Health Development: Great Aunt Cora

When the assignment was first presented to me, I was really excited because I love to cook even though I am not the best at it. Some dishes I am planning to make for my family are based on Vietnamese dishes my father and relatives have cooked for my family in the past. The stir fried noodles would be my dad’s recipe that he would always make for a party when he needs something quick and easy. The dessert would be this colorful jelly cake that my aunt would always make for my birthday whenever I am in Florida. This connects to my faith journey by giving back to my family for all they have done for me and through that, I am giving back to God, making my relationship with Him and my family stronger.

“Sara may be well-intentioned, but she and St. Gregory’s are going about things the wrong way. You’re not supposed to let just anyone who wants to, take communion, much less pray the words of consecration over toast when your friend and former lover is dying, you don’t baptize people after they take communion, you don’t baptize children just because they ask, you don’t ‘marry’ a person of the same sex and you don’t ‘lay hands’ on people and pray for them without having received the authority to do so. And the pantry is not ‘church’; you need a valid liturgy and authorized clerics for that. Sara has simply allowed her leftist politics, concern for outcasts, and the ‘liberation theology’ of Jesuits like Martin-Baro to overcome her good

Some say food is an exploration of culture, and taste evokes lush memories of the past. “ In An Island Passover” by Ethel G. Hofman, she described her life in the Shetland Islands. Every year, Hofman’s family celebrates Passover- a traditional Jewish holiday where time and effort to prepare a meal is like painting, and it takes months to reveal a masterpiece. While Hofman had a positive recollection of her family’s traditional cuisine, author of “Fish Cheeks”, Amy Tan did not share the same experience. Tan felt ashamed of sharing her traditional cuisine with a pastor's son whom she was in love with. Tan strived for her crush’s approval because she did not want to be deemed strange. Hofman and Tan had striking differences in

Dorothy Allison’s essay, Panacea, recalls the fond childhood memories about her favorite dish, gravy. Allison uses vivid imagery to cook up a warm feeling about family meals to those who may be a poor family or a young mother. Appeal to the senses shows this warm feeling, along with a peaceful diction.

In Jessica Harris’s “The Culinary Season of my Childhood” she peels away at the layers of how food and a food based atmosphere affected her life in a positive way. Food to her represented an extension of culture along with gatherings of family which built the basis for her cultural identity throughout her life. Harris shares various anecdotes that exemplify how certain memories regarding food as well as the varied characteristics of her cultures’ cuisine left a lasting imprint on how she began to view food and continued to proceeding forward. she stats “My family, like many others long separated from the south, raised me in ways that continued their eating traditions, so now I can head south and sop biscuits in gravy, suck chewy bits of fat from a pigs foot spattered with hot sauce, and yes’m and no’m with the best of ‘em,.” (Pg. 109 Para). Similarly, since I am Jamaican, food remains something that holds high importance in my life due to how my family prepared, flavored, and built a food-based atmosphere. They extended the same traditions from their country of origin within the new society they were thrusted into. The impact of food and how it has factors to comfort, heal, and bring people together holds high relevance in how my self-identity was shaped regarding food.

Soul Food is the type of food when consumed it does not feed you physically, but also spiritually. These dish creations are not derived from grandma’s cookbook, but from the slaves who lived on plantations. Meals consist of more than just the stereotypical fried chicken, watermelon, and kool-aid. Other dishes may include collard greens, cornbread, blackeye peas, rice and gravy, and pot roast. Since these dishes require significant amount of time to cook, they are usually only prepared for special occasions and after church on Sundays. As an out-of-state college student, I do miss soul food cuisine, but when I return home for breaks I always ask my grandma to cook one good meal before I

After meeting her husband, LJ, Arline’s delicious cooking prompted her husband to suggest that they deliver the food to the shut-in in the community. This act was much appreciated by those who would not have received a home cook meal. Soon after her wares were well sought after. Many requested her to prepare

