Summa Becvar Analysis

“Taco USA: How Mexican Food Became More American Than Apple Pie” was written in 2012 by Gustavo Arellano, a prolific food author for the Orange County newspaper OC Weekly. This article originally appeared as an online publication in Reason Magazine. Arellano has written books about Mexican food and its role in the American experience. His writings explain how this genre of cuisine has evolved and transformed as it has spread geographically throughout the United States. Growing up in Orange County California with two Hispanic parents, Arellano experienced firsthand the transformation of traditional Mexican dishes into the tex-mex that most American families are familiar with today. The online news site, Reason Magazine, originally published this article to accommodate to an audience of readers who want to be informed but also entertained by the news. These readers care about what is happening in society but are not considered scholars on the topics presented. Although the readers of Reason Magazine might not have any formal knowledge about food and its role in culture, all of them have experienced the importance of a meal in their everyday lives. The author uses the experience and background of his audience to show them the importance and prevalence of Mexican food in the American culture. In “Taco USA” Arellano uses personal stories, ethnic language, and historical information to show his

This paper looks to define and explore three books which are a crux to various food histories which in the last decade has become a scholarly journey as food history is becoming increasingly studied as a scholarly endeavor by historians where previously it was not seen in such a scholarly light. The three texts which are going to be examined are: Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food by Jeffery M. Pilcher, The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture by Rebecca L. Spang, and lastly To Live and Dine in Dixie: The Evolution of Urban Food Culture in the Jim Crow South by Angela Jill Cooley. Each of these books seek to redefine how people see their perspective topics whether it be Mexican identity rooted in cuisine, the evolution of southern food in a racially divided south, or even the concept of the restaurant emerging from a revolutionary culture. These texts bring awareness to various topics which have both social, cultural, and economic stigmas associated with them.

Jeffrey M. Pilcher is a food writer, professor of History at the University of Minnesota, and author of several award-winning works. In his book !Que vivan los tamales! Food and the Making of Mexican Identity (1998), Pilcher explains that every society creates for themselves a cuisine, a set of foods that the people

Charlie’s friendship with Jasper Jones, his parents, and witnessing the intolerance of Corrigan are the three biggest factors in Charlie's development from innocence to experience. Jasper Jones exposed him to fear and forced him to be brave and face his fears, the rampant intolerance in Corrigan, both racial and otherwise, exposed him to the injustices of the real world, and his relationship with his parents taught him to be diplomatic and control his

To begin, three brothers, Lafayette, Charlie, and Ty’ree were orphaned due to the tragic death of their parents. Over the course of two days, Lafayette (the narrator) includes flashbacks to earlier events. After spending over two years in Rahway Home for Boys, a juvenile detention center, Charlie recently returned home. Watching Charlie get ready to leave the apartment with his new friend Aaron, Lafayette laments the changes that have become apparent in his brothers actions since he came home. Once, Charlie was the kind of kid who would stay up late telling stories to his younger brother. And who had cried over a wounded dog, he saw on the street. Now, he barely even looks at or speaks to Lafayette, and he usually denies feeling anything at all. Charlie seems to prefer spending time with tough characters such as Aaron and acting tough in the streets. Lafayette has even taken to

Walls and shelves of different treats, and Buc-ee’s even presents its own brand of Beaver Nuggets - a sweet, crunchy corn snack. And in each store, a counter the size of a small New York City apartment is overly stocked with 30 flavors beef jerky, smoked sausages and other cured meats. When standing in that area, you can smell the Bohemian garlic beef jerky, which had a pleasant salty pungency, and the cherry maple, which is a lot more subtly sweet than it sounds. Next to that, there’s a quick-service restaurant, prepping many dishes, ranging from smoked brisket to Tex-Mex tacos. Looking at the options of spicy pickled quail eggs to sweet apple pies, the food provided at Buc-ee’s is more than enough to eat for a small break on the road. The varieties and large portions of food seemed to have a meaning beyond consumption itself. As people carry to go boxes and not even open or taste some of the food during their stop, the food loses its meaning of being eaten and gains a meaning of being a souvenir. The cultural food alone provokes customers to want to keep these seemingly authentic, home cooked items, perhaps to share or give to others as novelties and gifts. With that, Buc-ee’s intends to provide more than necessary.

