A World of Food.

To many people, especially those who know me, it is no secret that I love food. Eating is one of my favorite hobbies. Oh if only exercising was one of them. But that's not the point. The point is that food is a very big part of my life. I consider food a way to experience other cultures and a great way to make new friends. However, something tells me I might change my mind soon.

One of my biggest dreams is to travel the world. I hope that one day I can travel to different countries and see the sights and taste all the different dishes in the world. But there are a few countries that I think I might be wary of. Many countries, especially in Asia, seem to think that insects make a great dish.

In Thailand, one of the countries that I want to visit the most, has several delicacies made from insects. There are soups made from scorpions and silk worms. There are giants water bugs that people steam or mash them into a sweet and spicy sauce. Nom nom nom.

In Japan, another country that I'm planning on visiting, there are lots of foods that don't necessarily sound all that appealing. Things like sushi, which already makes some people squeamish, with insects inside and grasshoppers with sweet soy sauce. Or what about the puffer fish, which can be more poisonous than cyanide when cooked wrong. and for dessert you can have some digger wasp crackers. Yum.

One country everyone wants to go to is Italy. But imagine waiting for your authentic spaghetti to arrive at the restaurant and the man at the table next to you sneezes, causing the larvae eating the block of cheese sitting in front of him to jump six inches into the air. Apparently the larvae help the cheese, called casu marzu, ferment, and if you don't chew thoroughly, the larvae could nibble on your stomach like the cheese.

Some of the dishes don't seem too bad. At least some, like balut in the Phillipines, don't have insects in them. Balut is basically a boiled egg. The only drawback is the chicken fetus that's inside. Hey, you can have scrambled eggs and chicken at the same time.

I know quite well that food can represent a whole culture. I also know that food can be a pretty big stereotype to some cultures as well. (Mexicans eat tacos and black people like fried chicken, etc.) And I used to think that even if I don't like everything I eat, I'd be willing to try something new. However, I think I've changed my mind.

There is no way I will ever. Ever. Eat a fried tarantula.

Hope For the Generations

            

I believe that one of the biggest generation gaps is music. Music is what really sets the younger generation apart from the older generation. Many people over 30 can't stand modern music.

“What is this? Where are the instruments? That's not singing! Turn that crap off,” that is only a few of the things I hear in my household on a regular basis. However, just because they didn't have autotune and dubstep 20 or 30 years ago doesn't mean that they are nothing alike. However, that doesn't mean that all elders are opposed to dubstep and such, I'd say that the majority don't enjoy it. In fact, I'd say that the generations might have more in common that we think.

             Think back to the ‘60s. Without a doubt, the biggest band then, and probably ever, was the Beatles. It's hard to believe that parents hated the Beatles and considered Rock n' Roll the Devil's music. But when you think about it, the majority of music before R n' R was Blues and Jazz. So when Elvis came with his hip gyrating and the Beatles with their long hair, it was a big change. And yet the younger generation accepted them almost violently.

            Nowadays, it's normal for girls to freak out over bands. It's normal for girls to obsess over the member of a band and know everything from their favorite color to whether they wear boxers or briefs. It's common seeing girls camping out for days in order to purchase tickets or to get good seats at a concert. Girls fainting because they saw so and so in person is actually not unheard of. But Justin Bieber and One Direction were not the beginning of this. It wasn't even the earlier boybands like N'Sync or Backstreet Boys. No, the Beatles were really the birth of the fangirl. It's hard to think that women who are in their or ‘50s or ‘60s now screamed and cried until hysterical way back then.

            And yet, even when the Beatles had such a reaction and such a big following, there are kids today who don't even know who the Beatles are. However, there might be hope yet. In this video, there are several kids who both know and love the Beatles.

Even the ones who aren't quite familiar with the band liked at least one of the songs that were played. It makes me happy thinking that Rock n' Roll, and actual bands with real instruments aren't dying out. It also makes me happy to think that not every “old person” hates modern music and not all “kids” hate older music. My dad has plenty of Train, Maroon 5, and Jason Mraz on his iPod. And I know I have about four times as many Beatles songs as One Direction songs on my iPod.