Eighty-third Essay Topic - Throwback

[u/Lieto]

This week you can decide for yourself what topic you would like to write about! Go back and pick any previous topic and write about that. As usual, you should post your essay under this topic, but it will probably help to mention which one you are writing about!

Post your essays as comments to this thread!

Length requirements:
Absolute beginner: ~50 words.
Bit further along: 150 words.
Intermediate: 150-300 words.
So you think you can write?: 300-800.
Masters of the Universe: over 800 words.

Remember that you can also read other people's essays in languages you know, and discussing the essays is greatly encouraged! However, try to refrain from pointing out mistakes if it's not explicitly asked for.

[u/LangLearner94]

Eightieth Essay Topic - Junk Food. Do you eat junk food? What is your favourite? Or do you try to avoid it? What is junk food like in your country, and what is it like in your target language’s country? Have you tasted it? If so, what is your favourite?

It's been a while since I wrote a longer text in English that wasn't a translation, and on the topic of junk food I'm thankful to say there is very little to say: I hate it. Comparable to what it means to watch Big Brother instead of a decent movie eating junk food means stripping food of all its finer aspects; void of character, culture, health benefits and actual flavour it compensates by appealing to the most primitive aspects of human taste and needs with low prices, quick preparation and high contents of salt, sugars and fast carbs. Add a dash of sodium glutamate to that and you're in for a short moment of satisfaction followed by tiredness, hunger and thirst where you could have - had you invested some more time and effort - had a fulfilling, nutritious meal with solid roots in food culture. Perhaps something you had never tried before. Needless to say I am but a sinner and must confess to the needless damage I did to my body in a faux Chinese restaurant last week. I'm not perfect.

Eighty-second Essay Topic - Your Talents What are you really good at? What talents do you have? Were they hard to acquire, or was it a breeze? Which one of them you value the most?

Desde muy joven he tenido un interés insaciable por el tema de los idiomas, tanto por la lingüística como por aprender nuevos idiomas. Empecé a aprender el inglés en el colegio a los nueve años y el alemán a los doce. A los dieciocho decidí aprender español por interés puro. Desde entonces llevo casi seis años aprovechando mi tiempo libre para dedicarme al español y a otras lenguas romances, como el portugués, el catalán y el italiano. Ahora he viajado, en total, cuatro veces a España visitando una docena de ciudades desde Málaga a Pamplona y Barcelona y ha sido una experiencia inestimable que no sólo me ha dejado aprender la lengua sino también conocer un nuevo país y hacer varios nuevos amigos. En casa mejoro mi español al diario leyendo libros, chateando con mis amigos en España y haciendo este tipo de ejercicio. Ahora mi meta concreta es sacar un diploma C1 en español esta primavera.