Stealing Gina's Dinner!

Thinking about this assignment, I was actually pretty stumped. As a kid, and now as well, I wasn't a very picky eater. Sure there were some foods (like brussel sprouts...yuck) that I didn't like, but for the most part I ate whatever my mom made for dinner. Really, I was a great child :) However, I do remember one thing that as a kid I would never under any circumstances eat. Lasagna. To be more specific, the ricotta cheese inside the lasagna. I just couldn't stand it for some reason. Now, you may be asking yourself, what's the big deal? It's only really one kind of cheese I don't like. Well, it was a big deal. You see, my family is very Italian, and with this Italian-ness comes lots of ricotta cheese! My grandma uses it in lasagna, baked mostocholi, stuffed shells, all kinds of pasta, and the ever so famous canoli dessert. So, as odd as it may sound, as a kid I did kind of feel left out. My whole family would endulge in these wonderful dishes, and I would eat plain pasta. I felt like an outsider of my own heritage! My aunt would even ask me, "how can you be Italian and not like ricotta cheese?!" And I had no idea! So, I just avoided it for the majority of my childhood. Eventually, as I got older, I would slowly begin to taste some of these foods. And slowly, I grew to like them. So I think it was a big step for me to try these things that I had remainded distant from for so long! And now, I just love to eat them at family parties with everyone else!

Thanksgiving!

Well, I just got back from my wonderful Thanksgiving break last night and I have to say it is a bittersweet feeling. I'm very excited to be back and see all of my friends again (even though its only been five days!). However, I am not really excited to take the upcoming final exams. I know that I have a ton a studying and hard work ahead of me for the next three weeks. But that is enough talk about finals, I will be doing enough worrying about them very soon. My Thanksgiving break was absolutely awesome! I was so excited to see all of my friends from home again. A lot of them I haven't seen since I left for school in August, so we all had a blast catching up and telling our crazy college stories. They really made home feel like home. I also had a great time with my family. Not only my immediate family, but my extended family. It was great to see my grandparents and my uncle and some family friends. I love the feeling of Thanksgiving. So with that said, I think the real meaning of Thanksgiving is to obviously give thanks! So, here is a list of just a few of the things I am grateful for!...
- my family
- my friends
- being a Boiler!
- my home
- my health
- having a mind of my own :)
- my sorority sisters

and a lot lot more! To sum up, I am grateful for my life and all the people and things in it! I do, however, think that I need to take the time to reflect on these things more often, not just Thanksgiving!

My BiRtHdAy!

This past Wednesday, November 14th, was my nineteenth birthday! And let me tell you, I had just a wonderful day :) I received so many birthday wishes from everyone here and everyone back at home, and I'm very grateful. At midnight my roommate and some of the other girls on my floor came in my room at midnight and bought me a box of birthday cookies! (they were greaaat) My best friends from home called me at midnight, also. It was so nice to hear from those from home who I don't get to talk to as much as I would like! I appreciate everyone making my day so great! It was nice knowing I have people who really care about me! I heard from not only friends, but my whole family too! My parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. And now I'm just ten times more excited to see them when I get home for Thanksgiving. That night my sister took me out to dinner with some of our sorority sisters too. It was a ton of fun. We all went to Scotty's and got dinner and then they brought out ice cream and cookies with candles and sang Happy Birthday! I just loved every minute of it. It was especially nice to have my sister here for my birthday. So thanks everyone for the well wishes and making my day awesome!

"Born Into Brothels"

The documentary "Born into Brothels" was a huge eye-opener, at least for me. Obviously, I was aware that there is poverty in the world. And, I was also aware that poverty is worse in some areas than in others. However, to be shown basically first hand what people living in the red light district go through on a daily basis was like a smack in the face. Especially, because this film focuses on the lives of the children. Yes, these children's lives were basically put on display; but I do think that this was appropriate. It is hard to imagine how they live their lives without being shown. And what goes on, for some, is unimaginable. So for the purpose of the documentary, I think it was very necessary. However, while I believe if these children's lives weren't shown the way that they were, the film wouldn't have been as effective, I also don't think children of that age are really able to give adequite consent. For the most part, they were aware of what was happening, but I don't think they realized to what extent. This documentary was put out for the whole world to see, and that is a bigger deal than most can fathom.

