WRITING CULTURE 2012: Film, Food & Beyond

Aquafina Aquafina everywhere….

Water is the drink of the gods, its the stuff that no matter what your culture, ethnicity, age and status is good for you. Yet we spend so little time really analyzing which water source we prefer to drink from.

Water is plain, I’ve been told, boring even, but how can this be? There are infinite water sources that are mined for the product and so numerous tastes and varieties to chose from. If you can’t tell the difference between waters then perhaps you have been brushing your tongue too hard and nulled your taste buds, or you should consider drinking and eating in a quiet and calm environment whilst not being stimulated by any media sources (TV, computer, phone, music etc) Really try and connect with what you are putting in your mouth.

For me, good tasty flavorsome water invokes swimming in the Dordogne in the south of France as a child , that first toe dip in the river would send a shiver down my spine, just like the first sip of cool spring or mineral water does now, a glass of the right water should almost make you feel like you are being caressed on the outside whilst being simultaneously being  refreshed from within. There should be no bitter or salty aftertaste, and it should feel smooth going down your throat, soft even.

My Aquafina this morning is chilled to antarctic levels as is popular in the US. As a Brit, I like things a little nearer to room temperature, a more natural and therefore comfortable level for the body. Gripping the soft (cheap) bottle with my hands. I squeeze a little to pour the liquid carefully into my mouth. Visually its perfectly clear, just how I like it, no floating anomalies, UFO’s (unidentified floating objects) or cloudiness. But the taste, although not terrible, is giving me more Hudson river than riviera undertones. This is municipal water, re hashed, re worked somethings have been added, some taken away, more messing around with a product that should need little improvement. It has a faint chemical aftertaste, that lingers a minute too long after the water has been swallowed, and  my thirst is quenched yes, but I expect more.

Unlike water from a tap, spring waters and minerals waters should be respected for their purity, and admired for their essence, thousands of years in the making, a gift from the earth to man. You can virtually taste the journey in the subtle mix of limestone, volcanic activity and dolomite in every sip. Today I am left wanting, tomorrow I will enjoy a superior experience with a brand that deserves my hard earned dollars.

I decided to drink the Naked juice for my breakfast. I chose the blue machine. NAKED, boosted 100 % juice smoothie wakes me from deep sleep. Rich flavors of blueberries, blackberries, apples, and banana blended tightly and hold the juicy tastes in just one bottle. The fruits were naked and hugging each other with their own flavors. I felt healthier than having Tropicana juice or Snapple because valuable fibers are still in it. So, my stomach does not hurt by having citrus fruit.

Today I had Kelloggs Special K Pastry Crisps strawberry snacks bar as my breakfast and I kind of like it. The sugary and pinky thin strawberry layer in middle of the crisps makes it more delicious. After the first bite of the bar, I felt a fresh strawberry was melting softly while going down in my throat. I may have it as breakfast more often, and 100 calories in per pouch is ok I guess.

White Chocolate Mocha is more chocolate than coffee (which is great for me because I’m not a fan of coffee black). The taste is sweet, the whipped cream makes the drink thick and creamy, once the drink has passed the scorching hot phase. My favorite part of this drink is that I can’t taste the brittle, strong taste of pure coffee. The wonderful, luscious taste of white chocolate mixed with whipped cream really brings out the sweetness of the drink. White Chocolate Mocha’s taste can probably only compare to the level of sweetness cupcakes explode with. Cupcakes have the perfect combination of spongy cake and sweet, intoxicating frosting.

Once a White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks is warm and has thickened with the whipped cream, it takes you back to sitting under blankets watching Christmas movies – warm and sweet.

It is customary in a Puerto Rican household to have café con leche with a piece of bread or crackers. Like every person we rely on coffee to start the day, to get us through the day and to end the day. Growing up I would wake up to the smell of Café Bustelo. The taste of coffee first thing in the morning on a weekday is soothing. Especially coffee that is made the traditional way that does not consist of a filter made of disposable paper. Spanish coffee is as addictive as chocolate, we can’t survive on just one cup or one piece of chocolate alone. Having that first cup of coffee in the morning gives me a rude awakening. The day will start off on a good note once I have that first sip and feel the hot and sweet caffeine that’s accompanied with milk slide down my throat and hit my belly like no other.

