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Sow What

Week 4 – You Are What You Eat

This week we’re going to think about some of the local foods in our area and discuss the food traditions in our families, communities and religion. We’re also going to talk about our relationships with food.

Choose one area to write about and then comment on things that have been written in three other areas.

  • Foods from your culture: Does your family enjoy tacos, beans and rice and other foods influenced by our proximity or closeness to Mexico? Do you think that the fact that beans and corn grow well in this climate influenced the choices of foods that were eaten in this area? Have you ever heard your parents talking about “foods Grandma used to make” or “foods they remember from ‘The Old Country’? Go on the discussion board and contribute to the discussion about how our culture and country of origin influences what foods we like to eat. What are the foods that you love from your family’s culture? Why are they special to you? 
  • Foods from your community: Think about the foods that are important in our local community. Are there any lemons, oranges or other fruit trees growing in your yard? Do you know that Chula Vista was full of farm fields and vegetable and fruit packing houses 70 years ago? Does your family grow any food in the backyard? Go to the discussion board and share an experience of growing food or eating food at a local festival. Do you think things taste better if you grow them yourself? What is the benefit to growing and eating food that you’ve grown yourself?
  • Food traditions in your family: Do you celebrate your birthday with a cake?  Do you have pizza or fish every Friday or pot roast on Sunday? Many families used to have a traditional food to eat on a particular day of the week. Are there special foods like tamales or cookies that your family makes during the holidays? Does your family insist that you “clean your plate” or that you “try a little of everything that you’ve been served”? Go on the discussion board and talk about a family tradition surrounding particular foods or meals. Do these foods bring back happy memories? Thinking about them now, what feelings and thoughts come to mind?
  • Food as reward or punishment: When you get an A on a paper does your family go out for dinner or celebrate with an ice cream cone? When you got a shot at the doctor’s office or skinned your knee did you ever get a lollipop or other treat? Did you ever get punished by going without dinner or dessert?  Go on the discussion board and share a memory of when food was used as a reward or punishment. Do you think that using food as a reward is a good thing? Why or why not?
  • Honor Thy Food Giving thanks to God for food is as old as history and may have been part of your experience at camp or around your table at family meals. Read pages 36-39 in Sow What. Go on the discussion board and contribute to the conversation. Are there foods that are part of your family’s practice of religion? Do you practice any rituals like prayer before meals? Is sharing bread and wine part of the practice of communion at your church? In what way is food a spiritual experience for you? How could you make a meal more meaningful? Would that be a good thing for your family?
  • Good Foods/Bad Foods. Foods aren’t actually good or bad but if a food is full of sugar or fat we sometimes say it’s a bad food or bad for our health. Do you think of yourself as good or bad when you eat different foods? Go on the discussion board and share your feelings about food and dieting. Does dieting sometimes warp our feelings about food as nourishment and make it unrealistically desirable? Do you have cravings for foods? Do you have an unhealthy relationship with food? Do you use food to control yourself or people around you? Talk about how food can make you feel.
  • Food Values Some of the things we’re learning about on this journey involve values. Issues like fair trade, slow food, sustainability. We’re learning to appreciate locally grown foods and the people who grow them. We’re becoming mindful of the number of miles that our food has traveled and thinking about how food and packaging impact the environment. Go to the discussion board and write about how you could make a difference by changing your values and educating and inspiring others to improve the food network.

80 replies on “Week 4 – You Are What You Eat”

Around Christmastime, in my family, we enjoy many different foods from my culture. I have found a sense of comfort in these foods as I eat them every Christmas. One of my favorites is, borscht which is a beet soup, and babka which is a sweet bread. We use an old family recipe that goes back to the 19th century when my family still lived in Ukraine. Not only does it taste very good, but it also reminds me of my culture and where I come from.

In my family, it’s tradition that every Thanksgiving my grandma makes rice pilaf and yams with marshmallows. My cousins and I always help her put the mini marshmallows on the top before they go in the oven. At any family get together or special event she always makes her rice pilaf which everyone enjoys! Another food tradition we celebrate is getting a cake from Paris Baguette for birthdays. We also like to go into the city every now and then to go to a butcher shop that my great grandparents used to own to buy sausages. The last tradition we do is cook a whole chicken including the head and feet and eat it for Chinese New Years. The chicken represents wholeness and luck which is why we eat it.

