Analogy

Writing, much like cooking, is a process of carefully selecting ingredients (structural components) and combining them with intention, allowing time and care to transform bare elements into something meaningful and satisfying. Particularly, the craft of argumentative writing can best be best compared to cooking seeing that it commonly follows a conventional format, though, configuration is not always desired with the two practices. Nonetheless, here is what I recognize as optimal argumentative writing structure.

Recipe for Argumentative Essay;

• A thesis statement (firm but flexible)
• 3-4 claims (ripe and robust)
• An abundance of evidence
• Compelling Transitions
• Conclusion

Among the other components listed in this recipe, the aspect of authenticity is the key ingredient that elevates the final product from merely competent to truly memorable. Authenticity infuses the work with a unique voice, a personal touch that resonates with readers or diners in a way that formulaic approaches cannot. It is the element that gives this writing in itself some sort of substance, open to be interpreted by the reader. This idea is in alignment with what À la Danny Licht presents within Cooking As Though You Might Cook Again, as he emphasizes the concept of non-conformed (true to self) cooking. With argumentative writing, I believe that authenticity brings a distinct benefit. In all of my experience as a writer, I’ve found that it is significantly easier to pre-emptively outline my work when I have a genuine interest for what I am writing about. The most blatant example I can picture is seen in the difference between writing a history research paper and writing about personal experiences. Inherently, I am drawn to self-reflection rather than regurgitating (what is presented as) objectively correct ideas and themes. By virtue of this idea, forcing yourself to write about something you are not passionate about will result in work that inaccurately displays your ability to convey an idea.

Instructions for Cooking (sort of)

Despite their being a given set of components, the order in which you put these pieces together can be completely arbitrary in my opinion. I find it easier for me to insert/extend whatever I have the most ideas about first in my writing. From there, I start to make sense of what I am trying to achieve as a whole, and the process starts to become figuratively similar to solving a puzzle. For instance, if I have yet to develop a thesis for my writing, it is likely that I will draw from the bulk of evidence and analysis that I may have in order to create an overarching contention.

Conclusion

Although it is subject to change, this format for writing is the result of constant, and ongoing, trial and error — not just my own, but that of countless writers, past and present, who have struggled to shape their thoughts into coherent, persuasive arguments. The societal significance of writing stands as universally obvious, seeing that the practice has innovated the way we think, communicate, and perceive.

Steak. God’s gift to man. What is steak you ask? A juicy, tender, thick piece of perfectly cooked meat from a cow. No matter the cut of the cow, a perfectly cooked steak can never go wrong. Whether it’s just your classic Rib-eye, or a perfect slice of a Cowboy, steak is the key to my heart. After a long day, when I come home and my mom tells me that tonights dinner is steak, my eyes instantly light up, and I get a whole new wave of energy and excitement. Every year, when my parents ask what I want for my birthday dinner, they always already know the answer. My most fond memory with steak was before my grandparents moved away, they took me out for a nice steak dinner as a goodbye. Not only was it one of the best steaks i’ve ever had, the memories that came with it made it all the more meaningful. However, while I know this sounds all good and easy, the true happiness that comes from a big, juicy steak is all about how it’s made. So today I will be teaching you all how to cook the perfect steak. For this demonstration we’ll be keeping it simple, and will be making a classic Rib-Eye steak. First, here are our Ingredients:

1. 1 Rib-Eye steak (Size is up to you)
2. Olive Oil
3. Salt
4. Pepper
5. A BBQ
6. A meat thermometer

Once we get all those ingredients were going to preheat our grill to somewhere between a medium and high flame.

Now let’s get cooking. First were going to take our steak and put on our meat board, or any clean surface. Then we’ll rub some olive oil on both sides of our steak to make sure our seasoning doesn’t fall off when we throw it onto the grill. Were going to then grab our salt grinder and put a generous amount of salt on both sides of our steak. The salt is super important because it creates a brine that then gets reabsorbed back into the steak, which creates all those juices were looking for. Then we’ll grab our pepper grinder and do the same we did for the salt on both sides. Once were done with that we’ll throw our steak onto our already pre-heated grill and let it cook for about 12 minutes. About a minute before that halfway mark were going to flip our steak. Once our 12 minutes are up we want to use our meat thermometer to see if our steak is at a good temperature. It should be about 130 degrees. Once it’s ready we’ll take it off and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Letting it rest allows for all those juices to reabsorb into the meat. Now after our mouths have been salivating for way too long, grab a plate and some utensils and get to eating. Savor each bite because you never know when that next steak is going to come around. I hope you enjoyed this lesson on how to cook the perfect steak, and I hope this steak made you as happy as it made me.

