This session we focused on food-related writing; we wrote about foods we love, foods we hate, and even what foods would do if they became human.
From our exercise about "food fright," in which students wrote about food that makes, or used to make, them squeamish.
Night of the Living Crab Cakes
I'm on a cruise ship in Europe. My dad asks me to try the crab cakes. I say that I'll think about it. I don't want to try them but I do. It's weird. We walk to dinner. My sister, I, and my mom wearing pretty dresses, and my dad in his handsome dark suit. We look at the menu. I remember my dad said we have to try new things in Italy. My sister and I order Shirley Temples. My mom and dad order wine. My dad convinces me to try crab cakes and we could split gnocchi. I couldn't back out. It was already in the cage. The waiter brought our orders over. I took one bite. I loved it! It sort of had a boom then pow then kaboom pow! It was so good! The texture, the flavor, it was amazing. To this day I still eat it at Claremont.
– Maggie
From "Tangerine Delight," an exercise that asked students to eat a tangerine slooowly, bite by bite, and write about the experience.
Tangerine Delightsy Appetitesy
Peeling apart the segments of the tangerine taunts me until the last drop of gooey, orange joy is resting on my tongue. My jaw slowly clenches and this wonderful splash of flavor is riding around my mouth. I imagine the orange liquid rummaging through my mouth, spraying every inch like someone watering the ground with a hose. I swallow and the world becomes a grey lonely place again and the world is not colorful and playful until I eat the tangerine, watermelon, banana fruit salad at dinner.
– Hayden
From our food personification activity, which let the kids write about characters inspired by food.
Part One
Watermelon was a watermelon that had orange hair, blue eyes, and her skin color was green, red, and black. She lived in a rainbow-colored pineapple with her pet Waddles. She was taking a walk with her pet Waddles. Waddles would bark and bark. Watermelon still went to school. She was in 2nd grade. Her parents would not be home so she had to walk home by herself. One evening when she was walking home she fell into an ice cube. Watermelon did not know what to do. The ice cube was too slippery to get out. She could not think of anything. Her friend Melon Mark came strolling along when he found Watermelon. Watermelon said to Melon Mark, "Help me! Please! I'll give you a treat!" Melon Mark liked the word "treat". He pulled her out, thinking what a hero he was. Watermelon invited him to stay over for a little bit. They both had an amazing time. Watermelon and Melon Mark would never ever forget that moment.
Part Two
Melon Mark and Watermelon were soon in 5th grade. They were still in the same class. Melon Mark and Watermelon were becoming friends. At the end of school Watermelon would do her homework and play. Melon Mark had feelings for Watermelon. Watermelon had feelings for him too! At school the first period Melon Mark asked Watermelon if Watermelon could go on a date. Watermelon was shocked and then said "yes". That night Watermelon got all dressed up for Melon Mark. At the date they went to a French restaurant. Melon Mark had onion soup. Watermelon had steak with peas and mashed up potatoes. After dinner, Melon Mark dropped off Watermelon at her house. Melon Mark and Watermelon had grown up ten years later. They both got married and had children whose names were Mars, Melvin, and Waton. They got a huge lovely house.
The End.
– Sara
Another from our food personification exercise:
The Pie
The poor cute little pie was hoping that somebody would one day buy her from that prison store. At least the little pie had Whitey the Butter, her friend, that was also a prisoner there.
One day a little boy that was picking his nose grabbed the little pie and bought her.
The little pie was so happy that she got taken away from the prison store. She was on a beautiful glass table, suddenly something jumped up on the table, and happily chewed the little pie. It was the darn dog! The little pie was chewed into pieces in the dog's stomach. The little pie wasn't so happy, but at least she was out of the prison store. Or was she in another prison place?...AAAHHH!
– Sonyamia
From our family recipe activity, in which we wrote stories inspired by favorite family dishes:
Food Story
As the all-vegetable pot stickers, or gyoza, sizzle and crackle in the saucepan, my salivic glands and nose go on overdrive. The soy sauce salty smell overpowers my nose. As my mom calls me from the computer to set the table she turns off the glitchy knob and it stops clicking.
When I am done putting the cold silverware on the table, and pouring the varied drinks, I collect my plate and sit down ravenously. The first bite I take is warm and soy sauce salty. The savory/sweet vegetables come almost instantly afterwards, YUM! After the first three gyoza are gone all that salt has made me hungry and I take a sip of the oversweet orange-peach-mango-juice, OPMJ. When I am done drinking I sit back, contentedly sighing.
– Noah
This is from our "I Am From" poetry exercise, which let the kids get creative while describing where they come from.
I am From
I am from a bunch of ancestors
lined up one by one, generation
after generation with me at
the end of them
I am from a tree with branches growing stronger each day, with
the parents standing next to
me on any kind of day
I am from a big, tall hill full
of life with an urban farm house crowning its head
I am from all those art and
dance shows and people cheering
me on
I range from a long telephone
call to nights studying for a test
I am from making a dream
come true no matter what
And making the best of things,
cuz it's just in those blue worn out jeans.
– Nicola
Yet another from our food personification exercise:
Caseeeeeeeeey the Cake
Once upon a time there was a cake called Caseeeeeeeeey. She was a chocolate cake and she had chocolate frosting and she had chocolate sprinkles.
Once upon Caseeeeeeeeey three candles were pushed into her soft, crumby yumminess and they got lit on fire. She threw them at José the jalapeño. He got lit on fire. Then he danced around for ten days and two seconds. Then he drank water. So he was okay.
Once upon a sunny summer day José walked into a Mexican restaurant. He hid behind a booth. Then Caseeeeeeeeey walked into a Mexican restaurant. They just happened to be the same ones. The cake saw José. She picked him up and showed him to the cook. The cook saw José and took him and made him into salsa.
Once upon a long, long, long, long, long, long, long time in the future (about thirty seconds), Caseeeeeeeeey opened the door to her house and went in and drank a cup of coffeeeeeeeee and lived happily ever after.
The end is near!
The end
– Jonathan
From our "Tangerine Delight" exercise...
Tangerine
Tangy, yet sweet
Sour, yet candy-like
Seeping onto my tongue
Filling my mouth with a floating sensation
Orange is the color that I can taste
Squirting around my mouth
Yum.
– Reilly
This fall the 3rd-5th grade students at Sunset Elementary focused their creativity on food writing. Using all of their senses to write similes and metaphors, to personify food, making them characters in exploring their worlds and going on adventures; they've written odes to the food they like best, and even recipes of themselves.