On a cold day, my family likes to enjoy a bowl of pho. Pho is like a flavorful noodle soup made with a rich broth that simmers for hours with spices like star anise, cloves, and cinnamon. We often add thin slices of beef or chicken, fresh herbs like cilantro and basil, bean sprouts, and a squeeze of lime, making it both comforting and refreshing. This dish is special because it represents a tradition of patience and care in cooking, as well as the communal aspect of eating, with everyone adding their own toppings and enjoying it together.

On a cold day, my family likes to enjoy a bowl of pho. Pho is like a flavorful noodle soup made with a rich broth that simmers for hours with spices like star anise, cloves, and cinnamon. We often add thin slices of beef or chicken, fresh herbs like cilantro and basil, bean sprouts, and a squeeze of lime, making it both comforting and refreshing. This dish is special because it represents a tradition of patience and care in cooking, as well as the communal aspect of eating, with everyone adding their own toppings and enjoying it together.

Foods from my culture:
I believe that our culture and country of origin heavily influences what foods we like to eat. Personally, my mom and dad come from different countries, America and Egypt, respectively. Because of this, I have been exposed to so many different types of food and food-related traditions. On my mom’s side, there are several of my Grandma’s recipes that we commonly make like her peanut sauce noodle dish. Along with this, on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas there are specific food traditions that we maintain each year like turkey, my grandma’s stuffing, corn bread pudding, and more. I have also been immersed in many Egyptian foods, as my grandma cooks for us frequently. Some of my favorite dishes of hers are her koshary and kofta. In Egyptian culture, people commonly eat fava beans with pita bread for breakfast, which is a dish that my dad makes at least a few mornings a week. Through my diverse heritage, I have learned so much about the importance of food to culture and how it can influence one’s taste.

Food Traditions with my family:

Every birthday, I always ask my Grandma to make her amazing ice cream cake with a Nilla wafer crust. My Mom from time to time has Tacos and burritos on Tuesday and cooks meat on the weekends for dinner. My Grandma and I spend hours in the kitchen during Thanksgiving and Christmas making Italian cookies like pezels and Molasses ones. My Family always encouraged me to try everything and they didn’t mind if my plate was clean or not, they only want me to be full from my meal, without overeating. My Grandma always makes the best ravioli around Christmas time and it brings back a ton of happy memories. When I think about them now, I get excited because I know that Christmas time is around the corner and I get to eat them again in a matter of months

Family Traditions- Every Thanksgiving, my nonna makes her famous meatball soup for our family. Along with the traditional soup, our family has a contest of who can guess how many meatballs it took to make the soup. This food tradition brings excitement each Thanksgiving. Every year on Thanksgiving, this tradition is what majority of people in my family looks forward to. This tradition is not only filled with amazing food and soup, it’s filled with happiness and excitement from my family members. Some people in my family aren’t a fan of the soup but still get excited for the guessing game and who wins. Each year the room fills up with anticipation and eager little kids and adults to figure out how many meatballs were in the delicious soup. Without this tradition, our families Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same.

I am half African American and half Guyanese. Guyana is a South American Country that uses seasonings and spices from Africa, Caribbean, South America. Guyanese culture combines African, Indian, Creole, dutch, and Chinese. Traditional meals include Pepper Pot, Plantains, Salt Fish, Peas & Rice, Okra and Shrimp.

Food is definitely used as a reward. My Guyanese Grandmother cooks and feeds us to show love, so overeating and being overweight is something that many of my family members struggle with. My family says a prayer before we eat especially when we have big family dinners.

Foods from your community:
It is very common in my community to grow food and shop locally. In my yard, my family grows oranges, lemons, plums, and annual vegetables. Some of my closest friends grow peaches, strawberries, and other fruits as well as raise chickens for their eggs. We give away our fruits and veggies to friends throughout spring and summer and receive new foods from their gardens in return. These foods from our gardens taste so much better than fruits and veggies from the store. The benefit of growing your own food is that it comes fresh, costs little, and in my opinion makes a wonderful hobby.