During the course of history, the Gullah has protected their heritage through language, food, and customs. The Africans that were enslaved bought many of their recipes, foods, and cooking styles to the low country of the Carolinas and other coastal communities. Of the many recipes, brought to America one pot dishes, proved to be very instrumental in providing nutrition to the unbalanced rations that they received from their masters. Deep-frying, rice dishes, seafood, boiling, and steaming, baking in ashes, basic and natural seasonings, and an consistent use of rice provides a distinct taste when Gullah people are cooking. “Simply speaking, Gullah food is about ancestral ties and American living, adaptability, creativity, making do, “livin’ ot da waddah and on the lan.”” (Grantt. 2005, p 145) Cooking for the Gullah yields passion and creative expression that can only come from their strong ancestral connections, making Gullah Cooking a cultural

Jenkins shares involved the things her family did when she was younger. Mama Nan, her grandmother, grew fig trees in her yard, which was near a field of berries. She would get her fruits and vegetables from the local farmers’ market in Luling. Mrs. Jenkins remembers canning figs and peaches with her mother. When Mrs. Jenkins moved to Houma, her mother would go to Dugas, the local market place, located on Division Street, to purchase her fresh fruits and vegetables. Mama would make a rustic vegetable soup with her fresh cabbage, shallots, corn, parsley, and snap beans; adding a little tomato sauce for color and some noodles for extra starch, Mama’s soup was the ultimate get well dish. Aunt Ducky made homemade pies: apple, lemon, and sweet potato; her pies made for the best of desserts. These days many fruits and vegetables are shipped internationally to our supermarkets, where we can find frozen pies and canned goods including fruits, vegetables, and even readymade soup. Though commercialization has helped save time, the quality has diminished and the title is still held in the traditional preparations. It is as if you can taste the

In the early 1930’s, Mrs. Tillery was born on a small farm located in the rural area of the Alabama town of Troy. She is now in her early eighties and a resident of Noble Manor Troy, AL. Mrs. Tillery is the wife of the late Mr. Tillery and mother of one (son). She has led an eventful life while traveling with her husband during his career, being a mother, and perfecting her relationship with Christ. Our interview session was conducted on the topics of the social, political, and technological changes that she has undergrown within the many decades of her life.

Mother Doretha Goodman was born on August 31, 1920 to Jett and Estelle Williams. At the age of 12, she and several others were baptized in a creek near Gilmerton and became a member of New Hope Baptist Church under the pastorate of Reverend Lewis H. Saunders. Being young and frolicsome, she and her childhood friends were often disciplined by the male ushers for playing, talking, and chewing gum during worship. The ushers would even take the gum from their mouths. She chuckled as she reminisced about the elaborate heating system at New Hope known as an old “pot-belly stove.”

Shortly after our visit to the Lofgren’s, I married my fiancée, which concluded my six-month long residence with my grandmother. Subsequent to my moving out, Grandma resided alone in her house for several years and on nearly every Sunday, “just in case someone might drop in after church,” made a delicious roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy. During the first years of our married life, Kathy and I frequently dropped in after church to dine and visit with my endearing

Clara Barton was born in Oxford, Massachusetts on December 25, 1821. She had 4 siblings, two brothers and two sisters. At a young age, her brother. David, got injured in an accident and became very ill. She tended to him and treated his wounds. This is said to be first calling as a nurse. She then worked as a school teacher and opened up a free public school in New Jersey. She moved to Washington D.C. to work at the U.S. Patent Office, where she was one of the first women to work. She wanted to work on the battlefield, so she began working at one of the Union hospitals. She died on April 12, 1912 at the age of 90.

Maids used to share recipes verbally, they cooked for one another, and would have home cooked meals everyday. Today people hardly ever have home cooked meals and some people do not know how to cook, like Mrs. Celia in the novel. The role and significance of food throughout the novel shows separation and the differences we have today amongst African Americans and food. In Kathryn Stockett’s novel

Women and Children who take refuge in our emergency shelter oftentimes participate in the “Cooking Therapy Group”. Through cooking, the bond of these women strengthens and they are rewarded with a sense of belonging and empowerment, despite the language barrier that exists among them. From this activity, we have come up with the idea of binding these recipes into a cookbook entitled “Recipes and Stories from Athena’s