Personal Narrative: My Food Heritage As Second-Hand Heritage

Thinking about the importance and significance of food respective to our health, ethnic culture and society can cause cavernous, profound, and even questionable thoughts such as: “Is food taken for granted?”, “Is specialty foods just a fad or a change in lifestyle?”, and even “Is food becoming the enemy.” Mark Bittman, an established food journalist, wrote an article called “Why take food seriously?” In this article, Bittman enlightens the reader with a brief history lesson of America’s appreciation of food over the past decades. This history lesson leads to where the social standing of food is today and how it is affecting not only the people of America, but also the rest of the world.

When studying food in its entirety: its classification, structure, and the way it’s utilized, it becomes obvious that food is closely tied to food-getting strategies; social, democratic, and political constitution; intimate ties of social relationships; ecological vigor and vitality; and the physical and mental wellness of an individual and group. Besides water, food is the most fundamental element of life that we need for our species to survive and thrive; everybody has an appetite for food. Food is a cultural artifact that is central to human life, identity, and bonds we share with our communities. As an artifact, food plays a significant and meaningful role in our everyday connections with “nature through culture,” that translates

  My immediate family built the basis for my knowledge of food with the atmosphere they created by gathering different descendants of my family to indulge on the cuisine of our cultural

Paula J. Johnson, a curator at the National Museum of American History, says that foods such as wasabi, Sriracha, and hummus would have been considered “foreign foods” 50 years ago, but today they are common, everyday staples for many people across America. Ramanathan briefly states before this that the only constant in American foods is global influence and then goes on to say that it’s not uncommon in modern times for people to eat, for example, Thai food for lunch and then Italian for dinner. She writes that America has people from all backgrounds, cultures, and countries and their influences are present everywhere, especially the food. In America today, there are so many influences on our foods that using the term ethnic to describe them makes it sound foreign when the food is something people eat every

Tradition has been said to mirror a way of life. Observation has concluded that participants in tradition “actively construct as well as reflect culture and community” (Sacks 275). For most people in the 21st century, tradition only reveals itself during special times or certain seasons. For others it is simply a way of life. The foodways of Mexicans and Native Americans are of particular interest in this study because of the food that grew from necessity and is maintained as sacred or reserved for only special occasions. The tamale is one such food. Significantly changed and altered throughout history it has remained a

My earliest memory of food is lentils and rice cooked in a pressure cooker. Lentils were cooked at least three days a week. Other days we had different vegetable curries, curd and more rice. This was what I took to school as my lunch every day. As I grew older and started caring more about my social life and people around me, I started noticing what my classmates brought for lunch from their homes. I started understanding how food reflected different cultures and communities. One day, in our

My grandmother Lynne Murphy is who I chose to interview for my heritage project. This summer at a family birthday party I was speaking short phrases in Spanish while joking around with my dad. My grandmother, sitting beside us, joined in the conversation and starting speaking fluent Spanish. I had no idea she could speak Spanish, so I asked her, “How can you speak Spanish?” Before answering my question she laughed. She went on to tell me that she lived in South America for many years as a teenager. I didn’t have the chance to learn anymore about her childhood until this project was assigned. When I learned we were to focus on a family member’s experience growing up, I immediately thought about my grandmother and the interesting life she seemed

The Mexican culture is typically characterized for being colorful and flamboyant, and I believe that Mexican food allows us to find a way back to our roots. I was reminded of the vital role food plays into every culture after analyzing “The Secret Latina” by Veronica Chambers. Chambers states “Because of my mother, we ate Panamanian food, listened to salsa and heard Spanish at home.” (Chambers pg 1) Just like Chambers I to would come home to a Spanish-speaking mother who cooked spicy Mexican food and played Mexican folk music. I believe that like, in Chambers case my mother also ensured that my Latin identity remain intact despite Americanization.

While debating the food cultures I wanted to compare for this project, I reflected on my childhood and the various types of food and how they were prepared. The personal food culture that I selected is southern food, also known as “Soul Food” in the South. I chose this specific culture of food because I can make a connection to it. I grew up in a small town in Mississippi and most Sundays, my family would drive to my grandmother’s house. Our meals consisted of foods such as like fried chicken, country fried steak, cornbread, black eyes peas, butter beans, and mashed potatoes. An important tradition growing up in my family was fellowship and sharing our meals together. We also have a family reunion each year. These traditions influenced my

David Rosengarten writes articles about food, wine, travel, and restaurants for multiple publications. In his article “We Are What We Eat: We Are a Nation of Immigrants!” Rosengarten informs readers about the history of what American food is and how it was conceived. Several influences have affected the way cuisine has developed in the United States. Native Americans, slaves from Africa, and Chinese and Italian immigrants have contributed to the development of foods that are commonly eaten in America today.

Regarding my family heritage, a large part of my food identity is Polish food. My great grandparents on my dad’s side immigrated from Poland in the early 1900s. When they came to the United States, they

Food and cultural appropriation: a topic that has sparked many controversies in recent years. Food and cultural appropriation is the act of taking a part of another culture other than your own and using it for your own profit. Two recent articles discuss this issue and provide different insight to how we should be handling the problem regarding food appropriation. Food editor of Uproxx.com, Steve Bramucci, with the help of three other food writers discuss a main controversy in the food world and how common food appropriation is in the article "Examining The 'Kooks Burrito' Uproar & The Fight Over Food Appropriation." A popular Portland business, Kooks Burritos, started talk about food appropriation when the owners appeared to discredit the

This paper will discuss the multifaceted relationships among food, and culture. I will be looking at the relationships people have with food, and explore how this relationship reveals information about them. Their food choices of individuals and groups, can reveal their ideals, likes and dislikes. Food choices tell the stories of where people have travelled and who they have met along the way.

Although I m not Japanese, I have lived in Japan for several years. I have to admit, I fell in love with Japanese cuisine. The taste and the aroma fascinates me and I can not help going back to Japanese restaurants every now and then. More than anything, I love rice!

Globalization has played a pivotal role in determining the food that we consume on a daily basis. The typical American meal has drastically changed over the years as a result of new foods being introduced through globalization. Changes over time often go unnoticed, considering we usually do not take the time to analyze the changes that have taken place. After conducting an interview with my parents, however, I was able to see how much the eating habits in our daily lives have changed over the years. With a whole new array of foods becoming available to us through globalization, the food we eat is different than what it was years ago. At the same time, however, some foods have remained part of my family’s eating habits for many years. The prevalence of certain foods is linked to the different aspects of my life that were the same in my grandparents’ and parents’ lives too, like religion and socio-economic class.