I feel like it so rewarding to share home grown foods to families and friends because it benefits not just our community but our environment. I think it’s also so special to share something that you grew yourself with others

I feel like it so rewarding to share home grown foods to families and friends because it benefits not just our community but our environment. I think it’s also so special to share something that you grew yourself with others

Foods from my culture:
I live in the south, lots of flavorful and spicy foods. We love gumbo, jambalaya and seafood. We love cajun seasoning and spicy crawfish. Our family frequently eats food from our culture, they may not always be healthy but are delicious. When we travel, southern foods never taste as good as we make them at home.

It is crazy that you might never know how much better food can taste when it is authentic and made in its location and culture of origin! My family hosted an exchange student from Japan who told us that the Japanese restaurants here (which I find completely delicious) could hardly compare to food from his country.

Food from your culture:
My parents are both immigrants from India who moved to California after they got married, and therefore, Indian culture is a big part of who I am today. Most days for dinner we eat a traditional Indian meal, which has daal (lentil soup), roti (flatbread), and sabzi (vegetable stir fry). Eating foods from my culture helps to connect me to my heritage, as I am pretty much eating the same foods that my relatives in India are.
One of the things I can think of that impacts the cuisine in India is the fact that many spices are grown in India and are native there. That means that Indians include a lot of spices in their cooking, since that is what is available there.
Another way that food helps me connect to my culture is simply by connecting me to the people around me. Since I live in an area with a big Indian diaspora, food is a way to connect me to other people in my local community.
Some of my favorite foods from my culture are chaat, which is a type of snack popular in India that usually involves something fried, some potatoes, lots of spices and chutneys, and some yogurt. This is my favorite because of how flavorful it is, as I am a big fan of spicy food.

Foods from my culture:
My grandfather on my dad’s side immigrated from Austria during the start of the second world war. Multiple times a year my dad will make homemade spaetzle, and we’ll pair it with different foods such as traditional sausages or cabbage. I always feel very connected to my culture when we have this dish, as it reminds me where my family is from and even though they’ve struggled and had to come to America, I can still have that culture within me even just as a part of the food I eat.

Foods from my culture:
I am 14 years old and my family celebrates and follows Jewish traditions. Every Friday we have a Shabbat dinner. While there are not specific foods we have to eat, we do always eat Challah bread that we make together with my mom every week. I love the tradition of making something together. During other holidays throughout the year we do have specific foods we eat. For example on Rosh Hashanah we eat apples and honey to signify the sweet new year. During Passover we do not eat bread other than matzoh. We do make interesting foods with that such as matzoh ball soup, fried matzoh with eggs. We do not eat bread that has risen during this time period to honor the Israelites who crossed the dessert to earn freedom.

Good food/ bad food:
I used to have a very unhealthy relationship with food, thinking I couldn’t eat certain foods because they were “bad” or not eating enough. At that time, I never had energy and was always in a bad mood. Since then, I have learned that food is fuel for my body. I need to eat what makes me feel good so that I have a lot of energy to play sports and do my school work. Now, I try to avoid highly processed foods because I notice that they make me feel sluggish and tired. On the other hand, foods with a lot of protein and nutrients make me feel awake and energetic. I still eat food like ice cream and other sweets in moderation just because it tastes good. It is important to nourish the body and the soul. However, I don’t eat greasy food like chips often because I don’t enjoy the taste very much and I don’t like the way it makes me feel.

(Trigger Warning: ED)I had a similar experience in my early teenage years. I found myself being friends with people that encouraged ED, and even after finding myself again and meeting my best friends, I really struggled with anorexia, and couldn’t find it in me to eat on most days. I remember the first time I had something to eat after a couple weeks very distinctly. After sharing my struggles and how hungry I was, they sat me down at the dinner table, and put one scoop of mini chocolate chip ice cream in a big white bowl. They sat on either side of me, encouraging me, wiping my tears, and helping me eat the ice cream, bite after bite. Fast forward a year, my relationship with food has never been better. I learned about the importance of balance, and have 3 meals a day. Whenever I find myself struggling again, or think about restricting, I know that everything will be okay, and I have people who will never leave my side.

