Buzaid- Green

       

         From the earliest years of my life I remember my first favorite color being purple. It was the color of Barney, who at the time was my favorite TV character, and it was also the color of my favorite pair of pajamas. I remember telling my grandmother that I wanted a purple car. Every time she would drive me someplace, we kept our eyes peeled for a purple vehicle. By the time I reached my pre-teen years, I had switched my favorite color to yellow. I decided I liked this color so much that I convinced my parents to let me paint my room "somber sunshine" which was a pale light-colored yellow. My reasons were because, in my mind, yellow was a happy color. It was the color of the sun and reminded me of the song "you are my sunshine," the Johnny Cash version, the one my Dad always used to sing. It wasn't until a few years ago that my favorite color changed to green. I realized how much I liked the color when I bought a green dress. It was a very simple green sun dress and every time I wore it I felt like I looked my best. More so, I found that all things pure and natural were green. Good things were green, like trees and money. Green is used to represent the "ok go" signal in a street light. It is a neutral color, and I enjoy every shade of it. Looking back at all the colors I've claimed as my favorites, it is amusing to see that purple, yellow, and green are all Mardi Gras colors. This only makes me believe that I ended up where I was supposed to be for college. In turn, these favorite colors will only bring a long more memories.

Morales: Food

Being in a Hispanic- European American family, food becomes an important factor to join both sides of the families together. Getting the best of both worlds I came to the conclusion that ‘arroz con gandule, pernil and platanos’ which is rice and pigeon peas, with roast pork and plantains; is my favorite dish from my Puerto Rican side which comes from my father. That man can cook anything from Italian food to Indian food. It’s a long process to make the pork. Marinating the pork shoulder the day before makes a big difference then marinating it the day of. It must soak up all the spices in order it to get the flavor once its done roasting in the oven for about 4 hours. Then comes the rice, which is also a process but not as long. Boiling the peas and adding the rice with a blend of spices adds the touch. Lastly, come the plantains. All that’s needed to do is to cut them and fry them when the food is all ready.

I’ve noticed that it must be a ‘special occasion’ when my dad makes this. Family reunions, BBQs, and family friends visiting are the only times he would make it. The Italian side of my family which is my mothers’ side love Hispanic food. Whenever they visit which is very rare there are never left overs. It says something about Hispanic food. Everyone loves it

The Rap Game aint the same no more-J.Cole

Shawn Kelly

10/4/13

Loyola

Why rap is becoming better

Recently, I have noticed something different happening when I listen to new songs from new rap artists. I have actually started to like the music. This is a totally different change for me. I am use to hating new rap songs since they all sound alike and have new to say. This makes me pine for the days of 2pac, Biggie Smalls, and prime Jay-Z. The days when rap felt new and rhymes were always different and innovated. Now with rappers like Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Big Sean, I cannot listen to popular rap without cringing.

The biggest flaw with a lot of rap especially mainstream hip-hop was that in the 2000’s decade all rappers sounded alike. They all talked about the same things and hit the same talking points in their lyrics. I sold this much drugs/I had sex with this many women/I have this many cars/..It gets very old after a while. Rappers use to be different and unique-Now their all the same,

However, now when I listen to, new rappers that most people have never heard of like, Chance, the Rapper, Childish Gambino, and Macklemore, I get extremely happy. I am happy because I see a new generation of artists, who are changing the culture of rap by being themselves. They are not acting like fake gangsters and wannabe drug dealers who have never seen drugs before. . Now this new generation of rappers have decided to rap about, well, whatever matters to them personality. Macklemore rapping about how gays deserve equal rights is radically different from anything in rap ever before. Childish Gambino and Chance, the Rapper talk about being different than rappers before them in that they weren’t raise poor and they do not talk in Ebonics and how they have been criticized for “talking white”. Let’s not even talk about Danny Brown who is so different from anything in current hip-hop he might as well be his own sub-genre.  The differences in what rap was and how it is now is substantial and I love it.

