Nutrition

Food Memory

One of the things I'd like for you to keep sight of is the notion that food is not "just" food. Food is so much more than what can be expressed on a food label. Food is emotional, cultural, and it holds meaning. "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are." This very famous line by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (18th Century France) captures how important food can be to our self- and communal-identities. We are what we eat. (And, how strange it is that someone else would like to dictate to us, what we should eat.)

This discussion is to help you think about your relationship to one special food. I'd like you to reflect on this food, and how it links to you or your family, to your culture. Your task is to write a short essay that tells a story of your relationship to a specific food. This will be your food memory. Your writing takes the reader on a journey, where they will learn about your special food (you'll describe the food and basics of preparation), the memory of this food, and about what meaning this food holds for you and perhaps your family.