I reach for more enchiladas and Mexican rice in the humid air of Costa Rica as all my classmates stare at me in awe. They all wonder how I am able to eat so many different foods. The day after, I feast on noodles, dumplings, and pork buns in Chinatown, and the day after that, my mouth waters over Vietnamese noodles in Queen Village. At a Thai restaurant, the smell of the spicy Pad Thai and green curry fill my nostrils before I even taste it. My friend, Angel, watches me in shock as I chomp down platefuls of homemade Indian food at her dinner table. Ask any one of my close friends or even acquaintances; they will tell you that I am somewhat of a gourmand and have probably tried almost every type of food the world has to offer.
My tongue tingles at the excitement of tasting new types of food, as I slowly relish each bite. Nothing fills me with more enthusiasm than trying new ethnic foods. Two years ago, my mother cooked a Malaysian curry dish for dinner; into which were mixed some furry, green vegetables that she had nicknamed “Lady Fingers”. Initially, the furriness of the vegetable and the awful name disgusted me. Nevertheless, out of curiosity, I decided to try it. I took a bite of the “Lady Fingers”, which was actually just okra, and to my surprise, it was delicious!
Throughout the years, my curiosity for trying new types of food has crossed over to other facets of my life. My eagerness for trying new foods has been manifested in my eagerness to try new things and not be obstinate to any new experiences.
During my sophomore year, I was able to discover my passion for science because of my unbiased attitude. My AP Biology teacher had purchased a tank full of live frogs and I had wondered why they were there until he told us we were going to dissect them. I shuddered in my seat as I listened to the crackle and crunch of the frog’s necks. Snap. Snap. Snap. The frog’s necks cracked one after another. My initial reaction to this frog dissection was absolute repulsion. However, I still decided to keep an open mind about the dissection. A warm frog was placed on our dissection pan along with all the dissection tools. My partner and I carefully made an incision on the frog’s skin with the scalpel. We cut open the rest of the body until we had a full view of all the organs. Instead of being completely disgusted, I was in awe at the supreme magnificence of the lifeless frog, yet still with a tiny beating red heart. All the different organs laid over one another to fit perfectly together in the five-inch body of the frog. The brilliance and splendor of life had presented itself before me, and from then on, I knew I had found my true calling in science.
Without having an open mind and a curious approach, I would never have been able to learn what my passions in life were. I know that being inquisitive about what life has to offer could without a doubt lead to finding something I don’t like, but it also can show the way to realizing what I enjoy doing most in life. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back!