Rap has become so different and that’s awesome to me. I love rap. I want it thrive, so these new artists who are doing good but are also making great music is definitely music to my ears.

Kenner: College Decision

 

When I look back, my whole reason for going to Loyola University was so that I could move back to New Orleans. I was born in New Orleans but moved during Hurricane Katrina. While my auntie, who raised me like her own daughter, wanted me to stay in Lake Charles, I was determined to leave. I truly believed that there was no opportunity for me there. Lake Charles is one of those boring small cities that hardly anyone has heard of. No one wants to say that they graduated from an unknown college in an unknown city. I was so determined to leave that city that I jumped for joy the minute I received an acceptance letter from Loyola University. It has now been three months since I moved to New Orleans, and I can not believe that I wanted to live here.

I would have to say that my life was better in Lake Charles. Right now I live with my grandmother, but that was the second mistake I made. We constantly argue about small problems which turn into huge problems. Our personalities could not be anymore different. Moving in with my grandmother has contributed a lot to the reason why I hate it in New Orleans. The third mistake would be thinking that I would adjust to New Orleans’s busy lifestyle. In Lake Charles everything was quiet. During the night you could hardly hear any cars pass. You could drive through the entire city in one hour. New Orleans is different though. I can hardly sleep because it is so noisy where I live. I have been living in New Orleans for over three months now, and I still do not know where everything is at. I would not even think about going out in New Orleans by myself at night while it was okay in Lake Charles.

To sum it up, I am sick of New Orleans. Everyday I wake up wondering why I made this decision. Lake Charles was the best place for me, but I hate that it took me so long to realize it. Everyone is always trying to get away from their hometown when they go to college. They never realize that sometimes outer-state and outer-city colleges may not always be perfect decision.

Love for Music - Jean-Michel Martinod

            Since I was a kid my love for music has always been present. My dad always played music when I was around, and I always danced to the beat that was playing on the CD player. My brothers share music with me, even though I am not a fan of the music they play, I still enjoy listening to new music. These past years, my taste in music has changed. I now listen to more electronic music, maybe because I love how random sounds put together can make an awesome melody.

            As I grew up, I passed through some stages in music learning. My dad was the one who started this process, he showed me music, he always and still supports me in music, and even he still has his opinion on the music I now create. The next stage was the stage in which I listened to music alone in my room, always trying to find out a new genre but could never found it. My brothers continued, as I grew up, the process of music learning. I listened with them the music they had found out in school, I stayed up listening to the albums my brothers had. That is how I magically discovered my taste in the music I listen now.

            My first taste in modern music was when I went crazy for Owl City, the first band with electronic melodies. I loved to listen to the sounds he made with his synthesizer. After my taste in Owl City, I tried going into more electronic, bigger picture stuff, and even deeper stuff. I don’t really remember how I got to know Hardwell, but I’m glad I got to know his music. His music changed my perception in electronic dance music, I enjoy this type of music because there are many weird sounds in the song that make and compose the melodies it follows. Even when I got to see him live I still remember vividly that experience.

Now I am doing some projects, something I would never imagine doing. I mix music, not because I want fame, it’s because I enjoy sharing music with others as my parents and brothers have done for me. I want to stand up on a stage and go crazy just as the crowd goes crazy. I would enjoy also bringing artists for people to see, like many people name it, I want to be a production manager. So this is what I mostly wanted to write about, because not so many people view music as I do. I wanted to share this thought with most people I know.

Julius Zabaneh- seafood ceviche

One of the foods that is considered my favorite would be seafood ceviche with plantain chips. When you take a bite it has a delicious taste with it thats soaks into your mouth like a spicy sponge. It can be prepared with shrimp, carrots, tomatoes, conch, lettuce and adding some lemon. One of the best ingredients in the ceviche is definitely the lemon because it gives it a really good flavor. The first time I tried it was when I was a kid and my parents ordered it for a appetizer. I looked at it and said, "What is this what kind of appetizer is that."The chef told us it was specialty and the first  time I tried it my taste buds were about to explode it was amazing. The plantains are also good with it because it gives it a salty taste. In some restaurants I ate ceviche, it would either be super hot and you would drink gallons of water or have a milky taste. Always, you have to be careful if its really spicy after a while it burns the heck out of your tongue. The best ceviche so far would me my moms homemade one. It would have a subtle spicy taste just enough to really enjoy it because if its so hot  its molten lava on your tongue.