With different foods, I have many different thoughts. On one hand, when I eat a vegetable, such as brussel sprouts, I feel very healthy. On the other hand, when I eat sweets, such as candy, I feel unhealthy, and I tell myself that I need to eat something healthy later. In my life, I see food as an opportunity to free myself from other obligations and as a way to relax. Whether it be lunch or dinner, I enjoy taking my time while eating, so that I don’t have to think about the work that I have to do later. Ever since school has started up again, food has been my escape from my homework and a way to destress after a long day. Still, food can still be stressful at times. Looking at other people’s lunch during the day can sometimes make me wonder if I eat too much, especially if they only eat something small or take a bite of their food and throw the rest away. Watching others sometimes makes me wonder if I should go on a diet, specifically one of cutting down my calories. I have attempted dieting, but it never works out in the end. At the beginning, I try to eat as little as possible, and I try to skip meals. At the end of the day though, I would end up giving up and eat twice my normal serving for dinner. The reason I “diet” is to lose weight, but as I have gotten older I have realized that my weight is not of importance as long as I am healthy and the food I’m eating doesn’t contain too much sugar. I do have cravings for food, especially for sweets such as chocolate and other types of candy, but I try to avoid those cravings by drinking some water or juice. My relationship with food used to be unhealthy, since I used to see all food as extra calories, but now my relationship with food is healthy again and I have a better balance of foods that I eat. Sometimes I do use food as a way to control myself. I control myself by using food as a reward for studying. For example, I use food as a reward by telling myself that I can eat a Hi-Chew if I memorize half of my Spanish vocabulary. In the end, food is very important, and I believe that having a good relationship with food results in an overall better life.

Good Foods/Bad Foods: I don’t usually think when I’m eating. Although sometimes I will make conscious decisions about what I eat and don’t eat. For example, if I’ve eaten out a lot one week, or if I just had lunch and someone offers me a fry, I will try my best to say no, or just wait a little longer. Sometimes I find it difficult to control how much I eat, but for the most part I think I have a healthy relationship with food. I think the most important part in a diet is not what you are supposed to eat, but instead how much you eat of everything. Balance is key to everything in life. I think eating a cookie every once in a while is just as important as eating vegetables, because the more you try to refrain from eating things the more you’re going to want them. Usually food makes me feel better until I eat too much of it.

I agree with what you said about balance, and about how sometimes eating a cookie can be just as important as eating vegetables. I remember reading this article once that said instead of restricting certain foods from our diet, if we are craving a cookie, we should think about what we can add to that, instead of what we can remove. She gave the example of crumbling the cookie over some yogurt, so that you were still able to eat the cookie, but also getting some nutrients from the yogurt. I think that is a good example of both having a balanced diet, but also not restricting foods and considering them “good” or “bad”.

I was four years old when I immigrated to America, leaving my hometown in China. But, the foods of my culture have stuck by me since I was born! I want to focus on this one particular dish, zong zi! I remember me and my mom picking bamboo to make bamboo filling in our zongzi. What is zongzi? Essentially, it is a Chinese dish where you scoop rice and filling and wrap it with bamboo leaf. After boiling, it is gluttonous and delicious! We eat these year round, and they last a long time in the freezer!

This reminds me of one of my family traditions, where we pound rice to make mochi and fill it with red beans. Its very delicious and said to bring good luck.

I think its interesting how in different cultures, food can be associated with different emotions or events. For example, my mom recently told me about an indian tradition where when you buy a new pot or cooking dish, the first thing you make in it is a sweet dish, and then you share it with everyone in your family. This is done with the idea that everything cooked in that vessel afterwards will taste good and not be burnt.

