For this week’s writing, you will be responding to the first part of the Maya Angelou book, Hallelujah! The Welcome Table. For this response, I want you to read the first 104 pages of the book (Or up to M.J. and the Doctor and Mexican Food for those on digital). Wait, don’t panic! I know that looks like a ton of pages. And it is a lot, but it isn’t as much as it may seem. Remember, this is primarily a cook book. A large number of those pages are just lists of ingredients and steps. Those aren’t the most important part of this reading. That is the short essays that introduce the different sections. For this response, that is what I want you to focus on.
As has probably become apparent at this point, history and relationships are a huge part of the way we are looking at food right now. For Maya Angelou, that was one of the most important ways to view food and its place in her life. As you read through, see if you can find any connective ideas, themes that run through her stories and experience. In what ways can you relate? In what ways are these things foreign? Not just with her experiences, but the food that is part of her culture, her community, and her tribe?
As always, what are the things that really stick out to you, the parts that leave a lasting impact after you have finished reading?
If you don’t have the book yet, get to the book store or fire up that amazon prime account.
Two pages minimum, our regular format.
Any questions, ask away.