Family Food Traditions

As I begin to recollect past experiences and events growing up, Thanksgiving is the holiday that appears most meaningful. I choose to illuminate Thanksgiving because this is a time when family and friends would forget their worries and differences and collectively came together at grandmother’s house to partake of the Gullah dishes. Furthermore, it serves as a vehicle in stimulating family health and wellbeing, while passing on the identity of the family throughout generations. As I reminiscence, I can recall the air was bursting with love, hugs, laugher and kisses; a sight to behold. Grandmother’s house was small but no one seemed to care as it was inviting. Every area of the house was utilized from the kitchen to the narrow stairway that lead upstairs to the bedrooms. Children were outside playing working up an appetite although there was a chill in the air often going unnoticed, still we were bundled in our hats, coats and mittens. This was not a formal affair but we were all neatly dressed. The house was filled with distinct smells that was heavenly. Steam came from the kitchen as finishing touches were placed on meals. Watching my aunts sweat trying to maneuver in a tight kitchen hoping to avoid bumping into one another was hilarious, but I paid close attention for one day that would be me

Summary: Eating a meal with someone is more than just eating a meal with someone. Quote: “Whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion” (Foster 8). This act of getting together is also called “an act of sharing love or peace”. Eating together is a common theme in many cultures. When we eat together, it shows that we are comfortable with each other and we care

Culturally Americans have accepted that Thanksgiving is a time for family to get together, so with greater emphasis being placed on social support and companionship the Thanksgiving holiday means even more (Solomon, 2013). Both our extended and nuclear family are part of that holiday, so videos like the one I selected drum up new excitement for the upcoming reunions. According to an article by The Food Channel, Thanksgiving for some goes hand in hand with family. There is an expectation of certain foods and an abundance of food. The video below is a snippet from a pastor’s sermon that was remixed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olu36QuHUWc

This week, families across our state are unboxing their Thanksgiving décor, choosing table cloths, and deciding who is going to be responsible for what dish next Thursday. It’s that time of the year when we come together, forget our family drama for at least a week and get in the holiday spirit. Unfortunately, this holiday season comes with a different taste to many. Hundreds of Iowan families and I will share our Thanksgiving meal with uncertainty, anxiety and fear.

This paper explores a discussion about the Psychological Benefits of Our Thanksgiving Rituals. Four experts in the field of psychology, who specialized in family traditions, convened in a roundtable discussion about what ritual means in the subject of Thanksgiving. The four psychologists who were involved in this discussion are: First is Anne Fishel, an associate clinical professor of psychology and author of the book “Home for dinner”, Second is Janine Roberts, a family therapist, a professor emerita of family therapy at University of Massachusetts-Amherst and author of (Family Routines and Rituals), Third is Barbara Flese, psychologist and author of (Family Routines and Rituals), and Lastly Bill Doherty, professor of family social science from The University of Minnesota. This article was written originally for The Conversation, which is a newsletter online that provides informed news analysis and commentary that can be read and republished. Published on November 24, 2015. This particular articles was republished in U.S. News World Report. In this paper, I examine the discussion between the four psychologists and critique the different views of thanksgiving rituals and how it benefits psychologically.

“By participating in a meal, we participate in a moment, an experience, a sliver of life." (Horton, 2012). When people think about a certain culture, they initially think of the food associated with it. Food is a part of a culture’s identity, and because of that, it is a part of the individual’s identity as well. For example, the US is associated with hamburgers, Italy with pasta, and Mexico with tacos. This cultural association to the food we eat helps us to figure out who we are. Over time, food has become more of a spiritual act, rather than one of survival. We eat food for the feelings it elicits and the experiences it gives us. In a way, we really are what we eat.

It is undoubted that holidays’ history is the point of entry to any living cultures. In specific, the United States’ national holiday in November – Thanksgiving – reflects the country’s culture of consumerism. The first documented Thanksgiving meal in America was between the Spanish settlers, and the Timucua tribe in La Florida in 1565 (Franklin 19). Interestingly, the main courses were “salt pork and garbanzo beans offered by the Spanish and alligator meat offered by the Native Americans” (Franklin 19). Nonetheless, most Americans associate the first Thanksgiving with the moment when the Pilgrims shared a three-day feast with the Wampanoag in 1621 (McCabe 52). Throughout the history, Americans have twisted the cornerstone of the Thanksgiving feast to create new traditions.

