Food for Thought

Mauricio Garcia
Tamera Davis
Composition 1
2\21\2016
One day, while my family was eating, my mother decided to congratulate me for getting
straight As on my report card. After dinner, she revealed a cake that she had made for me, it was
a huge double-layered chocolate cake with candy sprinkles. Im so proud of you, she
proclaimed. At that point, I was the happiest elementary school student in the whole world. I got
the first serving of cake and ice cream, and even my big brother congratulated me for a job well
done. Since then, family meal time means more to me than just eating food.
In modern times, individual family members are too busy during the day to interact with
each other as a family unit. The parents are working while their children are at school, and thats
not including overtime or afterschool activities. Also, some couples have to choose opposite
work shifts, so that one or the other can be available to handle any child related emergencies.
Between all the work, duties, friends, iPads and social-media venues, families arent spending
quality time together. Most kids can post what they are doing in real time onto Facebook, but
they cant tell their parents how their day was going. Mutually, parents are too involved with
work or their own personal matters to know everything at all times. To a parent, family meal time
is bonding through social interaction, but to teen angst, it is a time to confess all that they have
done. More importantly, family meals are about simple gestures. Hows your day going, the
husband asked his wife. I like your haircut, the father told his daughter. Wow, you did great,
the mother told her son. These are a few simple interactions that truly bond families. After all

said and done, family meal time is the only scheduled time that busy families have to socialize
together.
I didnt know what to expect from family meal time when I was younger. Some days,
family meal time was like a celebration, but other days, it was like an execution. One day, my
mother decided to scold me at the dinner table for getting into a fight at school. So, there I was,
in the principals office with the kid that I had fought. The principal made a big scene when she
called our parents. She turned her back us as if to conceal something. She would say our names
louder when talking to our parents. Occasionally, she would turn around and stare at us, making
the call more dramatic. After I got home, I knew that I was in big trouble. Making a plea for a
stay of execution, I put my coat on the coat rack, and I even cleaned my room. My mother didnt
say a word to me the whole time, she just kept pacing back forth setting the table with food. The
food smelled delicious, it was spaghetti and meatballs with all the right side dishes. My mother
shouted, Dinner is ready! All of my brothers rushed to the dinner table, but I slowly crept
towards it. Yes! Ive managed to get seated and plate some spaghetti without a word from my
mother. But, just as soon as I reached for a garlic bread, my mother slapped my hand away from
it. She said, No garlic bread or soda for you because you dont know how to behave yourself at
school! My brothers are laughing at me, but my mother isnt done yet. What are you laughing
at, arent you behind on your homework, she asked my oldest brother. Hes still laughing
because everybody else is still laughing. She quickly reaches across the table and takes his bread
too. No soda for you either, she told him. Now, my brother and I have our heads down while
my two youngest brothers are laughing, drinking soda and eating garlic bread with their
spaghetti. To rub it in further, they started trading bread and soda in front of us. They even asked
us to pass the items down the table. My oldest brother refused to be a party of this trade, but my

mother made him pass the items anyway. You will mind your manners at this table, young
man, she says with contagious smirk. We all started laughing, and then she says we can have
some bread and soda with our spaghetti. After the laughter calmed, she made us explain what had
happened and told us what we should do about it. That day, I realized that family meal time was
a chance to face my problems, whether I wanted or not.
Family dinners are priceless and should never be taken for granted. When I was sixteen, I
skipped a thanksgiving dinner because I wanted to go bow hunting with my friends instead. I had
made plans to go turkey hunting, and I was so focused on getting a turkey that I didnt realize I
was missing out on thanksgiving dinner. Not only did I fail to realize that it takes hours to cook a
turkey, but I also forgot about the relatives that I only get to see during holidays. By the time I
got home, most of the family had left, the pumpkin pie was devoured, and the rest of the food
was cold. The house looked like battleground, so I knew thanksgiving dinner had a good turnout.
As I ate my cold meal alone, I wondered about the cars parked in the driveway. Why are there
cars here when nobody is home? When are they coming back? Is my favorite cousin Rocky still
here? Who is still here? I thought to myself, They probably went to visit another relative. I
thought about walking to my uncles house to see if they were there, but I was tired from hunting
all day. Eventually, I decided to see what was playing on TV, but I kept wondering about which
of my cousins were still in town. I was sitting on the couch in front of the TV, but I wasnt
watching what was playing. I anxiously sat there waiting to see who was going to come through
the door, but I soon fell asleep. When I awoke, I noticed that the house had been cleaned, and
someone had threw a blanket over me while I slept. I quickly jumped up and looked out of the
window towards the driveway, but all the cars were gone. It looked like somebody had fun
because there was a huge pile of leaves, boxing gloves and a few footballs scattered around the

yard. I stood in the cold window frame thinking about the fun time that I had missed, and I
noticed that there were doodles written on the windows. Apparently, the tykes had a blast as well,
and the evidence was everywhere. There are chalk scribbles all over the porch, and my little
brothers Ninja Turtles are piled up by steps. Talk about in your face, someone had left a halfeaten slice of pumpkin pie in the window seal for me to pout over. I put these puzzle pieces
together and it revealed a happy scene, but all that I could feel was regret and sorrow. As I
wallow in this new found sadness, my cousin, Rocky, sneaks up behind me and punches me in
arm. I fell to the carpet in pain, but I was happy to see that it was him. Since then, I vowed never
to miss another family dinner.
What does a meal with the family mean to kids these days? Is it a time to settle sibling
rivalries by telling mom or dad what the other sibling has done wrong? Are they anxious to
exercise their bragging rights for something that they have achieved? To me, family meal time is
a great opportunity to shape and bond families.

Works Cited
Garcia, Mauricio. "Food for Thought". Tonkawa: N. O. C..
Spring 2016. English Composition One . Fall 2016.
In the essay Food for Thought, the student recalls family-meal time. This essay is
an English Composition One Assignment. Although the transition work has
improved, the first paragraph and conclusion are weak. I would change the first
paragraph and conclusion to distribute the essays content evenly.