How Food Helps Us Preserve Memories and Traditions
Who doesn’t have a memory or story about a dish a relative, friend, neighbor or one of your parents made that you really liked or couldn’t stand? What about certain dishes at church and community potlucks, school lunches or your favorite local restaurant? Community is created when we share food with one another.
The smell and taste of food can take us instantly back to certain places and occasions. They bring to mind people, places, events and conversations. We all have favorite foods and memories of food that we associate with everyday meals. We often call these comfort foods.
The Power of Food Memories
In her article, “The Power of Food Memories in Identity Formation” Valencia Baker discusses the impact our sense of smell and taste can have on our sense of personal and cultural identity. She notes that “For me, smelling the peel of a mango, takes me back to eating mango in the backyard with my mom and sisters in San Diego, 1998. It also, immediately and somehow simultaneously, takes me back to the conversations I had with my mom about how she would eat mango with her brother in jungle trees growing up in the summers in Panama in the 1970s.”
Most special occasions have a food component as well. Think about the traditions you celebrate, or that are celebrated in your community or country. Which foods do you associate with Passover, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Deepawali, Christmas or another special day?
What special foods take you back to a special time or place? Are there special dishes that you associate with your grandparents and parents? Did you learn how to make them? If not, now is a good time to ask how to make them. Also ask what foods were on their childhood table for special occasions. Listen for similarities and differences, then explore the sameness and the changes. In doing so, you will learn more about them and their lives.
Preserving Family History and Heritage With Food
If you have a family dish that brings you comfort or that you really enjoy, reach out to the relative that makes it. You may not only learn how to make it or where it came from, you also may learn more about them and their life. Don’t just ask for that special recipe. Listen while they tell their stories. Ask them about their favorite foods. Also ask which foods bring back special memories for them.
If they have passed on, then check with other family members and friends to see if they have a copy or know where the recipe came from. Listen to their stories. In doing so, you will gain a broader understanding of those who came before you.
Look for heritage cookbooks. Try the recipes and adjust them to taste. Most families have their own version of that special dish.
If you are part of that “older” generation, then reach out and teach a child, grandchild, niece or nephew how to cook their favorite dish or family favorite.