My earliest food memories are also associated with family memories. Food and family went together.
My mother would cook typical American foodstuffs along with the occasional German dish. (sauerkraut, brats etc.) Meal time usually occurred at the same time on the week days. For most of my childhood my mother did not work outside the home. The evening meal was an event in which my mother planned and prepared with care and my father looked forward to. I was a little more picky than my father and only at times looked forward to the evening meal. Prior to the meal we said our prayers and then dug in. Food brought the family together for a period of communal and spiritual nourishment.
Starting in the latter part of middle school and in high school my extracurricular activities began to interfere with family meals, there seemed to always be a practice to go, a movie to see or something else that seemed "cooler". Dinner with my parents became a rarity. Looking back on my childhood I can see how healthy and good family meals were and how quickly it was all thrown aside.
Growing up, I too, had daily family dinners. We grow up eating pretty healthy. Coming to college, eating in the dorms, I found that I would grab the first food I saw (that looked some what edible), eat it and then leave. Whenever I go to the caf with a group of friends I seem to choose a salad or a healthier option since I know I will be sitting in the caf for a longer amount of time. I find going with a group of friends, helps me eat healthier; also since friends comment on what each other are eating.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I can relate to missing family meals because of school events or sports. I took that for granted in high school and now I miss it!
ReplyDeleteFood and family go together for me too. Both my mother and father have roots in the south (Alabama and Arkansas) and cooking/food have always been very important in my family for that reason. Food is definitely a part of our family culture.
ReplyDeleteI have good memories of having dinners with my family. It's nice to sit down when you're home from school to catch up and relive a little bit of that.
ReplyDeleteI am German as well and we sometimes will have German dishes. My mother never worked when my siblings and I were younger so she was always cooking. I agree, when you are young you don't understand or appreciate sitting down and having a meal with conversation. Now days, I find myself and my family sitting and talking for hours during dinner time.
ReplyDeleteIt is too bad that life in America is better structured for teens so that they have meal times with family. I lived in Spain and there the big meal is in the middle of the day and young people eat with their family.
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