An Irish Girl Discovers Italian Food

“Mom, I don’t want to eat this. This stuff is gross” I whined. My mom shot me a death glare. “Irish food is the best. Eat!” I looked mournfully at the Irish soda bread, and slowly picked up a piece.

If I could describe my childhood in one conversation, it would be the one above. In my town, it is an honor to Irish. Our town’s nickname is the ‘Irish Rivera’. I live in the most concentrated town of Irish people in America. We have our own Irish store! So for years, I suffered under Irish food, which was, as you can see above, not to my taste. Then, suddenly, my life changed. It all started when my aunt took us to an Italian restaurant.

It was my first time going to an Italian restaurant, so I was a bit dubious. I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs, which I had never had before, so I was excited. My aunt kept telling me how good it was, so the wait for the food felt like hours. Finally, the plate, which was about the size of my head, came. I hesitantly took a bite, waiting for the bad food taste to come in. But it never did. Soon, I was gobbling down my plate, and my aunt even let me order a second dish!

Now, all I eat is Italian food. Spaghetti, lasagna, meatballs, you name it, I’ve had it. And what I’ve learned from this experience is this: Don’t let yourself be blinded by your own culture. Go try new things from new cultures! If there’s a Thai restaurant opening in town, go eat there! If there’s a German festival in town this weekend, go! As my mom always says, you never know what will happen until you do it.