Food isn’t just what we eat, it is how people connect and create trends. In “The life and death of the american foodie” by the Eater, the writer shows how food culture went from being something fancy and more privileged to something everyone takes part in. It’s insane to think how fast that happened. In the past, “gourmands” were mostly rich people who loved the finest dining. But as time went on, food became more easy to access. With Social Media, TV shows, and Blogs, people began showing off and posting what they ate, and that’s how the “foodie” times began. Being a foodie wasn’t just about eating and posting, it was about sharing and exploring. You were part of a club that focused on new restaurants, what was trending online and chefs.

Nowadays, the word foodie feels a bit old and outdated. The article explains that food culture is everywhere and anywhere now. Everyone takes pictures of their meals, watches cooking videos and rating restaurants. Food isn’t seen as something that only the rich and higher up have anymore anymore, it’s an everyday experience for everyone in the world. That’s a good thing because it means more stories and more voices are being told and seen. Still, there’s a obvious downside. When food becomes content, people sometimes forget the real experience of eating. The surprise, the joy, and the connection of discovering and finding something new.

At the end, the article says that even if the word “foodie” has slowly gone away, the curiosity behind it surely has not. People still love food just as much as before, maybe even more now. We continue to explore differences, flavors, share meals, and find new ways to enjoy them. The difference is that now it’s more open, creative, and shared by everyone. The desire and love of taste and discovery is still most definitely alive. It is just more evolved into something bigger and more connected than ever before.

Saxena,Jaya.”The life and death of the American Foodie.” Eater,24 September 2025, https://www.eater.com/food-culture/911138/foodie- history- american-food-culture. Accessed 17 October 2025.

Isabelle did a great job helping the reader get an insight of what the article she had read is about. She gave a clear understanding of the history behind the word “Foodie,” and showed she truly understood the article. I also enjoyed that she had a good amount of quotes from the text. It made the reader be able to connect better to the text and it helps back up your points. My only things i would change is firstly, rereading and adding in some commas to run on sentences. For example,“Fine dining and French cuisines was the only way you could experience this which, is why the idea of having money was thought of as the only way to obtain the great food and wine” could be broken into two shorter sentences. Just to keep the essay flow going. Secondly I’d just check easy to miss grammar mistakes. For example, “plate forms” should be “platforms,” and “whole in the wall” should be “hole in the wall.” Small fixes like that will make your writing look more polished and put together. Besides that overall you have a great essay and it’s really close to being a really strong piece. :))

Food isn’t just what we eat it’s how people connect and create trends. In “The Life and Death of the American Foodie” from Eater, the writer shows how food culture went from being fancy and privileged to something everyone takes a great part in. It’s crazy to think how fast that happened. In the past,“gourmands” were rich people who loved fine dining. But as time went on, food became more accessible. With TV shows, websites, and social media, people started showing off what they ate and that’s how the “foodie” times began. Being a foodie meant you weren’t just eating, you were exploring and sharing. You were part of a club that cared about new restaurants, chefs, and what was trending online.

Now, that word foodie feels old. The article says food culture is everywhere now. Everyone takes pictures of their meals, rates restaurants online, and watches cooking videos. Food isn’t superior anymore, it’s an everyday thing for everybody. And that’s actually a good thing, because it means more voices and more stories get told and noticed. Still, there’s a downside. When food becomes content, people sometimes forget the real experience of eating, the surprise and the joy of finding something new.

In the end, the article shows that even if the “foodie” term is gone, the wonder behind it isn’t. We still care very much about what we eat just in a more open, less show off way. Maybe that’s the best part of where “foodie” ended up.

Saxena,Jaya.”The life and death of the American Foodie.” Eater,24 September 2025, https://www.eater.com/food-culture/911138/foodie- history- american-food-culture. Accessed 18 October 2025.

After revising my memoir and reading the feedback i feel more confident in my memoir than i did before. Isabelle had some really great suggestions that helped me be able to add i feel more of a flow and a sense into the story for the reader. I was able to add more description of smell of the backyard, what hit me when i went into the backyard or the kitchen with the baking odor. And, adding more description in the sky or what was going on around me. The things she included in her peer review was very helpful and I am very appreciative because now i feel that my memoir is better than before. Adding in description and detail of surroundings and smells is very good advice and quite crucial to help the reader get a better sense of what is going on in the story. It helps bring the reader into the time, place and sensations. Now, my memoir is stronger, longer and just overall better. I have more background story to help the reader get into the flow of time lines and what i was going through and feeling at these times. I think the peer review was definitely successful and helpful.

