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Lily A. Marquart

Dr. Kim Lacey

English 111

September 19, 2019

The New York Special

My family is smaller than most, being that I am an only child. The lack of siblings causes

me to be very close to my mother and father. We love to have meals where we can sit down and

have a conversation about our day and the drama going on in our lives. My mother is a

postmaster for the United States Postal Service. I will never forget the names of the people my

mom works with after how she complains about people complaining to her. To be fair, I do the

exact same thing about people from my school. We are from a largely populated city called Fort

Wayne. It is ranked to be the second largest city in Indiana. To put it in Michigan terms, smaller

than Detroit but larger than Grand Rapids. The Fort is a very flavorful and diverse city and you

can tell through our different styles of restaurants.

My family travels often. We have gone on four cruises, spent a week in Jamaica, as well

as traveled around the country many times. I wouldn’t call myself I picky eater, but I would say

that when I am uncomfortable in a new place. I don’t want to eat food that I am unfamiliar with.

When my family went to Mexico, my parents were aggravated with me because I refused to eat

anything. When I am uncomfortable, I have a hard time getting over it, even if I see someone

else eat the meal and they say they liked it. Once I set the boundaries of my comfort zone, it's

hard to overcome them.

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For my sixteenth birthday, my mother and father told me that they were taking me to

Saint Louis. I was shocked, not that I was ungrateful, we just never talk about going there before.

To my surprise when were arrived at the airport, we were going to New York City. We landed at

LaGuardia Airport while it was dark outside. New York City is truly the city that never sleeps.

After checking into our hotel, we decided that we needed to eat dinner. None of us had

ever been to New York before and had no idea where to eat. The city is so diverse that there is an

endless amount of options. I was in a terrible mood because as I’ve discovered, I do not like

going to massive cities even though I am from a large one. I think that they make me feel like I

have no control over anything, and it freaks me out. Since we landed so late, we wanted to stay

close to the hotel. The most highly rated cheaper restaurant was a Mexican restaurant and we

decided to go with that. Unfortunately, none of us know the name of this restaurant anymore.

I felt uncomfortable immediately when were arrived at the location of the restaurant.

There were no signs of life. The windows were blacked, not allowing you to look through them.

When we walked in the room was dark with blue lights and loud music; basically, it was a bar

with Mexican food as a plus. When we sat down in our booth and got our menus, I was in a

terrible mood and just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep. The waiter was a wonderful,

kind person. He recommended something from the menu that I might have enjoyed, and I

decided to get that. I didn’t even know what I ordered. When the waiter came back with our

food, I was surprised. The plate was humongous and completely green. It smelled amazing and

made my mouth water. When I took my first bite it tasted like heaven. It wasn’t too spicy but had

a kick to it. It turned out to be the best Mexican food I've ever had.

Ever since then, I have ordered green enchiladas from every Mexican restaurant that I

have gone to as well as begged my mom to make them at home for dinner. We don’t have a
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certain recipe that we use, we like to switch up the ingredients, so we do not get sick of the food.

My favorite version of them incudes four cups of rotisserie chicken, half a cup of cilantro, one

can of salsa verde, and a mountain of cheese and sour cream. Sour cream makes every dish taste

better. I try to get my mom to make it for me for special occasions like my birthday. The night

before I moved into my dorm room, my mom made green enchiladas. It was a very emotional

night for all of us. We have been so used to living with each other for so long. The longest I’d

been gone from home before college was about a week. Throughout that last week my mom

made my favorite foods like homemade macaroni and cheese and enchilada soup, so it only

made sense to save the best for last. My best friend ate them with us that night, and she didn’t

like it. It’s not surprising since she is the pickiest eater. She doesn’t like ice in her drinks and will

ask for a cheeseburger without the cheese. Even though I am used to her craziness, I still have

never been so offended.

Not many people can say that they have fond memories from eating green enchiladas. I

will always think back to my trip to New York City. While I was only there for three short days,

it was a wonderful vacation. To me, eating green enchiladas makes me remember all the happy

celebrations and my loving family. Eating out of your comfort zone is never a bad thing. You

will never know what food you like or dislike if you never try new foods. My dad loves to eat the

craziest foods, even if they don’t sound appealing. Whenever I eat wacky food, I know I am

making him proud. Food is not only about the taste, but also about the memories.