I am a firm believer of the unifying power of food. Food brings people together in every aspect of the culinary art: cooking food, choosing dishes, and, of course, sharing a meal. Food is so much more than a nutritional necessity--it is an expression of culture and ideas.
Over the past 6 months I have had the pleasure of experiencing numerous cultures in this way--from the cheeses, chocolates and pastries of Switzerland and France to the jamón, sangria, and paella of Spain (dabbling all this time in so many of countries and traditions). You can learn so much about a country from their food. Not just from the food itself, but from the tradition that surrounds it. For instance, in Spain there is a huge emphasis on the importance of fresh food. Spain still promotes small, specialized markets over supermarkets and fruterías, pollerías, panaderías, etc. continue to line the streets. At home, all meals are cooked fresh and, usually, take hours to prepare. In fact, locals rarely eat out in restaurants here, because they value cooking fresh meals at home. Further, lunches and dinners are always eaten together as a family. Family is of utmost importance here, and this is reflected at the dinner table. I've grown to love Spain and really appreciate this relationship with food, freshness, care, and family.
However, as I have dabbled with different dishes around Europe and taken from other cultures, I have not had the opportunity to share my own. Over the past two weeks, in preparation for Thanksgiving, I decided to share some of the American culinary culture as well. I made a loaf of spiced pumpkin bread for my host family, which they were a bit skeptical of at first, to share with them a typical American autumn treat. Plus, I was (as I always am) craving pumpkin. Win-win. Although sweets and pastries are rarely eaten here--dessert usually consists of fruit, they absolutely loved it and were pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this unknown, new treat. It was gone in 2 days. I was so delighted of this success and affirmation of both my cooking and my culture.
This past weekend my church, which is an international church consisting of a congregation from nearly all around the world, hosted a Thanksgiving potluck to celebrate the American holiday. This was the first Thanksgiving celebration for the vast majority of the church, including all of the staff. Still, everyone brought a dish (I made chocolate chip pumpkin cookies!) and came together to share in this feast. And I mean feast. It was such a beautiful time of community and blending of cultures that was only made possible by the nature of this event: food. While it may not have been an extremely traditional American Thanksgiving (there was no pie, let alone the 6 my family usually has), the value in this event was so much more. The non-Americans tried to understand a foreign culture and everyone came together to praise and cherish the difference in our community.
So while I may have missed my annual family Thanksgiving cooking marathon, the value of food over these past few months has not been lost. I look forward to the sharing of meals and tradition with each of my family members and friends upon my return.
What does your food and culinary traditions say about your culture?
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