tiny cube of chicken stock. Dad would stomp in, the floor boards creaking as he limped into the kitchen. Grey eyed, and growling with hunger, he’d slurp down the whole without even picking up his spoon, bits and pieces sticking to his unruly black moustache. It was true too, I’ve lived with Mum’s philosophy to this day cooking in the front kitchen overlooking the harbour…it’s still loved by
Anthony Bourdain is a critically acclaimed chef, writer, and television star. He has appeared in shows such as “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”, “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”, and “Top Chef,” and published works such as “Don’t Eat Before Reading This”, “Medium Raw”, and “The Nasty Bits.” Trained at Vassar College the Culinary Institute of America, Bourdain is known for his love of food. In 2000, he wrote a book called Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and his first chapter is entitled “Food is Good”. In the chapter, Bourdain discusses his trip to France with his family, and how the trip transformed from hating the exotic food to loving it. Through his structure, descriptive language, and childhood stories,
For a guest to make such a statement about a meal prepared for him in the presence of his hostess shows such a breach of etiquette that even Wangero should have reprimanded him. Wangero, however, chooses to ignore the insult and instead shows through her healthy appetite that her newfound convictions do not extend as far as the dinner table.
David Sedaris’s Tasteless is an essay filled with imagery and humor. His sarcasm and language really captures the reader’s mind. He takes you through his journey of his eating habits from a boy to an adult. He begins his story with discussing how cigarettes can affect one’s senses, blaming his lack of taste on his smoking fixation. He proceeds to describe his eating habits with elaborate details and analogies, poking fun at himself numerous times. Sedaris tells of a time where he tried to bribe his sister for part of her meal. Then he talks about a cookbook he received from his mother and how by high school he began making pizzas. Although he would be creative with his meals, he never applauded himself once on his abilities to create something
The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb is based on a true story of the capturing of an S.S. Officer after World War 2. The book goes through the background of Adolf Eichmann and then which S over to the steps that lead up to his capture. Overall it is a pretty good book that will keep the reader on edge as the try to capture him.
First, Rachel adopts logos to illustrate the emerging importance of homemade meals to the audience. In other words, using general reasoning and facts, she tried to make her article more persuading. In the beginning of the article, she acknowledges her personal facts to demonstrate her
Some say food is an exploration of culture, and taste evokes lush memories of the past. “ In An Island Passover” by Ethel G. Hofman, she described her life in the Shetland Islands. Every year, Hofman’s family celebrates Passover- a traditional Jewish holiday where time and effort to prepare a meal is like painting, and it takes months to reveal a masterpiece. While Hofman had a positive recollection of her family’s traditional cuisine, author of “Fish Cheeks”, Amy Tan did not share the same experience. Tan felt ashamed of sharing her traditional cuisine with a pastor's son whom she was in love with. Tan strived for her crush’s approval because she did not want to be deemed strange. Hofman and Tan had striking differences in
Mr. Yeganeh and Lionel are the picture perfect people when someone thinks of how one should be dedicated towards their job. They put all of their time and effort into making others satisfied. Mr. Yeganeh makes a minimum of eight soups per day, and he makes them to fit everyone's taste. There are simple soups such as Chicken Noodle and Stroganoff, and then there are stranger and weirder soups like African Peanut Butter and Swiss Chocolate. He creates his own recipes and spends hours trying to perfect them.
In Jessica Harris’s “The Culinary Season of my Childhood” she peels away at the layers of how food and a food based atmosphere affected her life in a positive way. Food to her represented an extension of culture along with gatherings of family which built the basis for her cultural identity throughout her life. Harris shares various anecdotes that exemplify how certain memories regarding food as well as the varied characteristics of her cultures’ cuisine left a lasting imprint on how she began to view food and continued to proceeding forward. she stats “My family, like many others long separated from the south, raised me in ways that continued their eating traditions, so now I can head south and sop biscuits in gravy, suck chewy bits of fat from a pigs foot spattered with hot sauce, and yes’m and no’m with the best of ‘em,.” (Pg. 109 Para). Similarly, since I am Jamaican, food remains something that holds high importance in my life due to how my family prepared, flavored, and built a food-based atmosphere. They extended the same traditions from their country of origin within the new society they were thrusted into. The impact of food and how it has factors to comfort, heal, and bring people together holds high relevance in how my self-identity was shaped regarding food.
Pollan first establishes his ethos by citing nutritionist Joan Gussow. This shows us that he has done his research in the field and provides his reflection to her speech; this makes him appear more as an equal peer talking to us about why food should be redefined. He continues to draw the reader in by bringing a pathos aspect; bringing up your great grandmother. Pollan explains, “We need to go back at least a couple of generations to a time before the advent of most modern foods” (107). He continues to encourage the reader to imagine grocery shopping with your great grandmother. Pollan brings an emotional aspect to making the reader reminisce about great grandmother’s cooking and possibly remorsefully reflect how grandma would complain about how unhealthy food is today. Then he tells us to avoid foods she would not recognize as a food that contains familiar ingredients, no extra additives
Because of passion with cooking and dream to be a chef, I have read a lot of cookbooks, regional culinary books and books about famous chefs, some of them are interesting but none of them was attracted to me the most. Normally, I just found some my favorite recipes in such books. However, “Letters to a young chef”, a book contains a collection of letters which Chef Daniel Boulud wrote to Alex Lee whom worked alongside Daniel for ten years as a passionate young cook, truly brings me desire to make my dream come true as much as help me to broaden my knowledge about culinary arts.
Tita, our main protagonist, surrenders her love for her the value of family in doing so, she begins to put a greater value into her cooking. For instance, in the novel, it states that “Soups can cure any illness, whether physical or mental. (7, 410)” This quote was embedded to show that the meal could help cure Tita even in her darkest hours. That the love used to make that hot liquid can cure her from the pain or hurt she is feeling. It is also revealed that the kitchen signifies a safety net in the story for Tita because, “ It wasn't easy for a person whose knowledge was based on the kitchen to comprehend the outside world. (1, 7)” It is expressed that tita can truly be herself and let out her emotions in her kitchen. That the kitchen is the one place she can be herself and do what she loves. Lastly, cooking symbolizes her values because when Tita was in a slump she made some soup and once she took a bite she say “John. Please don't leave.(7, 425)” This is important because the power of her cooking influenced her
Divorce will lead to happiness. As odd as divorce leading to happiness may sound, it contains truth. Stone Soup, written by Barbara Kingsolver, contains her personal experience with divorce, and the effects divorce had on her family. Kingsolver uses personal experience, to demonstrate that divorce frees the families from bondage.
As I added the finishing touches of friend onions and parsley to make it look aesthetically pleasing, I took a step back to stare at the masterpiece I had just created, a luscious and delectable Pakistani rice dish called “Briyani”. Making this dish is the epitome of success in every Pakistani girl’s lifetime. It’s considered an essential quality to add to one’s marriage “resume”. However, to me, it was more than just a future “in law pleaser”, it was my compass for life. A cook must be diligent and attentive to detail, conscious of every ingredient and amount that is being used. A cook is a provider, helping with the wellbeing of the people who are consuming the prepared food. The kitchen is their clinic, and the consumers are their patients. Nine years of cooking with my mother has taught me dedication, obedience, and tested my patience when some recipes would fail. Cooking, as a safe haven from the difficulties of everyday life, has helped me better connect to all my experiences throughout the years and has molded the foundation for my passion and calling, medicine.
I thought what a wonderful way to tell a story” (Mujica 38). The reader is often present in the kitchen with Esquivel when she writes about her past experiences in the kitchen.