Squillante’s essay
The essay has four sections that are interconnected as the author is progressively using each section to build on the theme of food in the next section. The author uses the first persona voice to narrate the story such as I. The author is a skilled and an experienced writer as she is literal, surrealistic and expresses a dreamy importance for instance the use of if I die followed by I hope statement shows a dreamy expression (Squillante 6). The author uses metaphors in the narration to bring out the hidden meaning within the words. According to the author eating is a touch; this means that eating is a continuous process and laying a hand on food continues even in the bitter moments. Food according to the author extends time, this is quite evident as one cannot survive without food hence in eating of food one gets to survive and in surviving one extends the time they are alive (Squillante 6).
Narayan’s essay
Narayan’s opening remarks in her story is in the past tense narration of the event that occurred a time ago while Squillante’s essay opening remarks clearly indicate that the story is in present tense narration (Nayaran 17). The author in her narration brings out their culture that is their way of doing things, dressing and lifestyle. For instance, she clearly describes the way their kitchen was, the way the mother dressed and she uses the phrase “in India’ in most part of the narration to show how Indians do their things. Cooking and eating in the Indian community is managed by complex rules and regulations. Therefore it is evident that whatever they eat or drink is governed by the rules and regulations set (Narayan 17). The word conscripted as used by the author means that the young people were restricted into being in kitchen but at certain times that’s when they were allowed to help out in the kitchen just like in Ahn’s essay.
Ahn’s essay
The author in his narration clearly outlines the conflict of culture as they seem to come from different cultures as the author’s wife is a Caucasian while the author himself is a Korean and they are both in a Korean restaurant. According to the narration the conflict is in the cultural identity their unborn child would hold since the mother is an American culture while the father upholds the Korean culture. The passport clearly portrays that the author did not have any visible Peculiarities which is not mentioned in the narration (Ahn 22). The theme of food love is one of the themes of this narration. The author highly speaks of the way he adores Korean food from the start of his narration. Another theme is the theme of family as he gives a background on his family and the present family that he wants to have. The theme of culture is also portrayed as he states the way Koreans did their things and how he wishes to offer his son an enough dosage of his original culture. Food therefore is one of the cultural components that the author wishes to use to uphold the Korean culture to his son (Ahn 22).
Bourdain’s essay
Though the fish heads are eaten by so many other states, in the United States it is not eaten this is because of the unwelcoming sight of the animal’s head on the plate (Bourdain 349). The author uses references that are quite ineffectively, for instance, in using the wide open and lifeless eyes in his narration of the fish head brings about a bad image onto our heads that makes the state to refrain from eating the fish head. This makes one reconsider on the food intake and type of food to eat and this influence pour culture.
Reference
Ahn R, Home Run: My Journey Back to Korean Food, the journey of critical foods studies, 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.gastronomica.org/home-run-my-journey-back-to- korean-food/
Bourdain A, Dead Heads.
Narayan S, The God of Small Feasts, 2000. Retrieved from:
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2000/01/godofsmallfeasts.html
Squillante S, Four menus, brevity 25. Retrieved from: https://www.creativenonfiction.org/brevity/past%20issues/brev25/squillante_menus.html