The Lobster Fest

Growing up every year in late august me and my family would come together for our annual Lobster Fest. My Uncle John from New Hampshire has a close fisher friend that personally goes and gets lobsters from the ocean for me and my family and we would pre-order them. Then, we would meet at a different family member’s home each year all over. Sometimes we went to Aunt Judy and Uncle John’s in New Hampshire or we were at the Melvin home in the great tiny Berkley Massachusetts. During these fests, we catch up and enjoy our delicious lobsters. This was our own wonderful family reunion.

I always looked forward to these events for multiple different reasons. One, the obvious answer, is the lobster. Lobster and seafood are my and my family’s all time favorites foods. Nothing beats a delicious warm seafood meal with a side of warm butter and every member of my family would back me up on that. My other reason is, i see family I would never typically see. My family comes from Arizona, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. So, the time spent together during these fests were the only few hours I would see some of these people a year. One year we came to my house. I remember this lobster fest more than the rest for some reason. The day started with Me, my mom and sister deep cleaning the house. My mom always had the house in perfect shape for company. But I didn’t care I enjoyed running around preparing to fill my stomach with delicious food. Then, once everybody arrived the food was immediately started. We left no time to waste. Walking into the backyard you had a strong smell of seafood and butter in the hot sun, with a kick of lemon. While in the kitchen was full of yummy warm baking smells. Me, my sister and cousin, Keith, were on corn peeling duty in the garage. People were all over the backyard which has a door leading to the garage. We sat in a circle around the trash and peeled. But, we had a good time doing so just simply because we were together. Despite the fact we all had sweat dripping down our necks. But we did not care. We were chatting and laughing adding a extra hour to the peeling process. Once we basically had two trash bags full of corn peels we all go out and the adults took over the corn. Outside, i saw a big water boiler where we would cook the lobsters. The sun was shining hot and bright but nobody minded. We had coolers with sodas and waters and the sprinkle going for the little kids. All you could hear was chatter in between the bursts of joy and laughter from the kids. I would go inside the house through my porch slider to my mom getting all the shell crackers together and lemon. This felt like the perfect lobster fest to me. I was at home with the people I loved most. Everyone was together doing their own thing until everyone surrounded the long white tables with folding chairs we had set up on the porch.  We sat, we laughed, and we ate. For hours.

Now, we no longer have a lobster fest unfortunately. My uncle John’s friend who would acquire the lobsters for us broke his leg and ultimately retired. Also, my mom who had a true love for these lobster fest is no longer here with us so it makes it difficult to do these types of things without her and the other loved ones we have lost that were a big part behind the making of the lobster fest each year. But, no matter what i will forever cherish my lobster fest memories and will most definitely continue on my families love of seafood.

Isabelle, thank you for sharing your story and writing so well in this memoir. You did a great job describing the feelings and senses. You allowed me to truly see within how much it meant to you these times being with your family and being able to bake with your close ones, especially your grandmother. In your first paragraph you allowed me to see the love you and your family would feel all being together. I feel that your main message here is the importance these times meant to you. How, these memories and the banana bread will always have a strong meaning in your heart. I can truly see you miss these times and will always hold these times close. I think you did a really good job helping the reader understand how you were feeling and how the scents and emotions hit you. You describe it very well. Getting to the end of your memoir you did a great transition to now time. I would give more of a description on the recipe book that you guys created if you have yet. Also, you did a great job at making me crave some banana bread! This was a great memoir good job!

The Lobster Fest

Growing up every year in late august me and my family would come together for our annual Lobster Fest. My Uncle John has a close friend that personally goes and gets lobsters from the ocean and my family would pre-order them. Then, we would meet at a different family member’s home each year. We catch up and enjoy our delicious lobsters. This was our own wonderful family reunion.

