After reading a Macaulay Monday article about the CUNY Food Fest that was taking place on October 23rd, I decided that it seemed like a good idea to experience it for myself. I printed out my ticket, took the subway, and entered into a night that turned out to be both inspirational and life changing.

I walked into the room in which everyone was set up and to be honest I was a little lost. I looked around and saw everyone cooking different dishes. Luckily, a volunteer spotted my confusion and explained the process. I was assigned to a group that was learning how to make an apple cobbler. Soon enough, we all got to work peeling and cutting apples, making the graham cracker topping, and putting it all together. I’ll never look at an apple the same way again, but it was worth it when our dish was served at the communal dinner.

The communal dinner was quite a sight to see and definitely an event that changed my view on food and how it affects our lives. After tasting all the unique dishes that the students prepared and finding out that they were all vegetarian and vegan, I was stunned. How can something that tastes so good actually be good for you? Growing up in a society that revolves around McDonalds, you tend to not value healthy food and you definitely grow up thinking that the only delicious food is food that contributes to life threatening diseases. Yummy! Okay, perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic and also hypocritical. I mean everyone knows that pizza, pumpkin muffins, and coffee are my weaknesses. The problem with junk food is not having it but rather how much of it we have and how much healthy food we lack. This dinner inspired me to change the way I was eating by incorporating more vegetables into my diet and eating less junk food. What are the benefits? I feel better both physically and psychologically and I look better. Who knew that one night could change so much?