Maddy's Blog

After reading “The Death of the Moth” this week, I decided to pay close attention to the “insignificant” things in my life. Like Woolf had done with the moth, I observed the “insignificant” preparations for my meal. I was making dinner after a long afternoon of yearbook duties and finishing my homework. As I began to prep for cooking, I noticed how different each ingredient was and how essential each step was to the process. First, the tofu. Here are some thoughts that ran through my mind while I prepared the tofu: Why do people hate tofu so much? Yes, it can be bland and the texture can be unwelcoming at first, but it just needs some love. Add some spice and toast that tofu and you’ve got a perfect protein source for dinner. What exactly is tofu? This prompted me to search how tofu was made. Here’s the process, broken down and shortened (see pictures below if you're as intrigued as I was about tofu) I was particularly interested in the origin of tofu. The word tof...

Imagine this: your spring break is coming up and you can’t wait to get out of town for a little while. Your parents have kept where you’re going a secret and finally the day you’ve been looking forward to for months has arrived. The possibilities of where you’re headed are racing through your head, all while one thought persists: please let it be warm! Anywhere from Disney World to Mexico sounds like heaven. Then, your parents drop the location. All of the excitement builds up and you realize you’re headed to the glamorous, exotic…Las Vegas. As a kid, you don’t know much about Las Vegas other than adults really like it there and it gets hot. Disappointment starts to stir inside of you. Your parents show you where you’re staying and at least it has a giant roller coaster on the outside (see picture below for reference). Your parents reassure you that it will be great; you guys will shop, see all of the cool hotels, maybe even see a show at night. Unsure, you board the pl...

Considering two of my best friends were vegan for over a year, I should know how vegans live and what they eat. Yet, I am still surprised how a vegan can live how they do. This is not a story of how veganism can save lives, but one of how it almost destroyed my friend’s. My friend Caitlin had eaten meat all her life. She was known for her love of chicken nuggets. One day, right before freshman year, Caitlin announced that she had decided to go vegan. Her reasoning? She had accidentally stumbled upon a video on YouTube about how burgers were made. That did it for her. Caitlin began her vegan career strong and happy. Along our other friend, Lauren, Caitlin thrived on tofu and veggies for months. She was the happiest she could be. Then, cross country season started. Caitlin was known in our friend group for being the most athletic. She would go from sport to sport when we were younger, resting out which one worked for her. I remember when it was soccer then volleyball then...

When Abigail Adams wrote her son a letter in 1780 warning of the upcoming challenge of leading the nation into the new century, I don’t think she realized how timeless her letter would be. In 2019, living in Troy, Michigan, I was shocked by how much I understood what Abigail was saying. Growing up in Troy, I was always aware of my privilege. I know not everyone in Troy is privileged, but everyone who I had met had led a somewhat privileged life. My parents did a good job of reminding me to acknowledge my privilege throughout my life. I knew what it meant to be privileged in this century, but how did it compare to the privilege the Adams family had back in 1780? The word privilege originally came from the two Latin words, privus (meaning private) and lexlag (meaning law) that combined to form privilegium. Privilegium is defined as a law applying to one person, bill of law in favor of or against an individual. So if privilege came about in the legal sense, why is it used in so...