Tide can get you a girl?

This is a full page advertisement from a magazine for Tide soap.  It features a woman held in a man's arms, trembling because his shirt is so white from the Tide soap he used.  This advertisement just goes to show how ridiculous things have become.  Men are being told that they need a certian type of soap for their clothes so that they can have women falling into their arms.  Advertisements commonly play on a person's need to belong or their need to escape loneliness.  Advertisers wouldn't be wasting their money on these types of ads unless they worked.  Many people buy into these ideas that material things can bring them what they need.  This ad is just one example of that.  Other advertisements tell people that they need a certain car to live the life they want, or they need certain types of clothes to be accepted by the world.  Advertisements draw people's attention away from their internal self and tell them that they need to change their outside.

The Tide ad above is not only manipulating, but it is quite hilarious.  The notion that a man needs only to wash his clothes with tide to have a woman wanting him to hold her tight is pretty unbelievable when you actually think about it, but the advertisers are counting on you not to think about it.  Advertisers know that when you view an advertisement, you don't think about it, you have a quick reaction to it in your brain, and they are counting on that reaction to be exactly how they planned.  When advertisers design ads like the one above, they are equipped with the knowledge of how to manipulate the consumers' reaction to the advertisement.  They have gotten so good at it, it can be scary to think that maybe in the future they may even be able to control your mind!!!!!  That's probably a long way off though, so we should be safe for now.  Advertisers have become very effective at their job and they learn more every day, so you can expect ads to become even more manipulative in the future. 

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PB&J: An American Tradition

When the average American bites into a delcious peanut butter and jelly sandwich, they often do not realize that this delicious treat is an American creation and tradition.  No one can exactly pinpoint where or by who the peanut butter sandwich was created, but there are some clues that paint a pretty clear picture.  Historians have not been able to find anything written about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before the year 1940.  During World War II, American soldiers were given peanut butter as well as jelly in their rations.  It is believed that they combined the two to make a delicious sandwich.  After the war when the soldiers returned to America, both the sales of peanut butter and the sales of jelly skyrocketed.  Many believe that this indicated the birth of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Not only was the peanut butter and jelly sandwich created by Americans, it is also very heavily favored by them.  Many American children grow up eating delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches almost daily.  Their childhood memories are filled with the wonderful taste of the perfect blend of peanut butter and jelly dancing on their tongues as they prepare to go out and discover the world.  No country in the world purchases and consumes more peanut butter than America, and much of this peanut butter is used to make sandwiches.  It has been calculated that the average American child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time they graduate from high school.

Not only are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches delicious, but they are also generally healthier for you than a deli sandwich.  Most deli sandwiches that contain deli meat, also have condiments and cheeses on them which contribute to the high fat and calorie content of these sandwiches.  Also, both peaunut butter and jelly are non perishable, which means they do not have to be kept in a refridgerator to keep them from going bad.  They are easy to pack in a lunch bag and not have to worry about them going bad, even on a hot day.  Many people have even made delicious variations of this American tradition.  Some of these include: peanut butter and banana sandwich, peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, peanut butter and honey sandwich, and peanut butter and sugar sandwich.  Some of these variations may seem strange to some, but the great thing about this sandwich is that anyone who wishes can create their own variation.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have been loved by Americans for decade, and will always remain an important part of the American diet.

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The Burrito Let Down

Burritos have always been one of my favorite foods. I love Mexican food because I think that out of all the different types of food on this planet that we call Earth, Mexican food is the most flavorful. Often times when I go to a new place I try to find the best Mexican restaurant around, and in my searches I have found that the best Mexican restaurants are not the nice expensive sit down restaurants, but quite the opposite. The best Mexican restaurants are the small places where you wouldn't think to look for delicious food. Some of the best Mexican food I have ever had, I found by just driving around and looking for tiny Mexican restaurants on unexpected street corners. When it comes to Mexican food, I am a burrito guy. I love something that I can eat with my hands. To me burritos are the perfect medley of flavors all wrapped up in a nice outer layer that you can take with you on the go. My perfect burrito has carne asada, pinto beans, Spanish rice and cheese. I like to keep my burritos simple, no fancy stuff.

A couple summers ago when my dad told us that we would be going on a cruise to the Mexican riviera, I was enthused. Finally I'll be able to eat a real Mexican burrito, I thought to myself. When Christmas rolled around and it was time for us to leave for our cruise I was so excited. Not only was I going to be cruising the Mexican riviera and relaxing, but I was going to get the opportunity to eat an authentic Mexican burrito. Our first stop on our cruise was Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta is a beautiful Mexican port city on the riviera. My brother and I went paragliding and my family relaxed on the beach for most of the day. We didn't have time to walk into the city so I decided I would get a burrito at our next stop, which was Mazatlan. Mazatlan was amazing. It is one of the biggest cities in Mexico. Unlike Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan is a more traditional Mexican city as opposed to a more tourist city. We got the chance to walk the streets of Mazatlan and barter with the shop keepers in the local markets selling anything you can imagine.

