Writing Workshop

3. In paragraph 13, Allende describes the food she ate when she stayed in the jungle. Write a letter to one of the Amazon Indians, describing the food you eat on a particular holiday. Assume the person you write to has had little contact with the outside world and is not familiar with the food you describe. Be sure your essay conveys a clear dominant impression.

My Christmas Foods

        Dear Qircamo,

                 My favorite holiday is Christmas and it is not because of the presents either. I stopped receiving presents when I turned fourteen. You are probably wondering what Christmas is right? Christmas is a holiday that most of the world celebrated. It is during the winter months. Christmas is a holiday when family and friends can gather together and have a good time. Like in most holidays and times when the family gets together, a bunch of food is made. For Christmas my family almost always makes the same food and we drink the same things every year. When you read about them your mouth will water.

                 The whole family always gathers in one of my aunts' house, or my Mama's house. We rotate every year. When it is time for us to eat we always start with the Honduran tamales that my aunt Marlen makes. They are not my favorite, but they are still super good. Tamales are made of some kind of flour mixed with many ingredients that makes the flour tasty. After the flour is done and ready to be made into tamales my aunt Marlen puts a hand full of flour on a banana leaf. When the flour is on the leaf she puts in rice, olives, and a piece of chicken or pork. The chicken or pork has to be cooked as well as the rice before it can be put into the flour. Then the flour with the rice and other things are wrapped with the banana leaf, and then wrapped again with foil. After it is wrapped with everything it has to be put in a pot with water so it can boil until the flour turns hard enough to eat. When the tamales are done I get one and put a tomato sauce called ketchup on it and eat it all up. Along with the tamales the family drinks sodas of whatever flavor they desire. I prefer sprite because it is not as strong as other sodas, and it taste better than the other sodas.

                   Everyone has their share of tamales, but we are just getting started with the feast. After the tamales my aunt Jaque makes Honduran style sandwiches. They are by far my favorite, so I always end up eating more than three of them every time. In order to make the sandwiches my aunt Jaque has to roast a whole chicken, but first she has to put all the necessary ingredients to make the chicken a delicious Orange color. When the chicken is done the women have to tear the chicken into pieces, so that it can fit on the bread. For the sandwiches a certain kind of bread has to be used. The bread has to be white and soft to the touch. Next the sauce has to be made. It is made up of mayonnaise and mustered combined. Then the bread is lightly coated with the sauce, and cabbage that is cut into small pieces is put on it and then the chicken. The sandwich may be simple, bu it is the best that I have ever tried. With the sandwiches the family drinks pina colada the kind that is mixed with rum. At this moment everyone is most likely stuffed, but there is still room for a healthy tasty desert. 

                      The desert is not my favorite and I really do not have any because I hate yogurt, but that does not mean that it is not good. My Mama is the one that makes the fruit salad. It is simple to make. Mama cuts fruits, any kind that you can find, or your favorite it does not really matter. She normally uses strawberries, apples, and bananas. Then she puts the cut up fruit in a big container and pours creamy pink yogurt over the fruit. After that it is ready to be eaten. I wish that I could tell you that it is delicious, but I do not think that way. Everyone else in the family thinks that it is delicious. With the fruit salad we drink champagne. It is pink and I am only allowed to drink a glass because I am not old enough to drink more than that.

                      Christmas is filled of good memories and good food. Qircamo I hope that the way that I described the foods gave you a better understanding of foods that my family and I eat during Christmas.

With all my love,

Sisley Herrera