This meal is important to me because of this the food I ate before mom deports or went to America which for 5 years and it’s the food I ate when we got back together after 5 years in America. There was a bunch of people who came to the party when we came to America to say congratulation to my mom because she had waited 5 years to see us back and the last and first time she ate with us was wetter until that time. Why I remember this food is, because this the food is the one I ate with my mom to declare our happiness. And at a special time like this, you have to eat something especial and it was more

I vividly remember the first time I cooked something in the kitchen. I remember standing on a stool by the kitchen counter, still barely being able to see over, and mashing potatoes and mixing in the different ingredients and then giving some to my father to taste and him smiling. Seeing people's faces after they tasted my food is what gave me the passion to cook. When people are around a table with good food so many memories are made. Food is what unites people because no matter where they are from and what their background is people will come together over great food.

Many families have their own special time or activity that everyone loves to do and that creates long lasting memories. Bonding can happen through any number of events but when food is brought to the table it makes a completely different impact. Through cooking with your family or friends that bonding can be taken to the next level. Through cooking food it relaxes people and inevitable people begin to open up to the other people in the room. An article in the The Atlantic written by Cody Delistraty wrote how, “The dinner table can act as a unifier, a place of community. Sharing a meal is an excuse to catch up and talk, one of the few times where people are happy to put aside their work and take time out of their day”(Delistraty). Though eating

Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together and start the holiday season. People tend to make lots of food and the objective is to eat as much as you can. We will reflect on “Consumption Rituals of Thanksgiving Day” by Melanie Wallendorf and Eric J. Arnould. We will also take a look at how Thanksgiving tends to contain family rituals. Thanksgiving is a special time of year where people get together to see family and to indulge in food and good times.

As we saw in the documentary, A Spoken Dish, food meant a great deal to these people and their traditions. During class, we watched documentaries and deciphered the food memories that were associated with people of the state of Louisiana. Much associated food as values that range all over, some such as, regional pride/ local pride, migration (food as an aperture to culture), affection, faith, and ethical consumptions of food. Food, for me, reflects plenty of things such as time, place and people. Thanksgiving is one food tradition in my life that reflects all the three reasonings stated above. For my family, Thanksgivings overrules all other holidays, although some may think otherwise. It is a holiday at which the whole entire family get together and partake in something that involves every person. The men and women all have a different role in this holiday. This holiday is the most meaningful to myself and my family because it’s a great way for the older generation to teach the younger generation more about responsibilities and to bond. As some may assume, the women do cook but they, in my opinion, carry the most weight during this time of year. The festivities call for a lot of food to be made ranging from turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, casseroles, cranberry sauces and plenty of desserts. No food is bought pre-made,

I still remember the stories from years gone by. Family, friends and neighbors sittin’ at the dinner table, on the front porch, or around a roarin’ hot fire out in the woods, just like the Hunt Club’s y’all used to know. The one thing that all these things had in common was great food!

Food can teach how cultures developed their cuisine. Sometimes poverty forces people to utilize strange ingredients. Sometimes certain crops are more abundant than others, thus the brunt of their food composes of that crop. Necessity forces people to improvise their cuisine; in the earliest times, people cooked food to survive, not to entertain their taste buds. People can also learn how each culture savors its food. For example, the French eat their food quickly. People can also learn about the community through food, how families, schools, and religious institutions eat. Food is essential as it is “where culture and ecology intersect”, and the act of eating teaches people humanity. Someone can refer to this source’s many points on what food teaches to build an argument on how food is cultural

Imagine a traditional old school family. The family would sit down at the dinner table and share a meal together along with quality conversation over their day(s). The meal was prepared for a great sum of time and was well balanced comprised of normal every main food group followed by dessert all resulting in happy tummies and replenished bodies. Now think of meal time today. Today 's mealtime is centered around convenience and instant delivery, often fast food that is calorie packed and nutrient deficient leading to fullness only for a short period of time. Over the years in America, obesity has been on the rise due to more busy lifestyles and less time available to prepare a well-balanced meal. How times have changed! Unfortunately, the fast food industry has greatly contributed to a drastic rise in obesity rates due to overconsumption of unhealthy foods.