With that said, I do believe that the film was very successful. Those who are fortunate enough to not have to live like that were given an in depth look at what life is like for those less fortunate. The film brought awareness and with that, hopefully people can help slowly start to put an end to this lifestyle. It was also successful in that it gave those living in the red light an outside look at how they were living. While it must be hard, maybe they can realize their children do need to be allowed to go to school.

Changing my Ways?

For the past few weeks, our class has been learning a ton about genetically modified foods, the difference between organic and inorganic foods, corporate farming, and much much more on the subject. Have I learned a lot? Absolutely. I was completely unaware that it is near impossible to find food these days that hasn't been influenced in some way by genetic modification. In other words, you have to search hard for true organic food. I used to think that any fruit, vegetable, or meat had to be "all natural". How could it not be? Well, now I know better.

The real question is, after learning all I have learned, have I changed the way that I choose the food I eat? Honestly, no :( sorry! Being away at school, it is very hard to be picky about what you eat. I can't really go into a dining hall and ask if the chicken they are serving has been genetically modified, or how the chicken itself lived its life. Trying to feed thousands of students, you can bet they don't use the art of "slow cooking". Also, it seems more difficult to find foods that aren't genetically modified than it is to find foods that aren't. I think I need to sleep on this one a little longer. Maybe when I'm home for a longer period of time I'll pay more attention to this. Who knows, maybe the turkey I eat for Thanksgiving will even be organic!

iTaLiAn

I was out with my grandparents this weekend and of course, we went to an Italian restaurant. This made me think of being Italian! My family is very Italian and very close. I just love spending time with them all. My dad's parents are both 100% Italian (my grandma's parents were born in Venice, Italy) and my mom's parents are 50% Italian...therefore, I am 75%! It is a big part of who I am. My family is loud and hilarious. I especially love when my grandma walks around the house mumbling things in Italian to herself :) It cracks me up. She speaks it fluently. She also has the funniest family stories and has a passion for cooking. Our family get togethers consist of a LOT of talking and a LOT of food. It shouldn't come as a surprise that with being Italian comes a love of food! Every family dinner (even Thanksgiving) consists of some type of pasta. I have never been to Italy, but I would love to go. Not only because my family is from there, but because it just seems plain awesome. My grandparents have been there and always say how much they love it. They also always tell the crazy stories they have about my family there. I could sit there for hours just listening to her talk about them. I'm so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Home for the weekend :)

This weekend was an absolutely great one! My birthday is this Wednesday (November 14th!) so I decided to go home to celebrate with my family. And, it was great to just get home for a little. My dad picked me up around noon on Friday thanks to Jamie for giving us the day off! So I was very grateful to be able to get a few extra hours in with the family. I don't think I was at my house for more than fifteen minutes before my dad and I headed to Woodfiled Mall for some birthday shopping! My mom met up with us after work and we had a great time...well, mostly I had a great time :) When we got home I baked some gingerbread cookies for all of us. That night we had dinner and watched some tivo'ed shows I just didn't have time to watch at school. And of course, I got to open my presents! My parents were just great to me. Then on Saturday I pretty much just layed around the house, which is awesome every once in a while. And, I listened to my dad yell from the family room as he watched Purdue lose to Michigan State...devestating really. That night I went out to a birthday dinner with my mom, dad, and grandparents. It was great! I love being able to spend time with my grandparents especially because I really don't get to see them that often. They are hilarious! We had cake after and I just hung around the house for the rest of the night! All in all I had an awesome weekend and I'm excited to get to see my family so soon again for Thanksgiving!