INGREDIENTS

• Shrimp
• Peppers (Bell or Long Hot Peppers)
• Salt
• Sugar
• White Pepper
• Cornstarch
• Sesame Oil
• Cooking Wine
• Light Soy Sauce
• Black Bean Paste
• Oyster Sauce

Growing up, my family ate a lot of stuffed peppers, eggplant, and tofu. From homemade by my parents and grandparents to grabbing from the carts at Dim Sum, I would always satisfy myself with their deliciousness. Each family has its own recipe, but they are all delicious to me or 好食 (which in Cantonese means tasty). My mom usually cooked this dish for us, but sometimes my dad would take over the role. I haven’t made this dish before, but I would watch my parents prepare and cook the peppers. Even at eighteen, this dish is still one of my favorite foods. It just carries that nostalgic feeling for me without being complex.

I haven’t put the specific amounts for each ingredient as it varies for how much you are making and how savory you want to make it. Let’s work on the filling first. Take your shrimp and start cleaning and peeling them. Don’t forget to get rid of the poop sack so you don’t get the bitter taste! After prepping the shrimp, start smashing them so it forms a paste. Depending on how fine you want the paste, you can smash it longer. Next, you can start prepping the marinate for the filling. In a bowl or whatever dish you want, put salt, sugar, white pepper, cornstarch, and water. The amounts vary on the amount of filling you prepared but make sure it is enough. Add the shrimp paste in and mix until it absorbs the marinade and becomes sticky. After mixing, add some sesame oil. Put the paste in the fridge to chill while you’re preparing the peppers. Take your peppers and cut them depending on how big you want your peppers. You can keep the seeds if you like your food to be spicy. Sprinkle some cornstarch on your peppers and take out your filling from the fridge. Scoop a generous amount of filling and make sure it sticks inside of the pepper. Keep repeating and when done, you can work on the sauce. In another bowl, stir together black bean paste, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and water (don’t add too much of the black bean paste and oyster sauce as these are really savory and can overpower the dish). Now, here comes the fun part, the cooking! Grab a flat pan that is decently sized. Heat the pan up and add oil when it’s hot enough. Put the peppers in, filling side down. Once they’re all in, cover the pan with a lid and wait for the filling to firm up. After the filling becomes golden brown, you can start flipping the peppers to the other side. Put some cooking wine in and put the lid back on. After a minute, you can turn off the heat. Next, pour the sauce you made earlier into a separate pan and start cooking it. Keep stirring gently while cooking to prevent lumps. After it’s done cooking, turn off the heat and you can start plating the peppers with the sauce. Now, you can enjoy the food you put your hard work in!

Before you start following the procedures to make a pot of tomatoes and sliced beef noodles, remember to gather all the ingredients so you don’t stop in the middle of cooking to go to the grocery store!

Ingredients

• An ounce of olive oil
• Three tomatoes
• 700g of Sliced beef
• 1 pack of enoki
• Two bags of noodles (any kind you prefer)
• 10 grams of garlic
• A quart of water
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoon of light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon of vinegar (black vinegar is most recommended)
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 10 grams of green onion 
• 10 grams of cilantro
• 5 grams of chicken essence

Even though the ingredients list is pretty specific on the amounts, you don’t have to follow it exactly. For example, if you are a “sour” person, just add more vinegar and if you don’t like cilantro, don’t use it. This recipe is just for reference and is not telling anyone to use a scale or measure everything like they’re doing a scientific lab.

After you gather all the ingredients, wash your hands and wash all the vegetables to protect your stomach from aching. Then, use a knife to slice the tomatoes and chop the garlic in a fit size. In this case, my mom usually presses and pounds the garlic using a knife’s surface to mince it into small pieces. This is not recommended to beginner cooks like me. Then, you fairly cut the green onion and cilantro to your desired amount. Now, preheat your pot and add oil. Wait for the oil to be heated and start adding in the sliced tomatoes, garlic and green onion pieces. Stir fry the tomatoes until you see the juice of it. Next, add water, oyster sauce, and the light soy sauce in the pot. Boil it for a few minutes and put in the enoki. To tell a fun fact, in my culture, enoki is given a slang phrase called “see you tomorrow” because it contains dietary fiber and is hard to digest. Sorry if my words smell. Now back to the right track and put in the noodles. Wait for like ten to fifteen minutes depending on your expectations with the noodles’ chewiness, and put the beef slices in. Finally add every other ingredient that is not used yet, such as salt, vinegar, chicken essence, and cilantro. And it’s ready to be served.