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I think I just got shot…in my mouth. The sweet flavor of delicious cocoa from my Mocha Frappuccino has hit the inside of my mouth with the force of a bullet to the heart. The delicious cold beverage may just look like a chocolate milkshake but it is very different. Somehow, the cold hits your mouth first and then one second later the mocha hits you with a sweet surprise that sends immediate shivers down your spine. Starbucks, hit me one more time.

I’m not really a breakfast person. Usually my breakfast is my lunch because I just can’t get an appetite right after rolling out of bed and I don’t understand how most people do. Small fruits are a something I’d eat for breakfast like grapes or an apple but that’s very unlikely. However there is something that always calls my name whenever I need something to chew on before going to my 9am class.

S’mores are already on the top three of my favorite sweets and desserts but s’mores? For breakfast? Pop Tarts aren’t really my kind of style either. To be quite honest, I’ve only had about 5 poptarts in my life and they were all pretty gross. Except for one. The S’mores Pop Tarts are simply delectable and not only are they just jam packed with sugar and chocolate to ruin my blood pressure to keep me energetic for the day, but they taste pretty damn good.

The first time I tried one was at a sleep over about five years ago at a friend’s house and I thought it was okay. I saw it again in one of the Baruch vending machines during my freshman year and I couldn’t stop eating one every other morning even if I tried. People might say this is pretty gross since poptarts are just squares of sugar and death but I don’t drink soda or juice and strictly just drink water with my meals so I’d like to see it as a balancing act for my life. Less sugar there and more sugar here just means I’m getting just as much sugar as the average person so s’mores poptarts will forever be part of my morning routine for as long as I live.

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This oatmeal pie has a soft, chewy, gummy-like texture. I’ve been eating Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Creme Pie since I was eight-years-old. At first I didn’t like it, I thought it made my mouth dry with its floury taste, but I soon grew accustomed. White-cream-filling smothered between two oatmeal cookies, delicious. The oatmeal is moist, smooth and a bit bland but fear not the creamy filling adds a mild sweetness to create a great balance.

Today I had Sun Chips for breakfast. Sun Chips are a few ingredients removed from Doritos, and that is not good. Calling them “Harvest Cheddar” flavor was an insult to cheddar. They tasted nothing like chesse.
The brightly colored bag crunched loudly every time I reached for another chip, much like the crunching sound coming from my mouth. These man-made grainy, salt-chips made my fingers and tongue orange. I immediately wished I bought a bottle of water to rinse the after taste from my lips. I also forgot my water bottle. Fragments of Sun Chips were pasted to my molars to remind me of the poor choice I made.
The small bag contained about 15 chips and a whopping 200 calories, yet I was still hungry. They were 20% sodium and devoid of any nutritional value. I realize it’s not practical to have sliced apples with peanut butter or hot oatmeal in a vending machine, but Sun Chips for breakfast has to be the worst breakfast ever! What was I thinking?
Maybe next week, I will learn from my mistakes and wake up earlier. Then I could make a delicious frozen-fruit smoothie with almond milk and vegetable protein while leisurely scrolling the news. Unfortunately, my class on Thursday is too early for me and I often miss breakfast rushing to class.

The flavor/texture combination of a golden kettle cooked potato chip is something enjoyable at anytime of day. Plain potato chips are a fool-proof means to a gluten free snack that can literally be found around the world!  The identifiable crunch as you bite into a chip is heavenly, with just enough salt to keep them from being bland.  Three ingredients (potatoes, oil, salt) mean that while we know potato chips are not the healthiest choice, they are a lot better than most options you can find on short notice hunger, and it also means there is nothing there to be nervous about when eating them… you know exactly what you’re getting.

The fact that potato chips are absolutely delicious is merely icing on the cake for this crunchy treat.