In my home we have many traditions when it comes to foods such as pie on July 4th and Turkey on Thanksgiving, but to go more into depth my family has daily traditions as well. The morning always starts with a cup of tea and lemon, after that we eat something balanced for breakfast with lots of healthy fats and veggie/carbs to fuel our day. When I come home from school I always have a piece of chocolate and some sort of berry. All of these little minute traditions change the way I function during the day and will be food habits that I pass down to my children when I’m older. I am thankful for having these traditions built into my family and everyday life for they fuel me and make me a happier person.

The idea of daily traditions is interesting, and it reminded me of some I have in my family. The main one in my family revolves around tea, as my dad drinks chai twice every day, once in the morning with breakfast, and once around 5:00 p.m. with some snacks. This is a tradition that is common with many Indian families, so even when we go to some friends’ houses in the evening, they also serve the evening chai.

The most important food traditions to me are the small ones that maybe nobody else might notice. Every Christmas morning I eat a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch cereal, and every time we visit my grandparents we play dominos and eat at our favorite pizza restaurant. Of course, commonly celebrated traditions like those associated with holidays and cultural traditions are incredibly meaningful and important as well, but in my mind, what defines my family better are these little customs.

I can make a difference by changing my values to be more eco-friendly and sustainable. Specifically, becoming more environmentally conscious about the products I buy to minimize my footprint. I hope to also change others’ minds, by ensuring that people value their food, and realize that their footprint has an impact. Additionally, I’d also encourage them to look into the supply chain of where the ingredients of what they eat come from. For instance, were the eggs from a free-range farm? Or does the chocolate come from unethical labor? I’d begin by asking simple questions like that, to get other people thinking about the impact they have.

Some of those things I have not thought about. When I think about making a difference in food sustainability, I would imagine myself pledging to support locally sourced markets and grocery stores as much as I can. One day I would like to challenge myself to buy all of my groceries from the local farmers market. While It wouldn’t last forever, and there are lots of things I would need to buy elsewhere, this would be a fun experience.

I will be talking about the foods from my culture. My mom is Filipino, and we often eat at my aunt’s house. My aunts and uncles make a variety of Filipino food. My favorite is Lumpia and Pansit. Eating together on random weekends and holidays is very important to our family. We get to celebrate, catch up, and eat delicious foods. On my dad’s side, there is a famous ‘dumpling soup’ that my grandma makes whenever we visit her in Minnesota. She has taught me how to make it. I love her soup because I experienced the warmth it brought to my dad and his siblings when they were little. I feel connected to my grandma when cooking and baking her recipes/favorite foods.

The food tradition that my family always does is on Christmas. We are Italian so we do a pasta dish and as well fish or shellfish as our take on the feast of the seven fishes.

One tradition with food that my family always participates in is always celebrating my birthday with cake and pizza. No matter what happens we always have the same food. We also take the cake and feed it to each other along with smearing the frosting of the cake on whoever’s birthday it is. This is a tradition that I and my family always try to participate in.

My family and I actually have a weekly schedule for what we eat most days. On Monday, we have mom’s pick Monday, where my mom gets to pick the dinner we eat. This makes it easier for her or if we want a fun day we just use this day. On Tuesday, we have taco Tuesday, where we set out a taco setup line all over our counters and then we always make a huge mess! On Wednesday, we do a sushi Wednesday, which is because Publix has a $5 sale on all custom sushi orders. On Thursday, we have fish dish Thursday, where we eat a local Atlantic fish of our choice, and usually pair it with potatoes, or chips. On Friday, we have a family pizza night! Saturday and Sunday, we had country style breakfasts with eggs, cheesy grits, bacon, sausage, pancakes and lots of OG! This meal plan is super manageable because it makes grocery store shopping minimal, and helps with not having to worry about new ideas each day.

I really like this idea. It’s very smart because you can also save time, because you won’t have to go back and forth for groceries. I might even use this idea in my own home, so thank you for your wisdom. How long have you been doing this, and do you ever get tired of this schedule?

Food traditions in my family: My family have a couple of food traditions. We happen to have a lot that have to do with thanksgiving. For example we often cook a sweet potato casserole from a recipe that my grandmother made. We also often have persimmon pudding at Christmas which is very yummy.

