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__AP Language and Composition __ Food Memory

Food has always been a huge part of my life. Coming from a giant Italian family i guess it's just a commonality we all share. We love food. Talking about food, cooking food, tasting food, going out together to GET food, having parties with countless platters of cold cuts, pasta, deserts, and the all-important //pizzagaina.// For as long as I can remember, I had always looked forward to Easter (because that was the only time of year that my mother and grandmother made pizzagaina). What is it, you ask? Well, this meat pie of ricotta cheese, salt and pepper, with pepperoni and ham stuffed inside, was always a showstopper at every Easter brunch at Grammy Santoro's house. The dish is worth its weight in gold in my family. We still have pizzagaina every year on Easter. While every year of my childhood, I argued that such a delicious dish should not be hidden for 11 months out of the year, I now realize that there's a reason it has been a tradition to only make it around Easter. If my mom and grandma had made pizzagaina all the time as if it was spaghetti and meatballs (I wouldn't be able to count on my fingers and toes how many times a month my family eats spaghetti and meatballs), then it wouldn't be as special and exciting as it always is on Easter. Food is a part of the holidays in my family, and it makes the holidays that much more special for us.

When I think of food in America, my mind automatically redirects to cheeseburgers, greasy fries, onion rings, subs, chips, and plenty of other unhealthy treats that seem to be the fundamental fuel of people today. While most people are fully aware of the fact that are putting additives and fat and oil and grease into their bodies every time they order that supersized Number 3 at Mcdonald's, we still continue to order these things on a regular basis. It is a terrible thing to be self-inflicting bad health, and I can admit that I am an offender myself. Something absolutely should be done about it. There is a way to make anything healthy. Or, healthier, at least.