List of Ten: Food Story Ideas

I’m using a food-related theme for my summer technical writing course. The first assignment is an oral presentation (video) that they will use to introduce themselves to the class and then share a personal food story with the class. To kickstart their ideas, I created this List of Ten. I should work for any course that is focusing on food.

1. What food must be in your home? Why? What happens if it’s missing?
2. Tell us about a favorite (yours or your family’s). It can be a favorite meal, restaurant, dessert, cook, or something else.
3. Tell us about the most complicated thing you’ve ever prepared or seen prepared. How did it go?
4. What is your food indulgence? Tell us a story about the food that takes you to your happy place.
5. Tell us the story of the weirdest thing you ever ate/drank. What was the experience like?
6. Share a story of a time you were judged (or that you judged someone else) because of what they ate/drank.
7. Tell the story of your experience with a food you hate.
8. What has been your biggest food fail? Tell us about a meal or food situation that went wrong.
9. What food is your enemy and why? Tell us a story of your battle with that food.
10. What food aroma/smell takes you somewhere else? Tell us the story of where you go and how the smell is part of that trip.

Extra Tips

• Your story does not have to be on the numbered list above. It’s just a list of ideas to help you get started.
• For our purposes, food is widely defined. It can include meals, ingredients, beverages, candy, and so on.
• You can talk about your food experiences, the experiences of your family (however you define family), or experiences related to your culture or community.
• Please no stories about topics like the first time I got drunk.