I always looked forward to these events for multiple different reasons. One, the obvious answer, is the lobster. Lobster and seafood are my and my family’s all time favorites foods. Nothing beats a delicious seafood meal and every member of my family would back me up on that. My other reason is, i see family I would never typically see. My family comes from Arizona, New Hampshire and Maine. So, the time spent together during these fests were the only few hours I would see some of these people a year. One year we came to my house. I remember this lobster fest more than the rest for some reason. The day started with Me, my mom and sister deep cleaning the house. My mom always had the house in perfect shape for company. Then, once everybody arrived the food was immediately started. Me, my sister and cousin, Keith, were on corn peeling duty. People were all over the backyard which has a door leading to the garage where we were. We sat in a circle around the trash and peeled. But, we had a good time doing so just simply because we were together. Once we basically had two trash bags full of corn peels we all go out and the adults took over the corn. Outside, i saw a big water boiler where we would cook the lobsters. I would go inside the house through my porch slider to my mom getting all the shell crackers together and lime. This felt like the perfect lobster fest to me. Everyone was together laughing doing their own thing until everyone surrounded the long white tables with folding chairs on the porch.  We sat, we laughed, and we ate. For hours. Now, we no longer have a lobster fest unfortunately. My uncle John’s friend who would acquire the lobsters for us broke his leg and ultimately retired. But, the lobster fest will forever be something I look back on and smile about.

ChatGPT has similarities and differences from a mathematical calculator. ChatGPT is able to do more than the calculator is capable of. When using a calculator you are doing math, finding numbers which you can also do easier with ChatGPT. But, with ChatGPT you are able to discover a whole different world than you are able to find on a calculator. ChatGPT will always answer your question which the calculator will always try to give you an answer but is not always successful. Though, another similarity between the two is the both are not always 100% accurate. ChatGPT and calculators do make mistakes just like us humans. They can give you false information. The only highlight on ChatGPT when speaking of spreading false information, it can cause incredible danger.

Question asked: Why do people commit crimes?

ChatGPT Response:

1. Psychological Factors

• Mental illness – Some individuals have conditions (e.g. antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia) that may impair judgment or empathy.

• Impulsivity – Poor impulse control or a desire for instant gratification can drive reckless or illegal actions.

  • Peer pressure – Especially in youth, the desire to belong or impress can lead to risky or criminal acts.

  • Family environment – Exposure to crime at home can normalize illegal behavior.

  • Neighborhoods – High-crime areas often create cycles of violence, gangs, or drug trade as survival tactics.

    Past trauma – Abuse, neglect, or severe trauma can distort one’s sense of right and wrong.

    2. Economic Pressure

    • Poverty – Desperation for basic needs (food, shelter) can lead to theft or illegal hustles.

    • Unemployment – Lack of income and opportunity can push people toward crime for survival or status.

    • Inequality – When people see others thriving while they’re stuck in hardship, resentment or hopelessness can lead to criminal behavior.

    3. Opportunity

  • Low risk, high reward – If someone sees a chance to gain something valuable (money, power, status) with minimal risk of being caught, they may take it.

    • Weak law enforcement – In places where laws aren’t enforced or punishment is unlikely, crime can flourish

    • My response: AI can have some useful information at times but not always accurate information.  Putting in a broad question to AI will give you a range of responses. The question I decided to generate within ChatGPT is “Why do people decide to commit crimes?” People commit crimes for various different reasonings. Most crimes actually probably having a different reasoning than another. So, Asking this to chatGPT will not be able to give you an accurate answer. It will give you many different possible answers but nothing certain.

Growing up English was my favorite subject in school. I enjoyed the writing part of it.  Whenever my teacher gave a free writing assignment and I could write from my imagination i would write a lot more freely and easily. I would get into a serious writing flow. Writing creatively has always been my favorite type of writing. I feel i write better using my imagination. Even when going home to write in my diary at home years back, i would go on and on about my topic and how I felt about it. I am a 18 year old freshman in college so i have a sort of long background with writing. I have taken an English class for as long as i ca remember. Through the years i just seemed to find most interest in the creative writing. When being forced to write around something I have no care or passion for can be frustrating or boring unlike writing about something you can naturally get in the grove of.  I remember when i was younger having the dream of becoming a writer and would write my own short stories on my laptop. Nowadays i do not write in my free time but i do enjoy a good Colleen Hoover book. I also in the last year wrote a moving college essay from my personal experiences that helped me get accepted into great colleges. So, moving forward in my blog i will be doing the theme “Food” because i believe that is open way to be able to use my creative writing skills.