Tomatoes and beef slices of porridge are always cooked in my house. However, I’m not really sure which province of China it originated from. I searched online and people said it’s possibly the southern side of China. I feel it’s similar to Hot Pot, which is also a famous cuisine in my culture. For example, it includes different broth flavors and one of them is tomatoes. We add raw vegetables, meat, and seafood inside the hot pot. Basically, eating and cooking is done simultaneously. Since beef slices, enoki and noodles are all famous ingredients to prepare for a hot pot, I think maybe tomatoes and beef slices noodles is a dish that got its ideas from hot pot. 

My personal relationship with tomatoes and beef slices noodles is that I enjoy eating sour, sweets and noodles. This dish fulfilled my appetite very well. Even though there are many ingredients, it’s actually a very easy-cooked dish that can be done in half an hour because you only need to put every ingredient inside and look at the time. It’s convenient and healthy. My mom always cooked the porridge for me before she goes out to work and I just need to boil it again and add noodles in as I come back home from school. When I was little, my mom did not know how to cook for a bit and it’s my dad who is the home chef. However, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, my mom learned how to cook during the quarantine and I guarantee that tomatoes and sliced beef noodles are the best taste from my mom’s kitchen. Sometimes when I think about the future, as it becomes closer for me each year, I notice busy lifes and fast paced living environments as an adult. I imagined coming back home in stress one day and my mom making me tomatoes and sliced beef noodles, I would definitely feel less pressured. Things get more valuable over time and this simple dish right now is what I realized to hold many memories and connections.

Ingredients

• Eggs (typically 3 or to your preference)
• A whole tomato
• Scallion (optional)
• Chinese cooking wine(optional)
• Salt
• Msg(Totle chicken powder), It just makes everything taste better.
• Ketchup(Heinz!!!)
• Oil of any kind

Prepping

1. Crack the eggs into a bowl
2. Season the eggs with a pinch of salt and msg
3. Start whisking it with anything you have
4. Wash the tomato and cut it into wedges
5. Wash the scallions and cut them to small slices

Cooking

Begin heating your pan with some oil. Once the pan is heated, add the egg mixture in and start stirring when the edges of the egg starts cooking. After the egg is fully cooked, set it aside to a plate. Then, have a new pan, and add in some oil. When the pan is heated, add in the tomato and let it cook for a few min. Once you feel the tomato is cooked, add in the eggs, a little bit more salt, msg, and some ketchup. Mix it throughly, then pour in a little cooking wine and after a few second close the heat. Finally, top it off with some scallion and it’s ready to be serve.

Food is not just a dish but a door where culture and society intervene. For example, new trends of food are recreated with combination of different cuisine or the forgotten tradition food by many young adults. I choose scrambled egg with tomato as my recipe because it’s a been a dish I’ve grew up with and it’s a simple dish to make. For me this dish has alway been my comfort food because it warming and the combination of red and yellow just make it very appetizing. It is also scientifically proven that these two combination of color increase appetite and opens your tastebud. In addition, this dish has been a popular Chinese cuisine eaten all over China for thousand of years, but different family will have a slightly different recipes and taste to it. For my recipe, I have a little recreation of adding some ketchup so it taste more sweet and tarty. However, the most important thing is to serve the dish with a bowl of cooked rice. In conclusion, food and cooking brings joy to people and brings them together.

