My Last Meal

I picture my last meal with my close family members in my grandparents home in the mountainous hills of the Dominican Republic. We would have a four course meal full of some of my favorite foods I enjoyed throughout my childhood. For as long as I can remember the best feasts in my home were for thanksgiving day so I also imagine this meal taking place at the end of November. Some of the dishes would be prepared in this old school brick oven in the backyard of my grandparents home. The dinner table would have a tacky table cover with hideous floral patterns, as is typical in my home. However, the most important part of my last meal would be an endless appetite so that I could try every item on the menu.

The Grand Meal Menu - 

Appetizers: french fries, hot dogs, and pepperoni pizza

Salad: Dominican potato salad or Caesar Salad

Entree: A platter of tostones (Thick plantain chips), sweet potato fries, yucca, mangu (mashed plantains), and a protein choice of either roasted chicken or turkey

Dessert: Bananas foster with Haagen-Dazs ice cream

The most memorable meal I have ever had was surprisingly not at home but at my favorite uncles house in New Jersey. This meal took place during Christmas eve sometime during my adolescence but it was really more of a house warming party. My uncles wife made roast chicken with white rice and although this is something I ate way too often in the past, this was the best version of the dish I have had to date. When thinking about this blog entry what triggered my memory was a bowl of walnuts and a batch of delicious earthy cookies that were present that day items that were never present in any family meals that I can remember.