Written by Dr. Richard O. Williams‘ daughter Noi Williams
I was really excited about going to college and learning to live away from home and getting to know new people. I had been anxious for weeks wondering what it would be like. I really wanted to make new friends but was scared because that never had been an easy thing for me. The first few weeks at Mount Vernon were fun exploring the new places and classes but the other students seemed be making more friends. One of the first group activities was a pizza party. I have never enjoyed eating pizza because of the crunchy texture and the strong cheesy taste on bread that I find too crunchy many times. I think another reason I have never liked pizza, which I still do not choose to eat to this this day, is that I come from a family that did not raise me to always eat the American diet. We didn’t eat fast foods, including pizza. Other students at Mount Vernon thought I was the college weirdo, the only person who didn’t like pizza while the rest ate it and loved it. I always remember getting into a verbal fight with some girls about not wanting to order pizza at a get together. I explained to them why I didn’t like it but they still didn’t understand why I hated it so much. No one really knew or understood that I had a strong sensitivity to tastes, feel and touch to things such as foods. Over the years, I’ve began to get used to the fact that Pizza is a big part of the American culture and have slowly learned to appreciate it more. I still don’t prefer it but I have been willing to eat it more since I know it comes with many different toppings and sauces and vegetables to choose from. I also like it now because it’s a finger food that could be shared with a bunch of people, which is fun.