In the short story “The Red Convertible” you will find some important elements that are integral to the support and development of the theme brotherhood. First, you will see how the road trip gives a lesson in the story. Second, you will discover how the war affected the relationship of Lyman and Henry. Finally, you will understand the symbolism of the red convertible and the link it has between both brothers. One important element that has a powerful lesson in the story is the road trip. While Lyman and Henry went on a drive one afternoon, they met a girl named Susy in the middle of the road. Susy had her hair in buns around her ears and was very short. They let her jump in the car and

Have you ever tried listening to everything going on at the same time at a fast food restaurant during the lunch time rush hour? Well, I did and I am going to share the results of my whirlwind encounter last week. Within my observation, I will go over the layout of the establishment in which my observation was conducted, as well as who came to the establishment, the conversations and the interactions that took place. I hope you enjoy my observation and respect my findings from this visit.

McCorcle, Jill. “Her Chee-to Heart.” Food Matters: a Bedford Spotlight Reader. Boston and NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014, pp.31-36.

Mike Anderson’s has been one of Baton Rouge’s premiere restaurants for over forty years. In 1975, Mike Anderson, a former LSU all American football player, opened Mike Anderson’s seafood restaurant with the hope that customers would “leave full and get their money’s worth”. He has been very successful to say the least, now with four different locations. The restaurant boast of its reputation for having the best fried and broiled seafood around town. When asking Michael Pearl, a manager at Mikes for over thirty years, what has kept Mike Anderson’s in business for so long, he said “consistency and excellence, this is a place that loves to make people’s day better” (Pearl Interview). It was remarkable to see a manager who has worked somewhere for thirty years still take pride in his job. After working there for about a year, I decided to finally give it a try. I have to admit, I’ve always thought Mike’s was just another seafood restaurant in south Louisiana, but was I wrong! Mike Anderson’s proved to be a wonderful dining experience. For starters, the quality and taste of the food is superb and it comes at a very reasonable price. Secondly, I noticed the warm and inviting atmosphere from the second I walked in. Lastly and most importantly, what stood out to me the most was the quality of service throughout the meal.

For all I knew they could be as life changing as the author made them out to be and after trying one, I would have became this stories biggest supporter. However after continually reading the piece all credibility that I had given Roahen to talk on the subject shattered when I suspected that a conflict of interests was in play. Roahen was co-workers with Ashley Hansen who is just coincidentally the granddaughter of Ernest and Mary Hansen and heiress to the Hansen Sno-Bliz fortune. Perhaps Sarah Roahen found the perfect spot for a plug for her co-worker’s future company in her book on New Orleans food “Gumbo

The story is seen through the innocent eyes of a 13 year old boy called Charlie Bucktin. The first person central point of view helps us to understand Charlie, to identify with him and his attitudes and values and for reader positioning. Silvey uses language

In 1986 when the two oldest sons of Jerry and Janie Murrell decided not to attend college, they made a decision that ultimately changed their family’s lives forever. As supportive parents, the Murrell’s used the money intended for their tuition to open a hamburger take-out shop in Arlington, Virginia to keep the boys close to home and employed (Boone and Kurtz, 2012, p. 78). The restaurant was named Five Guys and a Burger, after their family of five sons. With hard work and dedication, Five Guys has flourished to over six hundred franchises in America and Canada, and has persistently multiplied despite the recent

As we walked up, this establishment looks like any other Applebee’s I’ve been to. It looked clean and well maintained from the outside, and these characteristics carried over as we traveled inside. We were greeted by a Dassel-Cokato Alumni, and he happily led us to where we would feast for the evening. He sat as at two tables shoved together big enough to fit 10 people, but we only had 6. All of us knew exactly what we needed to satisfy our hunger pains, so we didn’t even look at the menus. Our waitress was quick to get our drinks and take our orders. I took advantage of the half-priced appetizers deal, and asked for an order of classic boneless wings along with an order of mozzarella sticks.

Charlie and his wife lived in Paris during the twenties, and just as any other night they were out drinking and having fun. They get into a fight witch results in his wife, Helen, kissing another man. Charlie storms home, and an hour later when Helen has stumbled herself home, Charlie locks her out of their apartment and she dies soon after. Charlie has a breakdown and is institutionalized right before he looses all his money in the stock market crash of 1929. As the story opens three years later Charlie is back in Paris, sober, determined to get custody over his daughter, Honoria, who lives with Helens sister, Marion.