Topic. Write an essay in which you show how food–its production, preparation, and/or consumption–affectseveryday life beyond its obvious role as one of the basic necessities; that is, try to explore in your essay the cultural,psychological, and social influences of food on you and those around you. For example, explain how yourchildhood was defined by the constant struggle between you and your parents to get you to eat healthy foods; ordescribe the most elaborate meal that you have ever eaten, perhaps at a fancy restaurant, and how it made you feel.Also, you might relate your first experiences with growing a garden and enjoying fresh vegetables or catching andcooking your own fish on a camping trip. If your family still maintains its ethnic origins by preparing food from theold country, you might use your essay to describe such a meal and how it connects you to your roots. This is not aprocess analysis paper on how to prepare a certain dish; instead, you should use your essay to interpret the meaningof food in your own life and culture.Audience and Purpose. Food is a necessity for life, but it is so much more than that. It is used in social settings tohelp members of a group bond and to make parties festive; it is used to pass from generation to generation familyand national customs; it is used to make friends and observe special occasions; and it is used to the express artisticvalues of those who prepare it for consumption. Writing about the role of food in our lives can teach us much aboutourselves and our culture. Interpreting the meaning of food in our lives can help readers understand life in general.Development Strategy. To develop this kind of personal essay, use division/classification (like the sample essay),comparison/contrast, or narration/description. Begin by brainstorming some interesting experiences you have hadwith food, and make a list of potential topics. Try to list eight or ten topics, and then choose the one that seems themost interesting. To test drive this topic, do some free writing for five or ten minutes to see what you have to say.If this results in some interesting material, try some focused free writing in which you use a specific strategy, suchas narration or comparison/contrast, to organize your thoughts. If this results in a detailed, creative look at the art ofeating okra or why your Cajun grandmother used food as bribery, try writing a thesis (main idea sentence) that willhelp you shape the first draft into a purposeful, coherent essay. If this works, share your first draft with apreliminary audience before writing a final draft. Develop your topic with specific supporting material frompersonal experiences and use sensory language to help readers experience the food you describe.
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