French Fries

I am more familiar with and interested in the usual fries. McDonald's french fries are the best example of the type of fries I love - lightly salted and thin. Since McDonald's itself is a globally traded franchise, there is hardly anyone who is not aware of the fast-food french fries (the lightly salted and thin fries). Fast food french fries are not only available at McDonald's, or other similar fast food chains such as, Burger King or Wendy's; fast food french fries can be homemade. You can cook homemade fast fod styled french fries while keeping the familiar taste of lightly added sea salt and crisp found on fast food fries.

Thompson: The Best Desert Ever

It’s hard for me to decide what my favorite food is.  My grandmother makes some of the best food I’ve ever had; most of her meals come from inspirations and family recipes.  Although I love my grandmother’s cooking, I have to say that one of my favorite dishes wasn’t made by her, but by my father.  My dad makes the best Banana Pudding I’ve ever had.  To this day I don’t know how he makes it but I know he adds to it to give it a certain taste.  We don’t get to eat it often, I think I’ve had it maybe a hand full of times, but that’s what make it so unique, the fact that it’s a rare dish.  For me the best part is that the cookies don’t get as “mushy” (for lack of a better term) than others’ Banana Pudding.  I can’t wait to get home on Christmas with the hopes that it’ll be out on the dessert table for us to enjoy.

Colon: My Favorite Food

Anjeska Colon

Dr. Nancy Rowe

T122 Expo-Writing

October 4, 2013

                                            Chicken with rice: Oh! How happy you make me

       My favorite plate is my mother’s specialty chicken with rice with fried plantain’s. She puts so much effort in it that it takes a whole day for her to make it. She only makes this rice on special occasions and my mouth waters just thinking about it. I am a picky person, but this rice just takes me to heaven. I am going back home for Fall Break, and my mom already knows what she is cooking the day I get there. Her chicken with rice tastes so good that my friends always come over when she cooks it. My best friend always goes to my house just so my mother can cook this meal. I remember her texting my sisters and I that she had cooked chicken with rice and when we got home the first thing we did was go and sit down and eat. My mother always got annoyed because we did not even say hi to her. The chicken with rice is my favorite plate by far and I do not care if I become a fatty, I could it eat forever.

Hixon- Favorite Food

              My favorite food to eat is hot Cheetos and cheese; not hot fries or extra hot Cheetos but The original hot Cheetos and not just any cheese, but the warm creamy nacho cheese. The only place I could get hot Cheetos and cheese from is the ice cream truck when it came by right after school. I remember my friends and I racing to get in line and be the first to order the inexpensive snack of creamy goodness. I love how the hot Cheetos are already hot, then adding the warm nacho cheese to give it that extra kick of flavor. I always ate it relatively fast so that my chips wouldn't get soggy and my cheese get cold; that would just be nasty. The main reason I love eating hot Cheetos is because I have all this tasteful goodness on the go and it's filling.

Leyva: New Things

      As a college student there are many things that you can be worried about such as living with a stranger or grades, but the only thing that worried me was the kind of food I would eat. I knew the school had a meal program but what I was going to miss was my mother's homemade Mexican food. I love eating any of my mother's dishes because they are sweet, delicious, and made with love. Sure I love hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza, but for me there is nothing better than tacos, tamales, or a carne asada. 

            Having to eat what other people made was not something I was looking forward to because I hate trying new things. I remember that the first week of school all I ate was hamburgers and fries nothing else. Trying other types of cuisines was not something I wanted to do. Soon I knew I had to eat something else other than hamburgers and fries. My friends started bugging me about eating something else so I decided to grab a plate with pasta and bread. After finishing the plate I realized the food was not so bad. 

