My Head says Gym, but my Heart says Tacos.
My favorite entée from Pappasito's Cantina
Spicy
![Picture](/uploads/6/0/9/5/60954725/published/207940-204399469583196-3583356-n.jpg?1487661036)
I wouldn’t exactly know how to describe my life as a food autobiography, but here I go. As I was born and raised in Houston, Texas I know how lucky I am to be born into one of the fourth largest cities in America, but most importantly Houston’s diversity within the city. When I was born, I lived on the North East side of Houston, what most people call now, North Shore. Mostly Hispanic, Caucasian, and African Americans that area is filled with a plethora of different fast food selections, and plenty of delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurants. At the moment, I love Mexican food. As a matter of fact, my mom said she had spicy Mexican food the night she went into labor with me, I guess it was destined for me to love Mexican food. I also think it’s kind of Ironic how my nickname became “Spicy” in High school. Now everything I eat has to have some type of jalapenos or good seasoning on it. And no-I am not the stereotypical black girl that carries hot sauce in their purse; I actually don’t like hot sauce all that much. I just hate bland food.
However, around the age of thirteen, the only thing I could cook was mostly breakfast. Id like to say it’s my specialty dish, because I make it so much, Breakfast at Breakfast, breakfast at lunch, and honestly breakfast at dinner. I guarantee you I was an chef, by taking my sister and brothers cereal boxes, my best combination of was Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and Captain Crunch, then I’d place my two strawberry Pop tarts fresh out in toaster, while grabbing my boiling hot oatmeal out the microwave, I felt like a child genius on a Saturday morning. After a while when I a little older and I found my greatest discovery as a child; my mom taught me how to cook bacon, in the microwave! As a preteen I felt like I was having a five-course meal, in my own house guarantee you I was a chef.
Once in intermediate school, I moved to southwest Alief, Texas. The city of Alief takes pride in being the most diverse districts in Houston. So I have been pleased to have so many different types of friends over the years. I have been introduced to new, and strange dishes I would have never tasted had I lived in another city. For Instance, One of my best friends is Hispanic and invited me to dinner, I have always been a fan of authentic Mexican food and Tex-Mex, where they taught me to make homemade tamales, and salsa, but boy does sure taste better when it’s homemade, than at a restaurant. I also had a Vietnamese friend, she would always bring her food from home, and then one day after school she invited me to one of her favorite Vietnamese restaurants. Here is where I first experienced the joy of indulging myself into eating raw fish. I remember it like it was yesterday, spicy tuna and, shrimp tempura rolls. I did not like trying sushi at first, but by the third bite it started to grow on me. The closest thing I have ever been to eating Chinese food is going to Benihana and Timmy Chan’s, or my first time eating Panda Express here on the University’s campus. Overall, It made me value that I like my fish marinated, sauté, then battered, baked, grilled, or deep-fried.
While at my dad’s house out in Crosby, Texas, the people are literally a newspaper, (black or white) that doesn’t amount to much because this is Houston, and we all eat everything. Baytown is far out on the East side of Texas. Where there are Barbeques, Fish fry’s, crawfish boils and thanksgiving dinner on Sunday afternoon, because it’s always someone’s birthday. In Crosby I got to live the country carefree life style. My father was a countryman he could go hunting with his buddies, kill a couple of deer, and snakes and think he was the King of the Hill. Too bad for him because his family never ate anything he brought home hunted, and for the rest of the week if he cooked we would have to ask what kind of meat is this because knowing him he would sneak his catching’s in the pot. Most teenagers usually grow over the summer, yeah, didn’t happen for me, I just got wide. My dad didn’t too much care about a healthy diet that was moms job. For sure, I knew at least four days out the week we would be eating Popeye’s, which we could smell from the door, or his famous Oxtails with brown rice. Even though we didn’t eat healthy with my dad, I wish he would walk through the door with the big Popeye’s bag again, may he rest in peace.
So to wrap it up, food is an all around experience of different cultures for me, it’s fun, and exciting and always something new. Its an introduction in someone’s heritage with dishes have been passed down to generations to come. Even though I lived in Houston my whole live we have the best restaurants in the state because there is such a variety. I can’t wait to travel the world so I can meet new people, and experience more delicious cuisines around the world. But like my grandmother always said, “You can’t always eat everybody’s food!”
However, around the age of thirteen, the only thing I could cook was mostly breakfast. Id like to say it’s my specialty dish, because I make it so much, Breakfast at Breakfast, breakfast at lunch, and honestly breakfast at dinner. I guarantee you I was an chef, by taking my sister and brothers cereal boxes, my best combination of was Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, and Captain Crunch, then I’d place my two strawberry Pop tarts fresh out in toaster, while grabbing my boiling hot oatmeal out the microwave, I felt like a child genius on a Saturday morning. After a while when I a little older and I found my greatest discovery as a child; my mom taught me how to cook bacon, in the microwave! As a preteen I felt like I was having a five-course meal, in my own house guarantee you I was a chef.
Once in intermediate school, I moved to southwest Alief, Texas. The city of Alief takes pride in being the most diverse districts in Houston. So I have been pleased to have so many different types of friends over the years. I have been introduced to new, and strange dishes I would have never tasted had I lived in another city. For Instance, One of my best friends is Hispanic and invited me to dinner, I have always been a fan of authentic Mexican food and Tex-Mex, where they taught me to make homemade tamales, and salsa, but boy does sure taste better when it’s homemade, than at a restaurant. I also had a Vietnamese friend, she would always bring her food from home, and then one day after school she invited me to one of her favorite Vietnamese restaurants. Here is where I first experienced the joy of indulging myself into eating raw fish. I remember it like it was yesterday, spicy tuna and, shrimp tempura rolls. I did not like trying sushi at first, but by the third bite it started to grow on me. The closest thing I have ever been to eating Chinese food is going to Benihana and Timmy Chan’s, or my first time eating Panda Express here on the University’s campus. Overall, It made me value that I like my fish marinated, sauté, then battered, baked, grilled, or deep-fried.
While at my dad’s house out in Crosby, Texas, the people are literally a newspaper, (black or white) that doesn’t amount to much because this is Houston, and we all eat everything. Baytown is far out on the East side of Texas. Where there are Barbeques, Fish fry’s, crawfish boils and thanksgiving dinner on Sunday afternoon, because it’s always someone’s birthday. In Crosby I got to live the country carefree life style. My father was a countryman he could go hunting with his buddies, kill a couple of deer, and snakes and think he was the King of the Hill. Too bad for him because his family never ate anything he brought home hunted, and for the rest of the week if he cooked we would have to ask what kind of meat is this because knowing him he would sneak his catching’s in the pot. Most teenagers usually grow over the summer, yeah, didn’t happen for me, I just got wide. My dad didn’t too much care about a healthy diet that was moms job. For sure, I knew at least four days out the week we would be eating Popeye’s, which we could smell from the door, or his famous Oxtails with brown rice. Even though we didn’t eat healthy with my dad, I wish he would walk through the door with the big Popeye’s bag again, may he rest in peace.
So to wrap it up, food is an all around experience of different cultures for me, it’s fun, and exciting and always something new. Its an introduction in someone’s heritage with dishes have been passed down to generations to come. Even though I lived in Houston my whole live we have the best restaurants in the state because there is such a variety. I can’t wait to travel the world so I can meet new people, and experience more delicious cuisines around the world. But like my grandmother always said, “You can’t always eat everybody’s food!”