Juan Victor M.

Gamo

Paper # 1

Class # 26

June 7, 2016
The Heart Knows What the Heart Wants

In my Fil 14 course during my sophomore year, I learned that in the history of the
Philippines, there are works of literature that are considered cornerstones. These cornerstones, in
and of themselves, define and serve as the chief representatives of the general characteristics and
state of being of a particular period and are also considered very important in studying and
understanding Philippine history in a wider scope. An example of this would be Noli Me
Tangere, which serves as the representation of the time in the Philippines when the characteristic
of being anti-friar and a reformist became prevalent. In the same vein, there may also be
cornerstones for something that is more specific and personal such as the stages of a persons
life. A possible cornerstone that may mark each of the stages of ones life may be food.
Ever since we were babies, we have had the urge to fulfill our hunger and eat food. Its
something that is a staple in a persons life all throughout his/her life because it is necessary for
general survival. If there was a food that I would consider a cornerstone of my childhood, it
would be Purefoods chicken nuggets that amusingly came in different shapes and letters. Every
time I was asked what I wanted to eat when I was a child with a slight speech impediment, I
would always excitedly say chitten nuggets in a heartbeat. I would always feel a slight burning
sensation in my chest followed by incessant hiccups every time I would eat chicken nuggets. My
sister would then always joke around with me and say that I love chicken nuggets so much that
my heart couldnt help but be overwhelmed. Now, as a Biology major, I know that these hiccups
are involuntary spasm of the diaphragm caused by such things as eating too quickly. But back
then, I would always wonder why these peculiar phenomena would occur.
Besides its great taste and perfect balance of crunchiness and chewiness, these brief
anecdotes would explain why I like chicken nuggets so much and consider it the cornerstone of
my childhood. I was very curious as a child, as evidenced by my yearning to explain why
hiccups occur, which may have led to my love for science and ultimately my choice to pursue a
science course in college. Its funny how a simple childhood food would actually have a
profound effect on the story, or history, of my life so to speak.