Food Memoir

Mikaela Villegas #30                                                                                                          6.3

ELA - Food Memoir

6 • 1 • 16

I love going out and meeting with people from my own country and culture.

          As I walk out my room, I see my family getting ready.

          “Where are we going?”, I ask my parents curiously.

          “We’re meeting with some of our friends!”, they respond with a smile,”to watch a soccer game!”

I eagerly put on my Argentina soccer jersey and got ready for the night. Again, I step out my room and see my mom, dad, and brother wearing their jerseys, too.

We get in the car and arrive to our friends’ house in no time. As we walk through the door together, everyone greets us with a kiss on the cheek. It’s Fall, and all the kids stay indoors because it’s chilly outside. The men go to the backyard and get the meat on the grill before the big game starts. The women are in the kitchen making the salads and setting up the tables.

I hear the men talking over the sizzling sound of the grill. The women chatting and laughing every few minutes.The kids telling jokes and playing “Truth or Dare”.

When everything’s ready, we hear the grown-ups calling us out to eat. It was finally time to watch the soccer match. We excitedly take our seats, waiting to be served. We discuss who we think will score score the goals, and we also talk about our hopes for the game.

The guys come in with the delicious-smelling meat. Everyone shuffles  their chairs and make space for the big plates on the table. The smell of food is everywhere. We hadn’t had much food for the last few hours. All eyes are locked on the meat. Mouths open, almost drooling.

Everyone’s eating, everyone’s happy, everything’s perfect. Typical Argentinians eating beef and watching a soccer game.

As I taste the meat, it burns my tongue. I quickly pick up my cup of juice to cool down my mouth. It still tastes amazing. The guys really know how to work a grill. I hear some people yelling at the players on TV (even though they know the players can’t hear them). I see some people crossing their fingers under the table (including me) at times when there’s tension, for good luck.

The game ends with a winning score for Argentina. It’s late at night. We stay for a while longer and just talk about random things that come up. Soft music plays in the background. From the room where I am, I can hear the grown-ups laughing their heads off, which then makes us laugh.

Soon it’s time to go and we all say good-bye to one another, again with a kiss on the cheek. Every time I go an event like this, one of the younger kids throws a small tantrum because they don’t want to leave, and that is exactly what happened. I get in my car and fall asleep.

Before I know it, I’m home. As soon as I get in bed I’m fast asleep.

It’s funny how a pretty simple meal can bring people together.

Recipe for Asado (grilled beef)

1. Get coal in the grill and light it up. When the coal gets red because of heat, make sure it is spread all around the grill. Smaller flames get the job done better than larger flames.
2. As the coal heats up, prepare the meat by adding salt. Add salt on one side, then flip it over and do the same.
3. Now, you are ready to place the meat on the grill. Place every strip carefully.
4. Keep alternating the side of the meat facing down every few minutes, so that it cooks evenly. Remember, you can pick whether to cook your meat medium rare or well done. This means that there is no specific time when you have to take your beef off the grill.
5. When you choose to take the beef off the grill, you are finished! You can serve this beef with any salad or maybe some bread. It’s up to you what you want to serve your delicious meat with.
6. Enjoy your grilled beef, Argentinian style!