Personal Narrative: Two Lines Of Heritage

Food can partially shape a person's cultural identity. Geeta Kothari explores the cultural nuances between American and Indian food in the essay, “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” She expresses this through the symbolism of food, growing up and living between two different cultures. Kothari begins her story as a nine-year-old child curiously wanting to eat the same foods as American children: tuna salad sandwiches and hot dogs. She does not have the guidance from her mother regarding American food and culture. Kothari’s mom curbs the curiosity by reluctantly letting her daughter indulge in a can of tuna fish. Kothari describes the open can of tuna fish as “pink and shiny, like an internal organ” and she wondered if it was botulism (947). The way

Moreover, immigrant communities often establish their own restaurants, markets, and food festivals, which serve as hubs for preserving and sharing their culinary heritage. These establishments not only provide a taste of home for immigrants, but also offer opportunities for locals to explore and appreciate diverse cuisines. As a result, culinary diversity becomes a celebrated aspect of cultural identity, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation Additionally, the influence of immigrant cuisines extends beyond restaurants and markets to

Andrew Meyer was an undergraduate from University of Florida. He was a journalism major who's world was completely flipped in one day. On September 17, 2009 Andrew Meyer was tased during a constitution day for him held by senator John Kerry. Along with many others Meyer was one of the few students selected to speak to Kerry about anything he may have wanted to know. Meyer asked a series of questions regarding the 2004 election, the possible impeachment of George W. Bush, and the invasion on Iran. John Kerry and a majority of of the people who were in the assembly during this the Time didn't quite agree with Meyer point of view. This is where things escalated . Within 2 minutes of being at the microphone Meyer was asked to step down

In The Culinary Seasons of my Childhood, Jessica B. Harris- the author- attempts to help readers understand the relationship between food and identity. Harris gave a detailed, but relevant, description of how how food portrayed different cultures in her life and how it taught her many lessons about her family history and who she is; she also described how food brings people together as one and creates a connection that nothing else can. The author helps readers initially understand her ideas by showing examples of how food, even in the same culture, can reflect different social classes.“ Even though chitterlings might be on the menu, they could equally likely be accompanied by a mason jar of corn liquor or a crystal goblet of champagne”( Harris

The American desire to culturally assimilate Native American people into establishing American customs went down in history during the 1700s. Famous author Zitkala-Sa, tells her brave experience of Americanization as a child through a series of stories in “Impressions of an Indian Childhood.” Zitkala-Sa, described her journey into an American missionary where they cleansed her of her identity. In “Impressions of an Indian Childhood,” Zitkala-Sa uses imagery in order to convey the cruel nature of early American cultural transformation among Indian individuals.

By the time I turned thirteen, my mom wanted to move to America so that I could receive a better education, more open doors, and a better profession. Many people don’t understand that moving to a new place is difficult and very frustrating especially if you are not excited about moving to a new place .When you go to a new place, you frequently enter a culture that is not the same as the one you exited. Once in a while, your way of life and the new culture are comparative. Different times, they can be altogether different, and even conflicting. My first year in America was one of the toughest events in my entire life because I don’t have any knowledge of American “CULTURE’. The very big thing that I found uncommon is the way we eat and the things

In “Stop thinking and just eat: when ‘food adventuring’ trivializes cultures” (2015), Ashlie Stevens, a food and culture journalist discussed the beginning of ethnic food and its growth as viral food trends, causing it to be culturally appropriated by people today. In “Why everyone should stop calling immigrant food ‘ethnic’” (2015), Lavanya Ramanathan shared typical stereotypes of ethnic food perceived by America which have induced food culture appropriation. The lifestyle feature reporter further added insights on the birth and future of immigrant cuisines in America. Both articles took evidently strong interest in shining light on cultural appropriation of authentic food. However, the articles differed in their emphasis.

In “ How I Discovered my American Identity”, when Campbell joined a diverse graduate program at Duke University and started to share activities with foreign students’ friends, he found out that some disliked their government or frustrated about the educational system of their country but they share common – the national and cultural pride, a genuine love for their culture . Campbell too, from his small daily activities such as cooking hamburger, sharing stories about March madness Basketball, we was enjoying his culture. He quickly discovered his true American identity-his personality, how loud, flashy and friendly he was. For me my cultural identity as a Filipino American is a lavish style of simple gatherings- we prepare a lot of food.

We make assumptions of people based on where they live, what they eat, where they grew up and what occupation they have. Instead of forcing integration on people, personal interaction with cultural diversity could be more effective, which is illustrated by author Jessica Harris. In The Culinary Season of My Childhood, Harris describes her experiences in learning cultural diversity through food. She states, “…and these seasons of my personal and yet very New York childhood gave me the foods of the world on my plate,” (119) Her article discusses the different cuisines that played important parts in her childhood as well as developing her understanding of diversity.

A person has always been able to choose to what extent their cultural experiences affect their perspective. Amy Tan’s, “Two Kinds,” Bharati Mukherjee’s, “Two Ways to Belong in America,” and Robert Lake’s, “An Indian Father’s Plea,” all show how the main characters have chosen to let their experiences have an effect on their cultural identity. A person’s cultural experiences shape perception based on their own identifications and they may chose to assimilate to different cultures.

Being able to do this, brought me the feeling of joy of unity with my friends. It has become a tradition for my friends and I to bring authentic foods of our culture to share with the table. It is a joy to see their reactions of the pleasure to taste the new substances. I’ve had the opportunity to engage myself in intercultural pursuits as the Vice-President of SHS in order to influence underclassmen to continuing growing to be proud with where they came from; and for the seniors to carry on their culture to college, with the acknowledgment of being

I feel comfortable talking about my favorite ethnic foods such as fish ‘n chips just about anywhere. Although the diverse ethnic diets of the American people do not always reflect my own, I, as well as others must be accepting of different ethnic diets. The acceptance and acknowledgement of different and diverse diets shaped by ethnic culture enables me to be comfortable talking about and eating my own distinctive foods, regardless of where I

I have always been aware of who I am as an individual. Living in America but being born into a Latin household means that I’ve assimilated to American customs but I’ve also strengthened my Latin roots. One of the most significant ways I’ve managed to maintain my Latin identity is simply by cooking and eating Mexican dishes at home. Mexican food is different from American food, because it’s distinct and zesty flavor serves as a reminder of my exotic identity. It’s my mother’s cooking that constantly reminds me that despite living in America I am still a proud Latino, and I will always be one.

Every single individual on this planet has their own distinctive identity and culture. Our culture helps us identify who we are and where we come from. In today’s world, it appears that cultural diffusion has become a normal part of everyone’s life as cultural trends, beliefs and customs spread quickly from one culture to another. In his poem, “Coca-Cola and Coco Frio,” Martin Espada provides his readers with a great example of cultural diffusion that a boy encounters when he visits his native country, Puerto Rico. The “fat boy” mentioned in the poem is none other than Martin Espada himself (3). By sharing his childhood experience in Puerto Rico, Espada tries to prove that acceptance of other cultures can have a negative impact as people incline to neglect their own cultural values and begin to bear a resemblance to other countries.

Chapter three, cooking up roots: Jade Snow Wong 's attempt at self definition, focuses on the outcome of the discussion of the first two chapters, the hyphenated identity that formed in the kitchen of immigrants. It investigates the role of food in shaping immigrants ' new identities. Jade Snow Wong explains in Fifth Chinese Daughter, that her father, as a former immigrant, believes that seeking out and collecting food stories, recipes, promoting cooking at their home and establishing strong ties with their community allow children and community members alike to engage with their history and culture and preserve it for future generations.