Sherley Francois
Professor Jesse Miller
English 110 Section H4
October 30th, 2017
The Power of Food
At times in life we as people find ourselves in situations that we have no control over. Wether it is our own bodies giving up to sickness or losing a friend or family to death. No matter how many times we go through these obstacles, the level of stress that is placed upon us never seems to be familiar. We try to cope by isolating ourselves from reality. Avoiding confronting our inner pain to which could enable comfort, communication and understanding of our feelings. While going through a tragic situation eating can sometimes be last thing on our minds. Some of us nourish our bodies alone but preparing, sharing, and eating with others can sometimes heal us faster and bring comfort upon us. In “The New Era” Juliette Roy explains how eating her dads beef macaroni and cheese comforts her after being in the hospital for so long. In “A Small, Good Thing” Raymond Carver explains how confronting our pain can lead to communicating, understanding and empathy. In “Taco Tuesday” Daniel Richardson explains how his girlfriend Justine isolates from the reality of her mothers sickness while she is cooking.
We don’t realize that we hide our inner pain until it lashes out into other situations. Lashing out can end to be a good or a bad thing. In “A Small Good Thing” by Raymond Carver, while purchasing the birthday cake Ann Weiss suspected the baker of not being a jolly person the very first time that they met. She stated that “he made her feel uncomfortable and she did not like that” (Carver 204). As the story went on, the baker went on to being exactly how Ann described him to be. Because of the tragedy Ann and her family was facing she was unable to pick up the birthday cake for her son because he was in the hospital. The baker, not knowing what she was personally going through, but focusing on his business and hard work on the cake. He felt triggered that she did not pick it up as she said she would, and he wanted his money (sixteen-dollars). He started to lash out by calling Ann’s home and demanding the money. He was saying things like “There is a cake here that wasn’t picked up”, “Have you forgotten about Scotty” (Carver 204-210). His words was hitting nerves that he did know were there. He could not have known that Scotty was in the hospital, and it was hard on Ann to go home for a second without feeling bad about leaving his side. Ann had no idea it was the baker until she and her husband came home devastated about the death of their only baby. The baker called around midnight and hung up. “It came to her then. She knew who it was. Scotty, the cake, the telephone number. She pushed the chair away from the table and got up. “Drive me down to the shopping center,” she said.” (Carver 215). Because Ann was so angry and frustrated about her sons death she was ready to lash out and kill this man. Not knowing that the baker getting her upset, and her getting upset enough to confront him would heal most of the pain she was holding inside. After talking to the baker and letting him know about her son he immediately had a sense of empathy for the grieving parents. The baker offered a huge amount of comfort while talking to them. For the first time since the accident, the parents were finally nourishing their bodies as they listened to the baker expressing his feelings towards being alone, having no children and being happy that he can feed others and make them happy. Ann lashing out on the baker healed her faster than she thought, and proved her and the baker were not all that different.
Being in the hospital for so long only brought unbearable pain and stress for Roy and her family. She states that the only time her family got along was when they decided on what to eat when they get a chance to leave the hospital. When Ann and Howard Weiss form Carvers short story were in the hospital waiting on the condition of their child, Scotty, they repeatedly refused to eat anything. Roy went through the same situation when she was in the hospital. Although, Juliette was forced to eat shitty jell-o, the Weiss family on the other hand was too frustrated to even think about food. Roy describe the time she shared with her family preparing the meal opposite from how she felt at the hospital. She was happy preparing, sharing and eating her favorite beef macaroni and cheese with her family.
Isolating ourselves while going through a tragic situation can sometimes help us as a form of therapy. Justine from “Taco Tuesday” by Daniel Richardson experienced growing up faster than she planned. Her mother was diagnosed with Lyme disease, Justine had to step up and do all of the cooking for her family. Instead of letting the situation overwhelm her, Justine however “turned her obligations into inspiration and hobby alike” (Richardson 2017). Richardson states that while in the kitchen, that is the only time “Justine may distract herself, while productively contributing to the household” (Richardson 2017). Even though Justine could of been sad during the day but she always looked forward to taco Tuesday nights with Richardson to clear her mind. Although Juliette from “The New Era” written by Juliette Roy can agree about being in the kitchen but she found her most comfort eating the meal that she made rather than the process (Roy 2017).
In the process of confronting the baker, Ann and Howard Weiss from Carvers short story gained a friendship with the him. Although, Ann wanted to kill him in he beginning. After she and her husband met him they were embraced by the comfort, communication and understanding he welcomed them with. Although, Justine from Richardsons essay isolates herself from the reality of her mothers sickness she uses being in the kitchen and cooking with Richardson as a form of therapy to help her cope and clear her mind. Roy on the other hand experienced her and her family being stressful in the hospital but coming together when they get a chance to go home and be in their comfort zone. They prepared, shared and ate their favorite meal together as a family. Although all three of these families are different, they faced either a tragic or stressful situation where being around food and with someone else helped them cope better than being by theirselves.Works Cited
Carver, Raymond. “A Small, Good thing.” New and Selected Stories.1989, pp. 204-219.
Richardson, Daniel. “Taco Tuesday.” http://drichardson5.uneportfolio.org/2017/10/06/food-for-thought/. Accessed 20 September 2017.
Roy, Juliette. “The New Era.” http://jroy16.uneportfolio.org/food-for-thought/ Accessed 26 September 2017.
