Henry Shields
English 101
Adam Weinstein
September 6, 2007

Homemade Banana Pudding

My mother has always been the best cook I know. Of course everyone claims their own mother’s cooking as the best, but mine is truly the crème de la crème. From Red beans and rice to cremebrulee, Jambalaya to seven layer dip, fried or baked chicken to Sheppard’s pie, she covers the whole nine yards. But of all the great meals, my favorite is her specialty dessert, banana pudding. It is truly the greatest dessert of any kind that I have ever tasted. It tastes so good, I have cravings for it.
When food was mentioned, banana pudding was one of the first things I thought of. And after realizing my deep almost stalker like fettish I have for this dessert, I could not think of any food that describes me better. Ever since I was little I boy I loved this dessert, and every time I sat down to eat it I just simply enjoyed it, nothing more nothing less. It was not until about twenty-four hours ago that I actually sat down and pondered on what banana pudding truly means to me and everything else around it.
At first thought I think of home. The smell of the kitchen brings an excitement that runs through your whole body. Sensory details fulfill my memories. The touch of the warm plate is like a tease to your body. The wonderful tastes makes your body nearly blackout from all other commotion around you because it has never tasted anything more luscious and overwhelming. I consume the entire plate every time, usually two or three times over. Every bite is better and better… only to be followed by another bite that’s even better than that. And the end is nothing to fret over, because ever serving of banana pudding is followed by a good nap. I’m still not sure if it is nap or a trance of ecstasy your body is coming down from. Never-the-less, it is wonderful experience.
On the other hand, apart from the physical aspect, I began to wonder why I have come to love this certain dessert so much. ‘My mother cooks it that’s why, and all of the other obvious reasons come to mind. Then I begin to ask myself, ‘Why does my mother cook it?’ “why isn’t my dad such a good cook?” . I begin to pick apart all the possible answers to these question, The stereotype that men aren’t the cooks of the house, and women are better at cooking. But one answer sticks out in my mind. The Elaborate answer is that they have different backgrounds. My dad is from middle-upper class family that had three kids. They were well-off. My mother on the other hand was from lower class family that had eleven kids. My mother has been cooking since she was very young because of her family situation. Therefore she has mastered the art. If you do anything for that long, you’ll be good at it. From both physical and mental aspects banana pudding is more than just a delicious dessert. Nothing is what it seems and everything has deeper meaning. And all these years, I thought I was just eating a simple delicious dessert.