Foodie

March 5, 2020 

Foodie 

  Some people eat food to fill their stomachs, and other people eat food to make them happy. I do both of these because I try to fill stomach with my favorite food to make myself happy and healthy. I was born and raised in Myanmar, and I lived there for ten years. When I first came to United States one and a half years ago, I had a hard time eating food from the U.S. because Americans eat different types of food at different times of the day compared to Burmese. I have not visited Myanmar for almost nine years, so I long to eat many of my favorite foods, including  Ta Nyin Thee, a dessert that is made of coconut and Mote Hin Kar. Burmese food makes my stomach full and happy more than food from the U.S. because they suit my taste better. Since arriving in 2016, it has been hard to find my favorite food, ingredients, and flavors because Americans don’t sell or eat them.

I miss eating food that I used to eat for breakfast in Myanmar because I don’t have time to make what I used to eat in the morning.  When I was in Myanmar, I used to eat rice, meat, soup and some vegetables for breakfast, so I was surprised that most people in the U.S. eat food that is made of wheat and milk for breakfast. I have had a hard time eating bread, pancakes, and milk for breakfast because I wasn’t used to eating them even though they are easy to make in the morning. I always ate spicy, sweet, and sour food in Myanmar with my friends and family. One of those foods are called mango dish, a dessert that is made of coconut and La Pat Thot can be found anywhere in Myanmar. All of these items can be found in some shops in Chicago, but they are far from where I live, so I can’t eat them whenever I crave them. I don’t like to eat oily, non-spicy, and very sweet food, which some Americans usually prefer to eat. I wasn’t satisfied eating the typical breakfast because I didn’t feel good after eating them and wasn’t familiar with the taste. 

In addition, I miss eating with my family and by hand. Most people in Myanmar mostly eat with their hands, but Americans use utensils like forks and knives to cut food into small pieces and eat easily. It was one of the first thing I noticed when I first came to the U.S, and I felt uncomfortable eating everything using utensils. Eating with hands creates more flavors by mixing the food well, so I always ate with my hands. Since moving, I had a difficult time trying to use spoon whenever I eat at the school or restaurants. Burmese always wait for their family to eat together to show love and respect, but most American people mostly eat with their families, but they use their phones while eating so they don’t talk much like Burmese do. I was sad that I couldn’t talk much with my family like we used to because we are busy using with using our phones while eating. 

Finally, I miss getting services from Burmese restaurants. I have been to restaurants in Myanmar and the U.S., so I know both of their strength and weakness. Most waiters are friendly and kind in Myanmar because they talk much to the customers like their family. Some waiters in the U.S. are kind and helpful, but not as friendly as Burmese because some of them don’t speak much to the customers. In the U.S. Tips are usually given to the waiters as a reward, but it is not in Myanmar. Tips are not required in Myanmar’s restaurants and customers can get discount in Myanmar, but in America tips are always required for everything customers buy in restaurants. I was surprised to see people paying tips at the restaurants or stores because I didn’t know what tips were and wasn’t used to paying them. I felt uncomfortable paying tips because I just used to carry money for the thing that I want to buy, not extra money, and didn’t know how much to pay for the tips. 

In conclusion, I miss eating food from Myanmar, eating with my family, and getting good service. I am worried that I won’t be able to eat Burmese food with my family when I live alone because I don’t know how to cook those dishes and may forget my traditional food. I need to learn to cook Burmese food and American food so that I could survive by myself when I live alone and to not forget my traditional food. After one or two years, my habits have begun to change but I still miss eating Burmese food. I would like to suggest to try eating or doing new things and to not forget their countries’ food because forgetting one's country’s food is like forgetting a culture or tradition.