FOOD TRADITIONS: Yes, I do celebrate my birthday with a cake. I do not have certain food for a certain day of the week. My stepmother is from Honduras and makes Arroz con Pollo, tamales, and chicken and plantains these are traditional foods from her home country. At Thanksgiving and Christmas my grandmother usually makes boiled custard, corn pudding, and broccoli casserole. These are the favorite dishes of some of my family members. I enjoy eating with my family and look forward to it every year.

Hello, I am Brooklyn Schramm

I will be talking about food traditions, food traditions in my family most come from my mom’s side. We have a corn hotdish that has been passed down from my great-grandma that we make a lot for dinner because it is a corn hotdish so perfect for dinner. A desert that we have a tradition for is when my old neighbors (just moved) we would always make apple crisp in celebration for the son beating cancer. I think food traditions are really fun and great to have because then you can always remember your ancestors or friends for a great or favorite thing.

I chose the topic food traditions in your family. One thing that my mom always does is say that you have to try something 13 times before you say that you don’t like it. I think that this concept is both good and bad. It is good because it means that everyone has the opportunity to change their mind about foods that they don’t like as they grow and change. It can be bad because it means that, if someone really doesn’t like the food, they are forced to try anyway.

This is Lily. I chose the topic Foods from your Community. In my community beef and pork are very important for our local economy and the nation. My family buys meat from the local farm. We know how the cows are raised and they are well taken care of. The taste of the meat is fresh and moist. It is amazing that our tastebuds can tell the difference from farm raised or grocery store meat. Not only can you buy fresh meet at the local farm, but you can go the local farmers market each week.

This is similar in my community. The band program at my school has a butcher shop fundraiser every month where they buy beef, pork, and chicken from a local butcher shop. I personally don’t eat meat, but my family says that they can really tell the difference from that meat to the meat in the grocery store.

I think this is amazing! I also think it is amazing that our tastebuds can tell the difference between the two. I think it is very important to have community food that your community uses to make a stronger bond. I wish my town had more foods that are important to all of us.

Food as reward or punishment: All most always do we go out for a formal family dinner for perfect report cards. Sometimes we go out just because. Though, as a punishment perspective we would have to eat our least favorite foods for something my sibling and I did terribly wrong.

My family also goes out for dinner if something great happens or if we have something special happening. I think it is so fun to have a special night with all the family having the best time and with a yummy dinner in the stomach.

Food as reward or punishment: My mom is a pediatric nurse practitioner so we never received food as a reward. My mom felt that it fosters an unhealthy relationship with food. I agree with her. Food should be the fuel for our bodies, and not serve as a reward or punishment. Sometimes, we will go out for a meal as part of a big celebration such as a big graduation, wedding, etc. Even at those events, we try to eat a healthy and well balanced meal. Even when we went to the doctor and got shots we didn’t get a lollipop, ice cream or candy. My mom didn’t feel that it was right to reward something healthy with an unhealthy item. We would get stickers or extra time at the park, etc. I agree with this as it makes perfect sense to me.

I think that is a great policy and attitude toward this issue. Using food as a reward or a punishment can really alter a person’s relationship with food in an unhealthy way. I agree that food is only an energy source for out bodies, and that is how everyone should treat it.

There was a short time when my grandma lived with us, and she insisted on having an extensive food garden in our backyard. My dad also had a small grow bed in the basement of our last house. I personally think food tastes better when you grow it yourself. It’s just always fresher, and doesn’t taste overly watered down because it was modified to grow bigger.

That sounds so cool! I wish we grew food in our backyard. I agree that it would taste better when grown yourself. Our backyard is not very big and it backs up to a big canyon which means that we have lots of wild animals that come in and would eat things. Our neighbors have had lots of trouble with this. They keep trying different ways to keep the animals out.

Food grown in your backyard can taste better and is fun to watch the plants go from start to finish. My family through the years will grow different vegetables in our backyard. Sometimes we put them in pots or we plant them in the ground. It is very rewarding to eat what one has grown.

