Health is considered as the most valuable element in human life, so we are ready to spend money for it. Because of research and study in health care, human life expectancy is higher than ever. But the problems that are created by chronic diseases are haunting us. Nowadays we are so health conscious and are ready to do daily exercises. But when we are ready to preserve our health we have to consider the content of diet also.
When one is having an intake of highly calorie content diet and is not ready to involve in exercise, there is high chance for diseases. Here, health practices and healthy diet is so important. So when one is ready to undergo strict dieting, some favorite food item may be discarded forever. So it is evident that one’s favorite food item can influence health. Our traditional food items are designed to improve our health so we have to stick on to traditional food practices.
In America, the people who migrated from Europe and other part of the world brought their carried their food practices with them and it influenced the whole continent. Now the food items that are served in America are a mixture of American and other countries. In America, local eateries revive and are ready to continue to redesign classic regional dishes.
The writing in personal narrative must be developed within the writing and the dynamic of writer’s own life and experience. When one search for experiences related to food habits and individual health, it can be seen that there is relation between food habit and health. Earlier health problems are centered on under nutrition but today the problems are different. Hot Dogs and Apple Pie: Just Some of America’s Favorite Foods point out that meat is considered as an important ingredient in our food. But when one considers health, small fish, fruits and vegetables must be added to the diet. “All kinds of foods can be added to both pizza and spaghetti to add to their taste.
For example, people like these foods with different meats on top. Or they like toppings of small fish called anchovies, or vegetables called mushrooms. Some people like all the additions at once.” (Hot Dogs and Apple Pie). Tasty food may not nourish health, so one must not consider the taste of food but must consider the ingredients. It is evident that there is a strong link between nutrition and chronic diseases. It will be an interesting task to describe one’s favorite meal/food because it is closely related to one’s taste.
My favorite meal/food is fried Catfish and sweet tea. It is considered as a quintessential southern dish. Earlier, it was considered as the “food for the poor” but now it is used by all. Chefs all around the country are now in search of new recipes to cook and eat this fish. It is so interesting to retain one’s memory to the favorite meal. It was my grandmother who prepared fried Cat fish for me. In the weekends I used to visit my grandparents. Once, I argued with my grandmother on nutritional value of traditional food. Then she told me that she is ready to prepare fried cat fish for me which was tasty as well as nutritious. When I tasted it for the first time, I was amazed by its taste.
The ingredients of fried catfish are- butter, freshwater catfish fillets, cold milk, yellow cornmeal, salt, freshly ground black pepper, red (cayenne) pepper and Lemon wedges. We can see Catfish farms in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Mississippi is the world’s largest producer of cat fish. Mississippi produces about 80 percent of catfish in America. In Mississippi, the town of Belzoni is known as the “Cat fish capital of the World”.
Here, the people celebrate catfish festival and it is a family oriented event. Linda Stradley points out that the catfish are not so beautiful to look at, because it is with odd whiskers and its mouth is big and gaping. But when one is addicted to a favorite meal like fried catfish, beauty is not important. Its skin is similar to an eel, which is thick, slippery and strong. “Catfish have skin that is similar to that of an eel, which is thick, slippery, and strong. All catfish should be skinned before cooking. The easiest method to skin a catfish is to nail the head of the dead fish to a board, hold on to its tail, and pull the skin off with pliers.” (Stradley).
It is so difficult to skin a catfish because it is thick and slipping. In the south, small-town restaurants feature fried catfish on their menus. People who are living in cities never get the chance to taste catfish so they even say that catfish is used by the people of low status. The catfish is popular among the people who live in rural area so others say that it is the food of poor people. If they get the chance to eat catfish fry, they will never forget the taste and will be addicted to it. It can be used in any recipe but most of the southerners prefer it fried.
Other ingredients like milk, salt and cornmeal is available in our country. But black pepper and red (cayenne) pepper are imported from Asian countries, especially from India. No other artificial color or flavor is added to the meal. In India, black pepper is cultivated in organic farms and it does not affect health. If one is afraid of cholesterol, instead of butter, olive oil can be used for frying. As the catfish is grown in farms, one can make sure that no pesticide is used. When we consider pepper, there is less chance for pesticide content because it is cultivated in organic farms. Moreover, the export of pepper and other organic products help the Asian countries to enrich their economy.
In a modern society there may be changes in food habits and it exerts a tremendous on the dietary pattern of the people. When we consider the food that we eat away from home, we can see that it is full of saturated fat which causes cholesterol. If one is health conscious, it is a good practice to discard food that is available in fast food houses. But it is not practically possible for urban dwellers. Eileen Kennedy, James Blaylock, and Betsey Kuhn points out that human concern and desire for high fat high sodium content foods are capable to overweigh our nutrition concerns. “The desire for high-fat and high-sodium foods often outweighs nutrition concerns.
Many people cannot measure the nutritional quality of a meal a problem compounded in our society by the increasing incidence of dining out, fast foods, home delivery, and pre-packaged meals.” (Kennedy, Blaylock and Kuhn) So, there must be a change in our food consumption. Moreover, healthy eating is just not worth the effort and sacrifice. Americans love banana cream pie and the least liked food item is rice pudding. So, the calorie content and fat must be considered before selecting a food item as favorite one.
Eating food brings people together and connects to past, family, memories and tradition. When a food item is prepared in unhygienic surrounding it affects the individual and community. For example, fried catfish is considered as the food of the people of low social status. Actually it is a food item rich in nutrients. Moreover, it is our duty to preserve the traditional food items and recipes for the wellbeing of future generations.
Locally, fried catfish is widely accepted as a food item. But this traditional food item is not well known to the people in urban society. Outside America, varieties of catfish are used to prepare food. When we eat food related to our tradition we feel closely connected to the past. Moreover, it connects the family members together. One of the darker sides of my favorite meal is that it is prepared using oil or butter. As oil cause cholesterol, it is not safe to use oil to prepare catfish fry. But one can use less oil for frying or adopt other methods like baking, or steaming. So, fried catfish is so special to me because my grandmother helped me to prepare it.
Earlier, I tasted this food item at my grandmother’s house and its memory leads me to childhood and ancestral house. So, it is evident that favorite food item is closely connected to family background, geographical settings and tradition. Moreover, traditional food is considered as favorable to our health. It is evident that before choosing a food item as favorite or not one must consider the ingredients of that particular food item. So one must be careful while choosing a food item as favorite because it may affect one’s health and may influence society because individual is the part of society.
Works Cited
Hot Dogs and Apple Pie: Just Some of America’s Favorite Foods. From sweets to meats, Americans love their favorite foods. Transcript of radio broadcast. New. 2007. Web.
Kennedy, Eileen., Blaylock, James., and Kuhn, Betsey. On the Road to Better Nutrition. 2008. Web.
Stradley, Linda. Catfish History and Recipe. What’s Cooking America. 2004. Web.