College Existential Crisis (Proust) (Revised)

            When I came home for the first time since beginning college, I ate an authentic, traditional soup that only reminds me of all the memories the dish witnessed. I remember my first time eating solid food. I remember one of the biggest fights I had with my little brother. When I ate the soup before, I only thought of it as sustenance through the treacherous trial of high school. After a month of eating DUC food, I really do miss the authentic version and not the DUC version of the soup. The bowl of soup lies on an old wooden table with countless marks and dents from many mistakes and fits. Why am I thinking of all of this? Other people typically say that we become nostalgic for old memories with big changes in life. Marcel Proust surely had the same reaction with his madeleines: “And as soon as I had recognized the taste of the piece of madeleine soaked in her decoction of lime-blossom which my aunt used to give me (although I did not yet know and must long postpone the discovery of why this memory made me so happy.” I relate to Proust as I remember this feeling the last time my taste buds tasted the soup. When Proust recognized the taste of the madeleine, he remembered, “the old grey house upon the street… the Square where I used to be sent before lunch… the water-lilies on the Vivonne and the good folk of the village and their little dwelling and the parish church and the the while of Combray and its surroundings.” I remember my last argument with my little brother on a trivial matter of school while we ate the soup. After the memory subsides, I then remember my elated attitude from receiving my Emory acceptance letter. The positive and negative emotions intertwine to form my overall flashback to the good ol’ days.

                Consciously, I may forget the experience, dreams, worries, and aspirations my younger self held. Food always seeps into our subconscious, almost like a reflex. I automatically experience a rush of emotions and thoughts from the taste of the spiced broth. The vegetables add a delicate crunch that adds texture to the soup. The tender meat provides the sumptuousness that gives the broth its rich and deep flavor. Finally, the last addition of mint and lime provides the freshness that really balances the dish. In my first semester, I practically represent a typical college student experiencing a new life while returning to the changing environment of home. At least the broth will always taste the same. Home is always home, no matter what.

Original - http://english101jn.blogspot.com/2016/11/college-existential-crisis-proust.html