Summary Of The Story 'Here Everything Is Possible'

“Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion”, a chapter in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster, begins with the claim that meals are commonly a source of symbolism in literature. Communion, as Foster defines, does not necessarily have to refer to something religious. Foster argues instead that in communion in literature, which is as simple as two characters eating and drinking together, is only worth including if it has a deeper meaning. The point an author is trying to impress upon the reader is that the gesture of putting something in your body is so personal that it is a symbol of trust and friendship among two people taking part in communion. This can be used in many different ways, as Foster demonstrates by contrasting

In the two stories “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan and “Gate A-4” by Naomi Shihab Nye are two stories that share a lot of good common themes, a common theme for both stories is food brings people together. One story that reveals the theme food brings people together is “Gate A-4”. In Naomi Shihab Nye “Gate A-4” the narrator is wanting to go to Texas but her flight gets delayed and she has to help out the elderly women because she is freaking out because she thought that the flight got canceled. So now she is waiting for her flight to get back on track so she can get to Texas. Then the elder woman decides to give out a Mamool cookie that everybody takes.

Regardless the person, everyone still orders from restaurants, or they microwave a frozen dinner meal once in awhile. In contemporary society, it 's much more efficient to order take out rather than to cook and prepare your own food due to the lack of time. Sadly people even forget the taste of fresh, home cooked meals. Nowadays people don’t know what it’s like to sit down and enjoy a nice hearty home cooked meal, instead they’re always on the run grabbing a quick bite here and there. Unfortunately with such busy lives people don’t have the opportunity to watch cooking shows, go to cooking class, or even cook for their children. People just want to come home and relax they don’t want to have to worry about cooking and all the preparation that comes with it, they would much rather order take out and avoid all the hassle of cooking. In Berry Wendell’s Essay “The Pleasures of Eating”, we are given insight on how very little common people know about where their food comes from and what it goes through. “When a Crop Becomes King” by Michael Pollan reveals how corn, a single crop could be involved in such a wide array of industry and be used in almost everything. David Barboza’s article “If You Pitch It, They Will Eat”, focuses on how in modern society advertising is everywhere and it is taking a big role in everyday life. Through the work of Berry, Pollan, and Barboza we are shown that ignorance is a defining human trait.

Food brings people together. This is a theme shared in “Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes and “Gate A-4” by Naomi Shinab Nye. These two short stories use plot, conflict, and symbolism throughout to share these themes with the readers. The story that most shows that food brings people together is “Gate A-4”. In “Gate A-4” by Naomi Shinab Nye, an old Arabic woman thinks that her flight has been canceled when it has only been delayed, thankfully the narrator speaks Arabic and is able to explain this to the Arabic woman.

Foster discusses the idea that when two characters eat together, that moment acts as a bonding experience and causes the characters to come together. I had never noticed the significance of a meal between characters before. After reading this chapter, I can think of so many moments in stories when the characters share a meal together to form friendships or come to a peace. In one of my favorite novels, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, Picoult writes that “Emma Alexis- who was one of the cool, beautiful girls…she rolled her wheelchair right beside Justin. She’d asked him if she could have half of his donut” (367). Splitting the donut between one of the popular girls and one of the quieter, nerdier boys was a representation of the deformation of the high school social classes. After reading this chapter, I could recall the significance of meals together in so many novels and movies but I never noticed this pattern before.

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.

It is a known fact that every human being communicates through language, but perhaps a little known fact that we communicate even through the food we eat. We communicate through food all the meanings that we assign and attribute to our culture, and consequently to our identity as well. Food is not only nourishment for our bodies, but a symbol of where we come from. In order to understand the basic function of food as a necessity not only for our survival, we must look to politics, power, identity, and culture.

I. Intro A. Attention Getter: M.F.K Fisher, an American food writer once said “Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.” B. Revealed Object and Speaker Credibility: A Spatula represents a variety of things in the food culture. It is a utensil that symbolizes control in the kitchen and those who verify themselves as a chef or a cook. It is a beautiful thing to be able to create such amazing and tasteful foods just by utilizing a tool such as the spatula. The spatula has been created in many shapes and forms but it continues to be a special utensil for a cook.

Thinking about the importance and significance of food respective to our health, ethnic culture and society can cause cavernous, profound, and even questionable thoughts such as: “Is food taken for granted?”, “Is specialty foods just a fad or a change in lifestyle?”, and even “Is food becoming the enemy.” Mark Bittman, an established food journalist, wrote an article called “Why take food seriously?” In this article, Bittman enlightens the reader with a brief history lesson of America’s appreciation of food over the past decades. This history lesson leads to where the social standing of food is today and how it is affecting not only the people of America, but also the rest of the world.

In the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, the author Fannie Flagg uses food as a symbol for friendship and love. The cafe itself, run by Ruth and Idgie, serves as a way for them to connect to people, “be it family, friend, or total stranger” through the food that they make and serve with love (Dvorak 99). Idgie and Ruth allow anyone who’s hungry to come into their cafe to eat, even if they’re colored or homeless. They understand that food is for everyone and make a point to share with those in need. Then there is “the infamous bandit Railroad Bill”, who gives food away to the poor and homeless during the Depression, saving hundreds of lives in the process (Perkins 99). Lastly, the characters Evelyn and Ninny develop a very

‘’Food Is Good’’ written by a chef, author, and food critic, Anthony Bourdain reflects on his childhood experiences and his passion for food. According to Bourdain, food has more meaning beyond being a substance. Food is filled with stories and power that can change a life. In the article, Bourdain reflected on his family vacation to Europe, which piqued his curiosity for food and started his passion.

I still remember the stories from years gone by. Family, friends and neighbors sittin’ at the dinner table, on the front porch, or around a roarin’ hot fire out in the woods, just like the Hunt Club’s y’all used to know. The one thing that all these things had in common was great food!

Typically as someone grows up, a common event shared amongst millions around the world is to eat out with your peers. This is a spontaneous event in which friends gather in their free time to dine on great food. When people start gathering together it creates an atmosphere that allows for the enjoyment of both the food and experience. While peers often meet with one another,what really brings this group of friends together? It is the food that brings them together. Food a necessity;to all living beings in order to sustain a stable and healthy life. However, in this case there’s more to food than it being a necessity. Food brings peers together because it creates a sense of enjoyment and reforms the bonds between peers.

Food is something that plays a central role in day-to-day life. Whether it is being used solely as a tool for survival or being consumed for pleasure, it is constantly sought after and thought about. Despite this, it is rarely given much more thought than that. While there are certain implications that come with various types of meals, they are very forthright with the meanings. Meals like steak dinners with red wine are viewed as romantic and passionate, while dishes like instant noodles appear cheap and lazy. In literature, however, food is used with much more subtlety. It may not always play a central role, but food acts as a metaphorical mirror in that it reflects various aspects of the story back at the reader. This includes

Working in a hot, smoky, hectic restaurant you end up coming across every denomination of people, because if there is one universal truth it is, everyone needs to eat. Throughout my time there I have noticed the differences and the similarities amongst the people passing through the doors. From the high baller or what I call a food snob, the middle class not of society but of food consumption, spontaneous first timers/tryers, the everyday normals, and the ever-faithful regulars.