           To some people it may seem childish not wanting to try new kind of dishes but to me it  is a pretty big deal. Being used to eating one type of food since you can remember and then all of a sudden you will no longer eat that cuisine. Trying new things is still a struggle for me but I started doing it more often.

Rachel Caire: Nachos are yum yum!

         Nachos are my favorite food because they have flavor, a deliciously pretty presentation, and are a finger food. Having a good flavor is key for it to be considered my favorite food, and nachos do not disappoint. If there is no flavor in the dish, it is like New Orleans creole dish without the spices. The Mexican restaurant, El Mexicano, adds more flavor by placing a good amount of jalapeños on the dish. Another reason why El Mexicano's nachos are so good, is how they are dressed and presented. The nachos go from tortilla chips to ground beef, american cheese to tomatoes, and guacamole to sour cream and jalapeños. The order of the individual foods are very appealing to me because they look stacked with food. In a way, I feel like I get "more bang for my buck" when I get nachos. Getting nachos when you go to Mexican restaurants gives you a variety because the nachos are dressed with meat and vegetables. In addition to all this food you order, nachos are also a finger food. To me, finger foods give you a reason to eat like a caveman without being judged. It is more comfortable to eat with your fingers because you feel like you are at home and in public. Hands down, nachos are my most favorite food.

My Favorite Food

            My favorite food without any doubts is my mom’s Chicken Corn Chowder. This chowder is a specialty because she only makes one batch in October, my favorite time of the year. She makes a huge amount because so many of our friends and family want the chowder. What makes it so good and wanted? Well, the chowder’s ingredients include onions, red bell peppers, butternut squash, corn, bacon, thyme, chicken stock cream, and roasted chicken. It tastes like heaven in your mouth on a perfect fall day. The soup is so good that I sacrifice my dietary virtues for it. This is the only dish and the only time of the year that I decide to put aside my vegetarian diet and indulge in the best chowder on the planet. When I texted my mom to ask her all the ingredients for this paper, she gave me the list and said, “now my mouth is watering.” Just writing this paper makes me super excited to go home for fall break, watch football with my family, and eat this amazingly delicious Chicken Corn Chowder.  

Falu's: A TEENAGE ADVENTURE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

           One Monday morning, when I was 14 I had to wake up at 3:30 a.m. because I had to study for a test. When I was finally done with studying, I hurried and prepared to go to school. After grabbing my backpack, I headed to the bus station. Fortunately, my dogs were not around, I snuck out quickly so they wouldn’t tag along.

         As I kept on my daily journey with a book in my hands, repeating my studying material, I noticed that someone was sleeping outside in the corridor of the community’s Elementary School. I wondered how someone could sleep without a blanket or a pillow, also in that awkward position. The man was sitting on the ground with his legs and his arms opened. While it was cold in the mornings, the logical thing to do was to cross his arms to keep warm.

The curiosity was killing me at that time, so I slowly approached the man that was laying in the corridor of the school. In addition, I was also afraid since he was a stranger, and I did not want to get scolded so early in the morning. To my surprise, while I was getting closer I saw many holes on the walls of the school where he was laying; then I noticed he wore a dark jacket and the jacket was wet with blood.

Then everything made sense to me. I was the first person to step into a crime scene, just like the movies.  I turned around and saw my watch pointing at exact 5:25 a.m., and I was running late to catch the bus. I left the scene and went back to my study mode. Unfortunately, the teachers cancelled the classes for the day. I headed back home at 7:30 a.m., then I saw many people gathering around the body I had found in the morning.

Since that day, the discovery and experience of a crime scene made an impact on the way I see death. I am not afraid of blood but curious instead and I decided to turn that curiosity into studying forensics. I thrive to help many people to  find out the culprit, and to do justice to  the deceased.