Jose Antonio Burciaga, in his essay “Tortillas,” leads us to believe that tortillas actually helped make him what he is (507). I'm not convinced that banana pudding helped shape me into the man I am today, but it definitely plays a big role in many of the memories I've made throughout my life. As far as my family is concerned, banana pudding is more than a desert; it is a reminder of family gatherings, loved ones and times gone by. Burciaga mentions that he often got into trouble for playing with his tortillas (507). I didn't get in trouble for playing with banana pudding, I got in trouble for eating too much of it. My grandmother Spurlin, my father's mother, made the best banana pudding in the world. Whenever we had a reunion, celebration or any other family gathering, she always made banana pudding. My father came from a large family, so you had to be quick to get some pudding otherwise it would run out. No matter how much she made, the pudding never lasted long. It seems that banana pudding most likely comes from English trifle. The trifle also had a similar combination of pudding, fruit and biscuits spread in layers. Bananas were a rare site before the Civil War. Then, cargo ships from the Caribbean began shipping them into the country through the ports of New Orleans and Charleston. The fruit was quickly integrated into traditional custards and meringues, paving the way for the banana pudding we know and love today. There are several ways to make banana pudding. There are recipes that call for it cooked and others that call for it refrigerated. The recipes vary from homemade creams to simple canned puddings. Some recipes call for the pudding to be topped with whipped cream,...... in the center of the paper... her missing, not the actual pudding, but somehow the pudding gives me a little piece of her. For now the pudding will have to fill the void left by my grandmother's passing. One day, when I go to heaven, I know it will be waiting for me with that amazing banana pudding that I love so much and a hug. It doesn't matter how good the banana pudding is; I want the hug more. There are many different ways to make banana pudding and almost all of them are good. But no matter how good they are, banana pudding will always be more than a dessert for my family; it is a reminder of family gatherings, loved ones and days gone by. Works CitedBurciaga, Jose Antonio. “Tortillas.” Models for college writing: A reader and rhetorical guide. 12th ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford, 2012. 507-509. Press.