My Grandmother And My Grandfather

One such tradition is not socializing with neighbors but only talking to her sisters or other family members. Both of my great-grandparents came from a large family and so the Sunday was always considered family day. It was nothing to see a yard off of kids playing or see the men playing a game of horseshoes as the women would set out the dinner. However, it was the winter time that holds the most memories for my mother. It was then that the families would all gather at the family pond and go ice skating and the men would build a big fire and everyone would stand around and drink hot chocolate. One such tradition in the winter time was right after the first snow fall of the season. We would take a big mixing bowl and go out and fill that bowl as full as we could. Then she would go in and make a big bowl of snow ice cream (Food in Every County). One bright sunny day, our family was going to Lake Pomme De Terre for a family picnic. Like Shteyngart, I was all set for some grilled hamburgers or hot dogs or even some fried chicken. However, that was not meant to be. Like Shteyngart, is aw food being set out that was I saw food that was familiar to my great-grandmother’s culture. Instead of grilling hamburgers, she set out chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans and for dessert a shoofly pie, sugar cookies, and schnitz pie, which is made with dried apples (Food in Every County). My mother laughed when she saw my face because later my

Furthermore, similarly to the author's grandmother food is something that is extremely important to my grandmother as well. Whenever we have a family gathering

My maternal grandparents are JC Williams and Clara Goree and they were both born in 1910 and born and raised Sprotts (Marion), Alabama. My grandparents lived in segregated AL; JC ethnicity was black, southern Baptist, farmer, and Clara was combination of black and American Indian, homemaker, and farmer. Clara and JC wedded in 1926 and had their first child (Bobbie) shortly afterward. Subsequently, this union birth a total thirteen children and my mother (Mary) was number 11 of 13. The children worked well together to ensure their basic needs were met; however, once they became of age, the children all left to start their own careers and families.

The best place to begin the discussion regarding the family meal and how it has changed is to discuss where the idea of dinner originated. A fairly new concept, dinner came about roughly 150 years ago. While many people consider family mealtime to be a “natural phenomenon; it is a social construction.” (Carroll, xvi) During colonial times the family functioned as one unit, with everyone in the family having a

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

Many of my friends had sit down dinners at their kitchen tables with their families every single night. It’s such a lovely thing really, if you think about it. Having a half hour of everyday where you are surrounded and comforted by the safety of your own home, face to face with those you love, and who love you back. So many people forget how important this is, and it is taken for granted more than it should be. While I often missed these precious moments with my family, I always made sure to be there for the two (sometimes three) nights a week that I could be.

Every family has their own unique way of spending time together with loved ones only seen during the holidays. In the Stock home, there is only one thing we enjoy doing. Sure, like every other family we have our grand and elaborate dinner, which is composed of all the greatest delicacies my mother and grandmother can whip up. Of course, as is expected,

An example of commensality which the majority of people experience first happens within the household among immediate family. Sitting around one table at dinner time as a family became a societal norm during the 1800s. Since then everyday commensality among families has continued to be portrayed as an ideology, especially through the media (Lupton 1996). Such implication influences the attitudes of those in society. This is reflected in a study conducted in Scotland. Findings were that there was a general agreement in that a good meal was prepared by parents, served to children and eaten together around one table (Blaxter M & Paterson E 1983). Although family commensality may be enacted as an obligation to fulfil society’s expectations, its experiencers still have much to gain from it. The effects in which these gains have on a person’s life means that family commensality is a happening of great significance.

Just like Mama and Maggie, my family and I understand how important it is to maintain our ancestors’ way of life. Being of an old southern family, I have many morals and traditions that have been instilled in my brain. One large example of this is my religion. My grandmother grew up in church, my mother grew up in church, and I grew up in church. All though I do not go as much as my grandmother did when she was my age, I still know my core beliefs. Another value important to my great-grandmother is that everyone should wear an undershirt through the winter. I can still remember begging to take it off when I was little, and my mother would say, “Your Mawmaw Dot says you have to.” Although I didn’t like it, I am sure that I will insist that my children do the same. It might seem minuscule, but cooking is another value that my family continues to observe today. My grandmother even uses the same utensils as her grandmother once did. Using special recipes and canning are things that generations to come will continue to follow. Holiday and birthday parties are my favorite tradition of all. Before my cousins and I were born, every event was held at my great grandparents’ home. My great grandmother lived for parties. She even had ceramic name tags for all the family members that she would use to place everyone at the table for dinner. The entire family would come together for every holiday and birthday. Once my generation came along, the parties moved to my aunts’ home, where they continue to this day. I love having such a tight knit family, and I contribute this to our large gatherings at least twice a month. Continuing with family traditions, like Mama and Maggie in Everyday Use, is one of the best ways to be reminded of my

First we will examine family values and how it has changed over generations. There was a time in past generations where on Sunday after Church, families gathered at one location to appreciate a large home cooked meal together. During this special family gathering, the women conversed while preparing

The ways of the past are becoming more and more obsolete as the years go by, because our society is rewriting how we should live our lives on a daily basis. With this world constantly changing we have shattered our socialization for the worst when nit comes to communication with other people on a daily basis. Mealtimes have become scares, because everyone wants to do their own thing, get done quick for the day light is fleeting fast, and most importantly no one has anything to talk about when they come home. According to Elinor and Shohet in their article "The Cultural Structuring Of Mealtime Socialization” expresses the issue of mealtime socializing. They state the mealtimes are more of a tradition passed down from generation to generation and then becomes a symbol with in a home. (Elinor and Shohet, 36) With them implying that parents actually have to take effort in passing this tradition down to their children and so forth has become a dying art form, because of the lack of parenting and teaching. According to Mona and Benga their article "The Relationship Between Cultural Model, Socialization Goals And Parental Ethnotheories: A Mixed Method Study” Brings up a lot of good points about how children learn from their parents. There are three main key factors that help out with these socialization issues passed on to each generation. They are, Parental Cultural Models,

Eating brings people closer together everyday, and for everyone, there are important memories that have been created because of food. Whether it’s a formal dinner, or an informal picnic, there will always be special bonds between people because food was involved. We need to have traditions with food because they form and strengthen the bonds between us.

When you think about your family when you were growing up do you remember being together at mealtime or going off doing your own thing? Where these experiences you would like to carry onto your family or change them. As the years pass we as a society become busier and busier with work obligations, our and our children’s extra curricular activities and trying to keep with the everyday things that need to be done. Sometimes it feels as if there is not enough time to cook a meal and sit down together, or is this something that we have just become accustom to saying? It has also been mentioned that eating out or getting take out saves time and money, but even then are we getting the quality time we need with our families? Does it benefit our families to skip this quality time together?

In my family, when we eat at the dinner table, we talk about our day and build better bonds through our interactions. My mother cooks the meal, my sisters and I set up the table with utensils and place mats and my father is ready to eat. We all sit at the table, no technology, elbows off the table and we give grace. While we eat, we talk about our day or anything exciting has happened and we argue and laugh with each other.

Some of my earliest memories with my family take place around a dinner table. Back then, I sat in a booster seat, because the table towered over me like a skyscraper. One night, as I picked through my vegetables in hopes of identifying anything unworthy of eating, I couldn’t help but get distracted by my parents’ voices as they discussed adult things. For me, dinnertime was the part of the day that I spent scrutinizing every piece of food on my plate. For my parents, however, it was so much more; every night, they would sift through the details of their days, discussing and debating every topic in the world. I watched as they listened to each other intently, accepted each other’s ideas, and grew closer together. I desperately tried to understand their