Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Freshman Food Findings
January 17, 2022 | Softball
STARKVILLE – November saw the return of a Starkville tradition: the Mississippi State softball Thanksgiving meal. Each year, student-athletes in the program each cook a homemade dish to show their gratitude to members of the athletic department staff.
For some, it's an experiment in cooking on their own for the first time, often in small apartment or dorm kitchens. For Leilani Pulemau it was a chance to try dishes she had never heard of, especially when her roommate, Sydney Carter, began baking a green bean casserole.
"I was thinking, 'Hmm, I never really tried that.' Green bean casserole, I've never had that in my life," Pulemau said. "I was really surprised that you guys eat that. Their tradition of food and my tradition of food was very different. But it was kind of surprising and fun getting to taste new things."
Food holds a special place in Pulemau's heart. She put it very simply at the start of her interview.
"I love food."
It's a mix of the memories meals contain, the care and love put into crafting them and a spark of curiosity. And it began with a taco.
In her home in California, there's a taco truck down the street from her grandparents' house that Pulemau and her grandfather frequented. They would go every Tuesday, when each taco was just $1.50.
"Usually I get chicken, but if I'm in a good mood, I'll get carne asada," she said. "Cilantro, onion, you name it, all the salsas, I take it all."
She has a very open mind when it comes to food, willing to try just about anything someone offers her. Part of that goes back to her belief that if someone is offering to share a meal with you, it would be rude to reject their food. But still, sometimes when she gets overwhelmed with options, she falls back on a familiar comfort food.
"If I can't find a food, my go-to is chicken strips and fries," Pulemau said. "If I get too mixed up, like there are so many things I don't want or know, I am just going to go with chicken strips and fries. I think that you can't really mess up on chicken strips and fries. It's like a safe option."
In some ways, her arrival in Starkville has paralleled her approach to food. It was a risk, an experiment you might call it, to come across the country and embrace a new culture. But just like on a menu crowded with new options, there's one thing that gives her comfort.
Pulemau continues the line of Samoan players to compete in Starkville under Samantha Ricketts, who is herself part Samoan. Before making a single trip to Mississippi, Pulemau had met and competed alongside now-teammates Chloe Malau'ulu and Matalasi Faapito.
"Coming here I felt the most comfortable and also had that extra inch of 'Oh, I have people that I can relate to and who've been through everything. We are all like in the same bond.' It's felt like more of a home environment for me," she said.
In fact, Pulemau had attended softball camps for Polynesian players run by Malau'ulu's father. At one such camp, she was on a team coached by Bulldog All-American Fa Leilua.
"She is really fun, really competitive, and it's just a fun environment," Pulemau said of Leilua. "She is pushing everyone. She is always hyped. She is like your biggest hype man on the field."
She recognizes the contributions and the footsteps she is following in, but for now she's not feeling the pressure. Instead, Pulemau's simply enjoying the company of her "Poly sisters" and the letting them push her every day.
Bringing her back to the table, Pulemau claims she doesn't have a favorite food, but insists there's something special about Polynesian food, particularly the heartfelt flavors and effort that goes into cooking family meals.
"With food and softball, everything has its own story," she said. "Eating different food from different places, I get to know the background details of where this came from. Being out on the field, we all have our own stories and how we got here and why we're here now, but we all relate in that sense that we're here for a purpose. We all want to win. We want to compete."
For some, it's an experiment in cooking on their own for the first time, often in small apartment or dorm kitchens. For Leilani Pulemau it was a chance to try dishes she had never heard of, especially when her roommate, Sydney Carter, began baking a green bean casserole.
"I was thinking, 'Hmm, I never really tried that.' Green bean casserole, I've never had that in my life," Pulemau said. "I was really surprised that you guys eat that. Their tradition of food and my tradition of food was very different. But it was kind of surprising and fun getting to taste new things."
Food holds a special place in Pulemau's heart. She put it very simply at the start of her interview.
"I love food."
It's a mix of the memories meals contain, the care and love put into crafting them and a spark of curiosity. And it began with a taco.
In her home in California, there's a taco truck down the street from her grandparents' house that Pulemau and her grandfather frequented. They would go every Tuesday, when each taco was just $1.50.
"Usually I get chicken, but if I'm in a good mood, I'll get carne asada," she said. "Cilantro, onion, you name it, all the salsas, I take it all."
She has a very open mind when it comes to food, willing to try just about anything someone offers her. Part of that goes back to her belief that if someone is offering to share a meal with you, it would be rude to reject their food. But still, sometimes when she gets overwhelmed with options, she falls back on a familiar comfort food.
"If I can't find a food, my go-to is chicken strips and fries," Pulemau said. "If I get too mixed up, like there are so many things I don't want or know, I am just going to go with chicken strips and fries. I think that you can't really mess up on chicken strips and fries. It's like a safe option."
In some ways, her arrival in Starkville has paralleled her approach to food. It was a risk, an experiment you might call it, to come across the country and embrace a new culture. But just like on a menu crowded with new options, there's one thing that gives her comfort.
Pulemau continues the line of Samoan players to compete in Starkville under Samantha Ricketts, who is herself part Samoan. Before making a single trip to Mississippi, Pulemau had met and competed alongside now-teammates Chloe Malau'ulu and Matalasi Faapito.
"Coming here I felt the most comfortable and also had that extra inch of 'Oh, I have people that I can relate to and who've been through everything. We are all like in the same bond.' It's felt like more of a home environment for me," she said.
In fact, Pulemau had attended softball camps for Polynesian players run by Malau'ulu's father. At one such camp, she was on a team coached by Bulldog All-American Fa Leilua.
"She is really fun, really competitive, and it's just a fun environment," Pulemau said of Leilua. "She is pushing everyone. She is always hyped. She is like your biggest hype man on the field."
She recognizes the contributions and the footsteps she is following in, but for now she's not feeling the pressure. Instead, Pulemau's simply enjoying the company of her "Poly sisters" and the letting them push her every day.
Bringing her back to the table, Pulemau claims she doesn't have a favorite food, but insists there's something special about Polynesian food, particularly the heartfelt flavors and effort that goes into cooking family meals.
"With food and softball, everything has its own story," she said. "Eating different food from different places, I get to know the background details of where this came from. Being out on the field, we all have our own stories and how we got here and why we're here now, but we all relate in that sense that we're here for a purpose. We all want to win. We want to compete."
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
P/INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
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