Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
The following writing is only a start. If anyone has any feedback/tips/suggestions/criticisms it would be greatly appreciated.
Walking into a traditional restaurant in Japan to have dinner, my family and I expected to have dinner with the tour group, but there was a catch: we had to wear togas. Having just turned 13 years old, my immature self thought that the idea of donning a toga, or what I thought was a man-dress at the time, was embarrassing. I sat down and observed details of the "tatami" setup, where customers were to sit down, Indian style, to enjoy their meals, when a server placed a shell on the plate next to mine. I flipped over the shell to reveal a snail inside. It was ludicrous that such a harmless, and, not to mention, dead, creature scared me. Then I recalled my preschool years: for 180 consecutive school days, the only lunch I was willing to eat was a simple PB&J sandwich. Pondering, I was caught between a rock and hard place (or between a shell and a plate): I could simply take my chopsticks and drop the snail onto my mom's plate, and crawl back into my own shell of picky eating, or I could take a chance and try an animal that any typical 13 year old would shy away from. I learned that although they tasted better than I had anticipated, snails still tasted different compared with other "ordinary" foods. It was just a couple years later, that I was roaming the streets of Beijing, when my aunt stopped my family and I at one of the numerous street vendors. Beyond the famous crispy and succulent Peking duck that the city is known for, there is a variety of street food that many tourists are curious to try. "Cockroaches on a stick" is a common Chinese snack, and one that I will never learn to like, but because of my prior experiences with bizarre foods in Japan, my aspirations overcame my hesitations; I had no problem trying something that seemed as crazy and nonsensical as it sounded Experiencing my own little "Andrew Zimmern" moment was one that allowed myself to open up to new opportunities.
The following writing is only a start. If anyone has any feedback/tips/suggestions/criticisms it would be greatly appreciated.
Walking into a traditional restaurant in Japan to have dinner, my family and I expected to have dinner with the tour group, but there was a catch: we had to wear togas. Having just turned 13 years old, my immature self thought that the idea of donning a toga, or what I thought was a man-dress at the time, was embarrassing. I sat down and observed details of the "tatami" setup, where customers were to sit down, Indian style, to enjoy their meals, when a server placed a shell on the plate next to mine. I flipped over the shell to reveal a snail inside. It was ludicrous that such a harmless, and, not to mention, dead, creature scared me. Then I recalled my preschool years: for 180 consecutive school days, the only lunch I was willing to eat was a simple PB&J sandwich. Pondering, I was caught between a rock and hard place (or between a shell and a plate): I could simply take my chopsticks and drop the snail onto my mom's plate, and crawl back into my own shell of picky eating, or I could take a chance and try an animal that any typical 13 year old would shy away from. I learned that although they tasted better than I had anticipated, snails still tasted different compared with other "ordinary" foods. It was just a couple years later, that I was roaming the streets of Beijing, when my aunt stopped my family and I at one of the numerous street vendors. Beyond the famous crispy and succulent Peking duck that the city is known for, there is a variety of street food that many tourists are curious to try. "Cockroaches on a stick" is a common Chinese snack, and one that I will never learn to like, but because of my prior experiences with bizarre foods in Japan, my aspirations overcame my hesitations; I had no problem trying something that seemed as crazy and nonsensical as it sounded Experiencing my own little "Andrew Zimmern" moment was one that allowed myself to open up to new opportunities.
