This is our first essay-writing assignment. Your task is to choose a quotation from either “Simple Recipes” or
“When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” and use it as inspiration for writing a personal story about food.
We all love food and I think we can relate to these stories of characters who experience joy and conflict around
the dinner table. That makes food a powerful “framing device” in a story. In this assignment, you will “frame”
your memoir with the quote from the short story. Take a small part of one of the assigned stories and use it as
something you can relate to in telling your own story.
“Simple Recipes” and “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” are both very dramatic (even traumatic) stories. Your
story DOES NOT need to be so dark or sad! It can be a warm and happy memory. However, you must clearly
explain the connection between the quote and your story, even if your story is different in significant ways.
Most of all I want you to have fun with this assignment. It should be well written, but it is an informal piece of
writing compared to a paper, and you have lots of freedom to make it entertaining for yourself and the reader!
GUIDELINES
Think about broad themes:
How has food been a gateway to new experiences for you? What kind of food experiences did you have when
you moved to a new city or went out with your friends for the first time in a restaurant?
How is food connected to growing up, or to childhood? Who taught you to cook? Did you hate certain foods as
a kid? Did you learn to appreciate new foods as an adult?
How is food connected to culture in your life? Is food connected to important people or celebrations? How is
food a part of these experiences? Do these experiences make you feel part of a bigger family, community, or
culture?
In the past, some of my favorite student stories in the past celebrated family or friendship through food. Some
students have shared their “guilty pleasure” foods or the first time they tasted something new and exotic to
them. They have also told stories about foods they loved that their parents disapproved of, or ways they
learned how to cook foods with their parents, grandparents, etc.
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