That is so cool that you did that. I used to have a garden in my backyard and it always tasted better and you would always feel better eating it since you knew how it was grown and what was put on it.

we went this morning and visited our neighbor who grows vegetables. they eat their produce all during the summer. she plants seeds from food she buys one year and grows them in their garden the next year. she doesn’t even have to buy seeds every year. but a successful garden requires a lot of work.

My family is Jewish and we eat a lot of traditional foods throughout the year. My favorite is noodle kugel. This is a casserole with egg noodles, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, and milk. It is topped with crushed corn flake crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. This is eaten as a side dish with the entree. But I usually just eat the kugel which is like a noodle casserole.

Those foods sound so good! My family is Italian so we like to eat lots and lots of pasta and pizza, which I love. Too bad there are so many carbs in pasta and pizza. We try to balance it out with salad but it is hard not to go back for seconds on the pasta and pizza!

My family is also Jewish, and though in my early years we weren’t very religious, my family has found more and more ways to appreciate our culture, and incorporate it more into our lives. For example, when I was the only person with Covid in my family, and I found myself alone in my room for hours on end. One day, around dinner time, there was a knock on my door. My mom had made me matzah ball soup, with is dumplings made out of matzo, eggs, and chicken fat, in chicken soup. I opened my door to find the soup on the ground. I picked it up, and retreated to the back wall of my room where I would eat. Then, when I looked up, my mom was sitting criss cross in the hallway, another bowl of soup in hand. Even though we had to social distance because she had to take care of my newborn brother and couldn’t risk being sick, she sat with me for hours, and we talked and laughed while eating the soup.

Food traditions in your family
My family is from India and my grandparents live with us, that affects what we eat. 4/7 days of the week we eat traditional food which is native to the western part of india where my parents and grandparents grew up. During holidays my grandma prepares sweets that are customary for that particular holiday. We have spices in our home that differs from a lot of homes in our area and in our culture it is encouraged to eat everything on our plates and frowned upon if we dispose of any food.

My family is Polish and German. We often have Polish sausage with green peppers and potato pancakes. We don’t use very many spices with our cooking. Having different food traditions is a way for all of us to learn from one another.

My family comes from a Jewish background, therefore there are many food we eat that come from old traditions. One delicious dish we eat is matzah ball soup. This is a soup that is eaten on many Jewish holidays and can be enjoyed with other cultural dishes such as challah and matzah.

That sounds delicious! My family likes to eat food from other cultures a lot, especially the more obscure ones. We like to drive around and see what we can find, especially if it is a type of food that we have never had before.

I believe that the food you grow up with is traditionally what you will like. It becomes the food that you know. For example, picky eaters are known for liking chicken tenders, and that’s what they would order at a restaurant. I also believe that the culture and family traditions you have, impact your options; this includes what food you like or do not like.

The three main things my family eats a lot are Beans, rice, and chicken. My mom used to always tell me if you have rice, you have a meal, and that’s basically what we live off of ToT. But at least around Christmas we always have these big feasts with a Turkey, Ham, Chicken, sometimes a turducken, green beans, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, seafood casserole, and ALLLL the sweets you could ever want. It just makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Food traditions:

Every year my family celebrates Chinese New Year. There are traditional foods that are associated with the celebration. My family typically eats dishes like dumplings and longevity noodles to celebrate. Dumplings are eaten on the occasion because they are said to look like money pouches and represent fortune and prosperity in the new year. Longevity noodles are pretty self-explanatory, they are meant to represent a long and happy life and supposedly if you cut them shorter you’d be cutting your own life span. It’s always fun to celebrate with meaningful foods!

oh wow that’s cool, I never looked at dumplings that way its really interesting to learn what different foods mean and why they are important to a culture!

I chose to use Shari Rose’s easy peach and mint salad recipe. I had nectarines that were readily available so I used them in place of the peaches. For the mint I was able to pick some mint from my garden and use it in the recipe. It was a nice and simple recipe and it was satisfying to finish and enjoy what I made. It was super sweet and yummy but also had a wonderful kick of mint!

