9/17 - I came home from school yesterday afternoon and immediately took out the first batch of drafts sent to me earlier in the day.  I like to quickly review each one of them before I take out my pencil and highlighter - give them each a quick read before articulating my responses - and while I was doing this, I was helping my eight year old son with his cursive and answering my six year old daughter's demands for how to spell things on the computer.  While certainly chaotic, all of us were reading and writing in some form - very cool!  Anyway, I was impressed with the diverse experiences expressed in each of the essays, and in spite of these incredibly different rituals, traditions, and special occasions, we are culturally bound by food.  Now that these essays are marked up with my own questions and comments, I look forward to hearing what you have to say - particularly what you want to know more about as a reader and as an active member of this world.