“Shut up!” Big Boy squawks, his shut ups always at the ready. “It’s called pumpernickel.” Again, from Jamal. (Reynolds). This quote being a perfect example of the slick remarks and roasts the kids use to protect themselves in a way.

Ever since I was a young boy, I have always wanted to travel the world, in particular to Japan and explore the culture there and the people who reside. I can compare “The Ingredients” to my own desire to travel to Japan because I have always had people questioning me on why I would want to go there in the first place or, of all places, why there, or commenting on how far away it is. The moral of the story is that people will always judge you or comment on your choices, but it’s how you deal with and take those comments that matter. This is what I can see from the piece of writing Jason Reynolds has written. The roasts and giving each other friendly remarks

It is human nature to desire. We dream and over-glorify seemingly ordinary things because we think it will make us feel fulfilled. Whether that is true or not is a whole other discussion. Every summer, my friends and I always talk and talk about how we want to make the most out of the summer. We want to go on beach trips, do crafts and go hiking. Unfortunately, most of these plans never happen. Some still do, and don't get me wrong, I have still had some great summers, but it is true that our plans often get limited because life gets in the way. We have jobs, families, and other responsibilities outside of just having fun with friends all summer. Life circumstances really do just get in the way sometimes.

This compares to my life in a lot of ways. The main one that comes to mind is my relationship with my boyfriend. Growing up I had always dreamed about having someone that would be my partner and how amazing it would be. I imagined how perfect it would be, going on dates and having sweet small actions done to make me feel loved but that is nothing like my real relationship at all. It is tough facing the reality that just because you wish something would be a certain way, it won’t always be how you hoped it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I love my boyfriend and our relationship is very good. We don’t argue, we never get tired of each other and we have been together for over a year now. It is difficult having to learn that some people don’t always care about you as much as you care for them though. I have put my all into this relationship and am always going out of my way to make his day better. I buy him gifts, I surprise him with Aroma Joes, I make him paintings of his trucks and I always support his decisions. But when it comes to me I feel the complete opposite. My actions are never reciprocated; I don’t get to go on any dates, I don’t get any just because of gifts, it feels like no one is ever there caring about me and wanting to make me happy. Which relates to this story because I had always hoped for a perfect relationship but that is just not my reality. I have learned to be grateful for what I have and learn that people show love in different ways. But it is a hard pill to swallow. Sometimes you have to face the reality that you are getting a bowl of cereal instead of a fancy gourmet sandwich.

The story “The Ingredients” by Jason Reynolds tells a story about a friend group that loves to hang out and eat. The story symbolizes friendship and the importance of sticking together. The entire story explained how the boys were imagining many different sandwiches. They would all be drooling and add to the extravagant imaginations of the sandwiches. At the end of the story, they ended up at Flaco’s house. They ended the story with them having bowls of cereal. They were still all satisfied; this ending resembled good friendships and no judgment of Flaco and his food. 

This story reminds me how sometimes, when I go out with my friends, we crave fast food, but we end up eating at my house because we don’t want to spend money. The same thing happened with Flaco and his friends, “Starving,” Jamal repeats. “I could go for a sandwich.”(Reynolds 2) This quote is about how Jamal is hungry for a sandwich, and his friends agree. My friends and I would also go to Range Pond during the summer to cool off on hot days. I also have a pool, and we hang out at my house a few times as well. We love cooling off on hot summer days, then getting out, dressing up, and going out to dinner. “The pool might as well be called heaven.” (Reynolds 1) Just like the boys in the story, my friends and I also believe the pool is like heaven, especially when we played softball in the scorching heat. My friends and I relate to this short story.

As a kid, and to this day, I am the summer house for my friends. I have a heated garage, basketball hoop, side by side, but every summer my friends want to do one thing: swim. And I have an in-ground pool. Me and my friends have always loved playing pool games and our age has never affected our ability to enjoy swimming. A line from the story that reminds me of my childhood specifically would be,  “And on any given sweltering summer day, when Bed-Stuy becomes a microwave, the pool might as well be called heaven.” Even when me and my friends couldn’t get together, me and my siblings would HATE sitting indoors. We loved to swim until it was dark and our fingers were shriveled