Did you know that ten years ago milk tea cost only 3 dollars? Surprisingly, nowadays the price has gone up to eight dollars! And the milk tea may not be made with real tea, but with milk tea powder. Today I’m going to teach you how to make milk tea with real tea and real milk. (LOW COST and EASY)

Ingredients of Black Tea Jelly

• Black tea bag (Lipton)- 2 bags
• White bean jelly powder- 7 teaspoons
• Water- 500ml
• Sugar- 8 teaspoons
• A bowl that can hold 500ml
• A pot

Ingredients of Milk Tea

• Jasmine tea- 3 teaspoons (Choose the tea you like)
• Sugar- 3 teaspoons (depends on your preferred sweetness)
• Water- 200ml
• Milk- 400ml (depends on how milky you want)
• A pan

First of all, put all the needed ingredients on the table. We will be making the black tea jelly first. Pour the water into the pot, cover the pot and wait for it to boil. Now you can put the tea bags in boiling water for 5 minutes. After that, pick out the tea bags with chopsticks or a spoon. You can start adding sugar and turn down the heat until it melts. Next, add the white bean jelly powder, which must be stirred immediately until it melts. Then, carefully and quickly pour the black tea liquid into the bowl. Once the liquid has cooled, place it in the refrigerator for one hour. While waiting for it to solidify, we can start making milk tea! Take a pan and place it on the stove. When ready, start adding the jasmine tea leaves and sugar. Remember to turn the heat on low and stir PATIENTLY. Once  the color turns caramel, you can add water and wait for it to boil. Then, slowly pour the milk into the pan and wait for the next boil. At this point, you can turn off the heat and strain the tea through a strainer. Take out black tea jelly from the refrigerator and cut it into small pieces with a knife. Use a spoon to scoop the jelly into a cup and add milk tea. Add as many ice cubes as you need. Now you can ENJOY this refreshing drink!

I’m sure you’ve all heard that eating something sweet when you’re in a bad mood will bring you joy. For me, milk tea is a soothing “medicine.” Milk tea heals me when I’m depressed. When I am delighted, it can amplify my happiness in the moment. Milk tea is not just a drink to quench my thirst or satisfy my appetite, it’s a way to relax and feel content. From the choice of tea, to the ratio of milk to tea, each cup will contain a different flavor. I picked Jasmine tea as my tea base, because the taste brings refreshing, soft, and little sweetness. In addition, the scent of jasmine tea eased my fatigue and lured me into a state of calm. It’s not as bitter as coffee or as sweet as soda. Of course, some people may prefer a sweeter or thicker milk flavor, and I enjoy the taste that is more tea-like milk tea, so I add less milk. In my recipe, you can mix the proportions to your liking and create new flavors as long as you follow my process. When I took the first sip of milk tea that I made, I was full of satisfaction as the smooth jelly slipped down my throat and it was a refreshing feeling! As a matter as fact, I basically drink homemade milk tea once a week, not only does it taste good and it’s cheaper than buying in the store, but the best part is that every time I finish brewing it, I feel fulfilled that I can’t help but crave it.

Ingredients:

• One or Two Eggs
• A Little Bit of Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions:

• Heat the Pan with Passion
• Drizzle the Oil Softly
• Crack the Egg(s) Carefully
• Cook the Egg(s) Patiently
• Season the Egg(s) Generously
• Serve the Egg(s) Lovingly

My mom always started the morning with a whistling kettle and crackling eggs. Undercooked eggs every day and overcooked eggs every other day. Although always a tad bit too salty, I grew fond of its imperfect nature. All it needed was a mother’s touch, that was enough to satisfy my young appetite. Even now, my mom’s cooking remains a luxury, as it’s her affection that brings out the true flavors presented in all of her dishes. This doesn’t mean I was different from any other child though. I threw my own fair set of tantrums and displayed ignorance of her dedication to being a mother. But it was the heat that bordered the kitchen from the dining room and the sweat that dripped from my mother’s face that converted my impatience to understanding. 

Food has always been a way for my family to stay so close to one another. It’s a form of communication I never really considered as a child. But it’s those Thanksgivings, Christmas dinners, and spontaneous barbecues that allowed me to consume my Peruvian background. Family is sincerely cherished in my home and to keep this custom alive, food plays a huge aspect in our persistence. This persistence is a constant reminder that we are not alienated but rather part of something more. The community my family has built over the years started with an offering of a meal. Eating with someone is part of the process of getting to know someone. There is a certain vulnerability that comes along with it. Their mannerisms, the plate they choose, their choice of utensil, how much of the food they let go to waste, or if they even bothered to wash their own plate. You never really notice it, but when you do you come to grasp the type of person you are dealing with. The meal doesn’t have to be extravagant either to determine a personality. So the next time you ever want to get closer to someone, grab a meal with them. I know the next time my mom fries a couples of eggs and sits down to eat with me, I’ll always be ready to thank her.