Editor's Food for Thought: August/September 2015 Issue

Food Stories
 

The emotional connection between food and past is a powerful relationship, and always an interesting story. The food choices we make are often a reflection of our heritage — a grandmother’s special recipe, a holiday tradition, a religious or cultural influence. What we choose to cook and eat is often determined by our accumulation of experiences — the places we’ve traveled, and the people we’ve met along the way. There may be elements from other cultures woven into the narrative, but we’ll always eat things that have meaning.

The choices also reveal a lot about the social construct, and the family, in which we were raised. If you ask someone their food history, it won’t take long for the topic to move away from food and into belief systems about nutrition, justice, education, policy and more.

As summer fades away and life settles into a more consistent dinner routine with family and friends, I encourage you to take the opportunity to share your “food stories” with one another. What childhood activities revolved around food? What was your favorite meal growing up? As you have experienced different places, what new foods and beliefs have been woven into your food story? What traditions have you picked up, and what do you hope to pass to future generations?

Food has the power to be a great unifier that crosses all boundaries, allowing us to learn something new about the people around us, and ourselves. What’s your food story?

Ann Curtis, Managing Editor