Tessa Blog 4

Hello, my name is Tessa Pieretti and for this assignment I have decided to interview my Aunt Bonnie. Unlike me who was born and raised right here in Reno Nevada, Bonnie moved a whole lot growing up. There are so many differences between my life here, and her life in a completely different region. She considers herself from St. Louis, MO (ages 10-16). She attended schools in a fantastic school district which not only prepared her well for higher learning, but also for life. Bonnie was blessed to be surrounded by a very multi-cultural community that introduced her to many different customs & traditions. At 16, her family moved to Dallas, TX. Unlike St. Louis, Dallas is very materialistic & emphasizes importance of displayed wealth.

She has been married 23 years to Christian. They have two great boys, Jim (21, student-athlete) & Harrison (12, local brainiac). Their family loves baseball & most sports. Being the only female in the house (including animals), Bonnie basically lives in a locker room & wouldn’t have it any other way.

Bonnie works in commercial printing as a production manager. She is a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ which means she knows about a lot of stuff but can’t actually do it. She has been in printing for almost 25 years & absolutely loves it. The work challenges her industry knowledge, strategy, time management, multi-tasking & inter-personal skills.

I asked Bonnie 12 different questions about her childhood and the different ways food has impacted it;

Tessa: What restaurant was your favorite to go to as a kid, being that you grew up? Why is it your favorite and what kinds of memories do you have from this place?

Bonnie: Barnaby’s in St. Louis – we would go there for birthdays. It was a ‘St. Louis style’ pizza family restaurant. You could go to a window & watch them make the pizza. Sometimes the guys would throw dough at the window or miss catching it & let it land on their face, on purpose. At your table was a little black box. When your order was ready, the box would flash ‘ORDER IS READY’ – we thought that was so cool!

Tessa: What was your absolute favorite food to eat when you were 10-15 years old? Just one or more things that you loved to eat, and why was it so important to you?

Bonnie: I have always loved popcorn! I remember eating a lot of it especially when I would get home from school. My mom taught me how to make it (pre-microwaves!) on the stove & that was a regular snack for me. I still prefer it made on the stove as opposed to microwave.

Tessa: Who in your family did all the cooking? Did you enjoy the food that they made, or just kind of act like it?

Bonnie: My mom always did & still does all the cooking. If left to him, my dad could burn water. Because my dad traveled all week & he was super picky; my mom loved being able to cook what she wanted to eat. Most times it was great – she’s an excellent cook! I was introduced to a lot of gourmet meals at an early age. I was not & am not a fan of lamb chops with mint jelly or cow tongue (she tricked us into eating it by saying it was beef, should have called it barf). Don’t see that changing. Ever. Due to its epic failure, we often refer to the Great Split Pea Soup Incident & laugh about it to this day! (We all hated it, Amy especially. She hated it so much after tasting it, she cried & called it ‘furry’. My mom caved & took us all out to Wendy’s (which never happened, she hated fast food).

Tessa: What type of food is your hometown famous for, if any? If there is one, did you personally enjoy it or not really care much for it?

Bonnie: St. Louis has a famous area downtown referred to as The Hill & is located in a historic part of downtown. The buildings are very old & perfectly restored to their original forms. There are a lot of very high-end Italian restaurants frequented by visiting celebrities & the socially elite. The food is fantastic! The service is impeccable! Dining at any of these restaurants is not just a meal, it’s an event. I’m sure every large city has restaurants like these. I had the pleasure of dining at Tony’s as a going-away present from my best friend & her mom. Mrs. Pendleton grew up with the owner. We received premium seating & service – the food was incredible! Haven’t had an experience like it since.

Tessa: What kind of food is your favorite? For example, Chinese, Mexican, American, Italian, Thai, Indian, etc. Why is that specific type your favorite and what kind of significance does it bring to you?

Bonnie: Being as my family (parents) & husband are all from New Jersey, Italian is king in our house. My mom makes incredible Italian food & has taught me well. My husband’s family has wonderful recipes we enjoy. When we make a favorite recipe, it usually serves as a great reminder of where our families started & what we ate growing up.

Tessa: Growing up, was health and nutrition a big deal in your home or in your city? If it was or was not, why do you think that is?

Bonnie: My mom was strict when it came to junk food & sugar. We didn’t have a lot of it in the house & when/if we did, she was a Snack Nazi about it. Easter & Halloween candy was rationed. Fortunately for me, vegetables were always served with dinner. (My sisters probably would not share my gratitude.) My grandmother was a very good cook & was very disciplined about nutrition, which clearly rubbed off on my mom.

Tessa: Is your specific hometown on the wealthier side of things, or is it on more of a poverty level? How do you think that impacted or influenced what you ate while growing up?

Bonnie: My family was blessed & we lived in a very nice part of suburban St. Louis. My father’s job afforded us to live on one income. My mom had time to carefully plan & prepare nutritious meals.

Tessa: Are there any types of foods that you deeply hate? It may be from a region, or just any single food you just cannot stand?
Bonnie: I am a picky eater. I do not like anything with mayonnaise or sour cream. I especially do not enjoy spicy foods – I have always had a high sensitivity to peppers.

Tessa: What is your guilty-pleasure food, and why do you think that is?

Bonnie: Carbs. Carbs. Carbs! As a kid, I was a spaz. I had way too much energy & as a competitive swimmer, still didn’t wear out. I ate a lot of bread & carbs because I would burn it off. I still love when the grocery store sends home all foods sponsored by the letter P: popcorn, pizza, pretzels, pasta, potatoes. I know I shouldn’t eat it, but I do. The end.

Tessa: Do you see any changes being made with food and the way people eat in the next 10-20 years? Why or why not?

Bonnie: Yes, in the age of instant information, we’re better educated about benefits/detriments of food. We have access to which companies to trust as a source & base this knowledge when making food choices.

Tessa: Growing up, did your family sit down every night, or most nights to have dinner all together? How do you think that impacted you and who you are today?

Bonnie: We usually sat down as a family, depending on our swim practice schedules. Most people don’t realize the importance of family dining time & how that bonds you together. Daily struggles & celebrations are shared during that time. I believe it is something that families should strive to do more often than not.

Tessa: Last but not least, do you believe the internet and social media has impacted food today? Not just the internet but TV as well. Commercials, food shows, cooking shows? An example would be using models in fast food commercials to influence people to buy and eat their food.

Bonnie: Definitely yes on all of the above. These media allow for both positive & negative influences. Recipe sharing is so easy! Promoting food prep services (Blue Apron, Fresh Table, etc.) is great for busy families/individuals. Based on our country’s obsession with food, I think people with food issues (both spectrums of eating disorders) are not considered by users or marketers. Constant attention to food online & on tv just feeds the obsession & I think that negatively affects those who struggle with eating disorders.

Using models in fast food commercials is as old as time itself & I don’t see that changing. Using emaciated models to promote a (food, dietary) product gives the end user a false sense of hope &/or expected results. Marketers are finally realizing this doesn’t work well. What I do see changing is the diversity of models to include plus sized people, racially diverse, physically handicapped, etc. – all in an effort to make the end user feel included in the intended demographic. Less celebrities & more ‘people like you & me’ are promoting fast food & food in general.