My first food memory

Growing up I remember that my fourth generation Irish parents were still close enough to their ancestors to think Italian food was 'exotic'. Case in point, my maternal grandmother's favorite incarnation of spaghetti featured ground beef, minced onion, Old English cheese and Campbell's Tomato Soup.

There was a moment though, when I realized there were foods I'd never seen, let alone tasted before. I was around five years old, sitting in front of the TV watching Sesame Street. On the screen a girl, about my age, was home with her mother making lunch or maybe dinner. I sat transfixed as they filled these flat circles (which I now know to be tortillas) with cheese and then rolled them up before taking an enthusiastic bite.

Intrigued I moved to the refrigerator and desperately searched for something similar. Being so small, the closest thing within my grasp was the drawer where we kept the makings for sandwiches. As a result, my first attempt at constructing a burrito consisted of a slice of Oscar Meyer bologna with a single slice of Kraft American cheese torn to bits by my tiny hands and tucked inside.

It was neither spicy nor remotely Mexican but I think it just might be the first meal I ever made for myself.