There are many types of produce and handmade products that my community values. Some of the produce I saw are things that me or people who I know grows. For example tomatoes, herbs (i.e. Basil, Cilantro, Lavender, etc.), and many more. A major affect that growing and buying locally is that you know what your plant or product has been through. You are also sure to have more healthier foods. Plus less food miles than buying from non local companies.

I agree. I have planted a few different spices and produce such as tomatoes, bell peppers, and carrots. Planting them from seed, watching them grow, harvesting them, then eating them is a whole process that I would not understand or know unless I had done it myself. So I do now have more of an appreciation for farmers and those that grow their own produce.

I also agree. My family has their own garden in which they grow squash, beans, apples, tomatoes, eggplant, pumpkins, plums, and Asian pears. I’ve helped my grandparents pick many fruit and veggies, and it’s a fun activity. It’s nice knowing where your produce comes from, and it tastes better, too.

Good Foods/Bad Foods:
For the past year and a half, I have been struggling with OSFED, or “otherwise specified feeding or eating disorder.” I am currently in recovery and have done an immense amount of exploration on my relationship with food.
diet culture promotes foods as either “good” or “bad”, when, in fact, the warped perception of health propagandized is actually more harmful than any food could be.
I have, in the past, used food as a way to control my weight and other aspects of my life. Now, I realize that food is nourishment essential to life.

I think this is one of the most interesting aspects of our relationship with the foods we eat. Thanks for sharing your insights, Laurel. I love that statement “Food is nourishment essential to life!’

Laurel, thank you for sharing. As young women, it is hard for us to confess that we can obsess over food. Our society’s image of both men and women can be brutal. But you are right, food is nourishment and we need to think about it differently.

Thanks for sharing your journey, I think that its important to recognize, as you said, that “food is nourishment essential to life.”
Diet culture, social media, and other outside factors influence what we think of certain types of food and modifies our perception of healthy and body image to fit what others are thinking. It is important to remember that each body is different, what might look healthy on one body might actually harm anothers. We need to decide for ourselves and how a certain food impacts our body to actually determine if foods are “good” or “bad”

It sounds like you have worked hard on this. Good for you for learning so much about this! I agree that diet culture promotes so much food propaganda which makes it really tough for us. There is so much advertisement and junk food is so readily available. I wish there were so many less advertisements for junk food

Thank you for sharing your story. Our society puts some much pressure on us to eat certain foods and look a certain way. What you said food is nourishment essential to life is so true.

Going through my recovery journey from anorexia was tough, but having supportive friends by my side made a big difference. My friends would always check in on me, encourage me to eat healthily, and remind me that they loved me no matter what. Their kind words and constant support helped me realize that I needed to prioritize my health and well-being. Thanks to the unwavering support of my friends, I was able to develop a healthier relationship with food. They would cook meals with me, go out for walks to destress, and engage in fun activities to keep my mind off negative thoughts. Their positive energy and genuine care showed me that food is not the enemy and that nourishing my body is essential for my overall health and happiness.
Today, I am grateful for the journey I went through because it has led me to a place of balance and self-acceptance. I now view food as fuel that gives me energy and allows me to enjoy life to the fullest. My friends continue to be my pillars of strength, and together, we celebrate every milestone of my recovery journey. I am proud of the progress I have made and am committed to maintaining a positive and healthy relationship with food for the rest of my life.

We followed the great suggestion of the prior group and had good discussions on 5 of the topics- Foods from your culture, foods from your community, food traditions in your family, food as a reward or punishment, and good foods/bad foods. Major take aways were family tradition foods are passed down and a lot of foods choices are a result of food grown in our area.

My ancestors are from German, Ukraine, and China. Unfortunately, I don’t think we have a traditional food or recipe that has been past down. My mom always complains that her mom (my grandmother) was a self-proclaimed horrible cook. That doesn’t help. But I don’t think traditions have to be ancient to be good. We can start our own traditions.

Today we had a zoom meeting and discussed 5 topics. We pulled them out of a hat to determine the order. Honor Thy Food, Family Food Traditions, Food as a Reward of Punishment, Good Food/Bad Food, Good Values. The discussion lasted about an hour. Very productive meeting.

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