When we were done shopping I told my dad that I had to find an authentic place to eat. We walked the streets for a little bit and talked to some locals. We found out the name and location of one of the best restaurants in Mazatlan. When we walked into the doors of Copa de Leche my nose was dancing. I smelt so many different amazing smells that I started to salivate. Looking at the menu I was shocked that I didn't see a burrito anywhere. I didn't understand what was going on. I decide I'd just ask the waiter when he came. When the waiter came he started the order with my mom. She ordered two chicken soft tacos. My brother got flautas, and my dad order enchiladas. I thought about ordering in Spanish, but decided against it, knowing that I'd only sound like a fool if I did, and it was quite obvious to everybody there that I was a gringo, so I decided to order in English. I told the waiter that I coulnd't find a burrito on the menu. He told me that they didn't serve burritos. I didn't know what to say...no burritos? I suddenly realized that I had been sitting there with my mouth open looking like a fool for the last ten seconds so I quickly ordered two carne asada tacos. When the waiter left to take our order my brother turned to me and said "why would you order a burrito? We're in Mexico." I replied "That's the whole point. I wanted a real authentic burrito from Mexico." He laughed for a few seconds and said "Burritos aren't Mexican, burritos are from the U.S. How could this be I thought. How could my favorite Mexican food not even be Mexican. I later found out that some restaurants in Mexico do serve burritos, but the Mexico version of a burrito usually consists of some type of meat, and sometimes cheese rolled in a tortilla. Finding this out devastated me. How could I not have known this? How could I have spent 18 years living on this earth and not have found out that burritos weren't from Mexico. After the embarrassment at the restaurant, I realized that I was being ridiculous. Who cares where burritos come from? They're delicious and that is all that matters when it comes to food. I learned a valuable lesson that Christmas vacation. When you go somewhere new, know the facts so you don't end up embarrassed beyond belief. I don't think I'll ever fully recover from the embarrassment I suffered that day.

Maltese Sesame Cookies

I'm 50% Maltese. When I tell people this, they usually ask "Maltese? Isn't that a type of dog?" Yes, Maltese is a breed of dog, but it has a much different meaning for me. Malta is a small island nation just south of Sicily in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the smallest countries on earth with a total size of 122 square miles. The national population is only around 400,000 people. My grandma and my grandpa both grew up in Malta. My grandma went deaf from meningitis at the age of 18. Two years later she decided to leave Malta and emmigrate to the United States. On the ship to America she met her future husband and they fell in love.

My Maltese heritage has always played a big part in my life, mainly because nobody has ever heard of Malta, which makes it very unique. My mom and her family grew up in San Francisco, and that is where my grandma lived until her death two years ago. When I was very young my mom would drive my brother and I from our home in San Jose to my grandma's house in San Francisco. When we finally finished the hour long drive which seemed like five hours when I was young, we ran in the door and gave my grandma a big hug. When we talked to her we would have to look her in the eyes and speak slowly so she could read our lips. Sign language was much easier for her, but my brother and I hadn't learned it. After we gave her a hug and talked for a little while we would go in my grandma's kitchen and put on aprons. She'd have all the ingredients laid out for us to make her famous Maltes sesame cookies. I remember how excited I used to be to bake with my grandma. She would always tell us exactly how to mold the dough in our hands. I could never do it as perfect as she did. She used to tell us that out of all the ingredients that went into her famous sesame cookies, the most important ingredient was love. She used to say "If they're not made with love, then they're not Maltese sesame cookies."

Her sesame cookies were basically shortbread cookies with sesame seeds sprinkled in the batter. When the cookies were baking in the oven, her whole house would be filled with the delicious smell. I remember being so excited to hear that bell ring which told us that it was time to take the cookies out of the oven. When we finally pulled them out of the oven and set each cookie on the serving dish, I was in heaven. Each bite would melt in your mouth. We always had to drink a glass of milk with the cookies or it just wasn't right. To this day I've never had a cookie as delicious as my grandma's cookies. I've tried to bake them by myself, now that she's gone, but there was definitely something missing. It wasn't until the third time I baked a batch of those cookies on my own that I realized what it was. When we baked those cookies with my grandma and when we finally sat down together and ate them, the cookies were only half of the experience. The reason the cookies tasted so good was because I baked them with my grandma and I was able to see how happy she was to see us eating them. I miss my grandma very much, but now, every time I bake her famous Maltese sesame cookies, I'm suddenly transported back to her kitchen, and to one of the happiest times in my life.