Eating, Eating, and More Eating

I skipped dinner the day I was coming home to San Antonio to prepare myself for what was going to be the most satisfying meal of the semester. This was the first time I was going home since coming to Emory. All I could think about was food that my mother promised she was going to make for me because it was one of my favorite dishes and I had not eaten it for almost three months. On the plane home, all I could think about was Chicken 65, especially because I was so hungry. The salted peanuts tasted bland and the Kit Kat tasted less chocolaty. Nothing was going to taste as good until I had a bite of my favorite chicken curry dish. By the time we landed in San Antonio, my stomach no longer had any courtesy towards the people sitting around me, as it was as loud and annoying as the babies crying on the plane.

Then I saw my mom pull up to the airport, gave her a huge hug, and told her I was ready to go home and eat. I called my dad and my cousin, who is practically my younger brother, to tell them to meet us at the house. My cousin replied saying that he was already waiting at the house. My dad on the other hand was in a meeting and was not going to be home for another hour! My stomach and I could not have received this information at a worse time, but I was going to wait to have my first meal at home with my whole family, so we killed time waiting for him. When the garage door opened, we all ran downstairs and were ready to dig in; however, he was on the phone. He said he could not end the call, because it was very important and again I hear my stomach grumble. So, my cousin and I assume our positions in front of the television once again to keep our minds off of the amazing aroma creeping upstairs from the kitchen.

We finally hear my dad put the phone down, and we stumble down the stairs to get to the table. My mom gets the food on the table and I now have the chicken 65 on my plate. Then I realize that I am back home with my family about to have dinner like I had never left. It was a great feeling because we start talking about everything, laughing and cracking jokes, and it had hit me how much I really missed my family and my home. I tore a piece of my roti, which is similar to a tortilla, dipped it in the curry with a piece of chicken, and it was exactly how I remembered it. It was that perfect combination of spiciness and flavor that my stomach thanked me for.

We continued to talk about my first semester at Emory and while we were talking, I had eaten the most I have ever eaten in one sitting. For a normal meal, I eat 3 roti’s. For this long-awaited dinner I ate 5 roti’s and a plate of noodles. Surprisingly, I felt I could eat even more, but I had to stop myself knowing that I was still going to be home for another four days. It was a great feeling to be around my family once again, and it truly did feel like I had never left, but I realized that I had taken that feeling for granted. I had a great rest of the night and loved seeing the rest of my family the next day. 

"Fake" Mexican Food

Being from the South, where much of the Mexican culture has been integrated, I have developed very strong taste buds for Tex Mex food. Of course, if you want to get real Mexican food, San Antonio would be the place to come, but San Antonio is also a place where cheap tacos and quesadillas have become very popular. Although this may not be considered “real” Mexican food, I like it more than eating “real” enchiladas at a nice sit-down Mexican restaurant. Back home, my cousins and I would frequently make midnight Taco Cabana (typical Tex-Mex restaurant) runs for our taco cravings. This type of food is definitely something that I have missed since coming to Emory. Not only are there less Mexican restaurants in Atlanta, but also getting to them is an ordeal. During Halloween weekend though, I was finally able to satisfy my Tex-Mex craving that I have had for so long.

Two of my friends and I had waited until the week of Halloween to go the Spirit store and to pick out our costumes, so we asked a friend of mine to drive us to the store. When we got there, we realized that we should have had a few ideas in mind before coming because there were so many options. We went from idea to idea considering dressing up as power rangers, Super Smash Bros. characters, and even nuns, but we finally decided to buy super hero pajama onesies. Buying the costumes though was not nearly as fun as trying on the most outrageous costumes we could find. I am pretty sure we were having more fun Halloween costume shopping than most of the children there.

However, this outing did take a long time and the friend that took us was ready to go home. While on the car ride back though, we were talking about how hungry we were, so my friend who was driving said he would take us to eat, and what restaurant was in the same complex as the Halloween store? Chipotle. This came at perfect timing, because I was thinking to myself earlier that day that I really miss eating tacos and chips and salsa. As soon as he suggested Chipotle, we all imediately agreed and all of a sudden I felt even hungrier. I knew exactly what I wanted. I ordered three chicken tacos with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and hot sauce. This is my ideal taco and it tasted perfect. I realized how much I miss this “fake” Mexican food. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the hot sauce added a perfect amount of spiciness to the meal. The food and being with my best friends brought back so many memories of late night food runs and spending time with my cousins back home. Although I was experiencing this meal and Halloween with different people, I enjoyed it just as much.