I have a lot of memorable food traditions with my family. They are mostly seasonal because they fit for the occasion. One of my most memorable traditions is during Christmas time. Although it is cold during the winter time and hot drinks and food are ideal, we look forward to something freezing. My mom, sisters, and I all make chocolate freeze cups once winter break hits. It is basically chocolate milk with sugar completely frozen. Once it is frozen, we eat it with a spoon while decorating the tree or making cookies for Santa Claus. When I was younger I thought it was something my mom thought of and decided to start doing it, but I found out that it was a family tradition. Half of my family is from New Orleans and the tradition come from my great-grandparents. I found out that they used to sell frozen chocolate cups out their house in the 7th ward when kids would come home from an elementary school called Epiphany. I was really amazed because I found out a lot of people liked them and it was something they were known for in the neighborhood. Now it is something we do in the winter and I really enjoy it.
Looking back on my childhood, there is a food tradition that I cannot forget. I remember every once in a while, my whole family would get together and have a huge feast. It was really spectacular. There were soups, lobster, salads, pasta, roasted pork, and rice. Basically, it was a bunch of Asian dishes that were brought from home or bought from restaurants. However, before we were able to eat those yummy foods, they were placed upon altars and incense was lit. I remember playing in the smoke when I was little, thinking I could catch it and bottle it. Once the incense was all gone, we would take the food down from the altar, warm it up, and eat it. The family would dig in and the table was rich with conversation. Most of the time, my grandfather would talk about his memories as a general in the Viet Nam War. I remember listening and nibbling at my food as I listened quite intently. It was only a couple of years ago where I really sat down with my grandfather and asked him about this tradition. Apparently, this tradition is to commemorate a family member’s passing. There were many dates that my grandfather remembers and these dates have to coincide with the Chinese calendar. I am sitting in front of my grandmother’s altar as I am writing this. I look upon it with sadness, because I do remember the date of her passing. However, I do not understand the whole process of the traditions. I do not understand why the incense has to be burned or what has to go on the altar. I always wonder whether or not I will keep this tradition alive in the future. In a way, I feel as if I have to because I would be ashamed if I knew that my culture died out because of me.
Our family has one particular food tradition that just so happens to also be a southern tradition as well. My dad’s side of the family mainly participates in this tradition. It is eating black-eyed peas and cabbage on New Years day. It is believed that if this is done it will bring good luck to your household and family. I particularly like this tradition because I enjoy eating black-eyed peas and cabbage. This tradition has run in my family for many many years. It has been a southern tradition for even longer. I have been participating in this tradition since before I turned one year old. Usually, my Granny cooks the peas and my uncle cooks the cabbage. It has been a memorable family tradition because it is during a time when all of my family comes in town and we all sit around the house eating and socializing. What adds on to the fun is that since it is a southern tradition, close friends and neighbors even pitch in and we hang out with them also. I definitely plan on continuing this tradition with my own family in the future. From what I see, it has been a tradition where my family comes together and we all enjoy each other’s company.
I have many memorable food traditions in my family. All of our food traditions fit well with all of the holidays, expect Christmas. On Christmas there is this particular dish that my grandmother cooks. This dish is cooked on Christmas because it fits perfectly with the cold weather. Shrimp and crab gumbo is the dish that all of my family members love. I remember my first time watching my grandmother prepare this dish; I was disgusted and a bit disturbed. I was a little girl watching her put the scary crabs and shrimp into the pot. I was too young to understand that seafood was edible. Also the strange smell made me think it was going to be nasty. Boy, I hate the smell of the shrimp and crab gumbo. When my grandmother finished preparing the gumbo she insisted on my trying it and I said “NOO” and she shoved a spoon full of the gumbo into my mouth. After I swallowed the gumbo, I thought I was in heaven. I didn’t know that food could taste that good. Now I cant get enough of my grandmother‘s gumbo. This has been my most memorable food tradition because on Christmas my family and I are brought together to eat this wonderful meal and make memories. What also makes this food tradition memorable to me is seeing all of my family members because we all live far apart and rarely see each other. There’s nothing better than quality time with your family members and eating a good meal. I wish my grandmother could cook shrimp and crab gumbo on every holiday but it would be breaking our family’s tradition. Shrimp and crab gumbo is not only my family’s food tradition but it’s a food tradition in southern Louisiana, mainly New Orleans. New Orleans is known for its gumbo, spicy foods, and other great things also.
I have numerous food traditions in my family, but the most memorable ones are during the holidays (Christmas and Thanksgiving). On my mother side of the family we usually have more of a traditional feast. My grandmother will cook dressing with cranberry sauce to complement it. She will season a turkey a night before the holiday and fry it the next day. I don’t know if it is just a southern thing, but most of the people up north I talk to have never heard of frying a turkey. Then she will make some homemade yeast rolls from scratch. We also will have a lot of desserts for the holidays because her kids like to take them home to eat. She makes praline candy, fruit cookies, sweet potato pie, pound cake, and pecan pie. We also have a tradition of making this special punch in which she won’t tell anyone the recipe for. On my dad’s side of the family it is not as tradition for both holidays. On Thanksgiving my grandmother will make macaroni and cheese, regular dressing and oyster dressing, fried and smoked turkey, baked hen, chocolate cake, carrot cake, cheese cake, potato salad, cranberry sauce, and pecan pie. On Christmas she will decide to change it up a little bit. She will cook the same things but will add gumbo. This tradition of cooking food on the holidays for the both sides of my family dates back generations. With all of my family living in the south, it is just natural to receive such foods for the holidays. We all enjoy eating until we can’t eat any more because that is the biggest meal we will receive all year. With all of my family having jobs and living in different places, eating food during the holidays is a memorable food tradition.
My family loves to eat, so of course we have many food traditions. My favorite one is the tradition that we have on Thanksgiving. Everyone on my mother's side of the family comes to visit and they each bring one of their specialty dishes. I have family that range from Texas, to Chicago, down to New Orleans, across to Georgia, and back to Mississippi, so get to eat a wide range of food that we don't usually get to eat all the time. My aunt from New Orleans makes an amazing dressing and a mean macaroni noodle dish. My aunt from Mississippi learned how to make gumbo years ago and her dish is my second favorite. My favorite dish of all is the blackberry cobbler that was passed down from my great grandma to my mother and now to me. I loved it so much I decided to learn how to cook it myself. With so many different foods it has become one of my favorite times of the year. Some of the traditions we have are on Christmas my mom bakes cookies for everyone. New Year's we cook black-eyed peas, cornbread, and cabbage because it is supposed to bring good fortune, luck, and money to you throughout the year. On my father's side of the family for the Fourth of July we have a big celebration and my grandma cooks some of the best food ever. Her foods give you the itis and make you all sleepy. You have to take a nap after her meals. She also makes a killer chocolate cake that even my mother's side of the family asks here to make for them sometime. During hunting season whenever we go hunting and kill a deer we have deer sausage made and have them for breakfast the next morning. There are a few of our family food traditions.
My family and I don’t really have food traditions. However when food and my family get together it is always going to be a good time. My family is a little different around the holidays though. When thanksgiving comes around we always spend it by my grandma’s house in Slidell, Louisiana. Since I live in Slidell my mom and I don’t have to travel too far, but family from out of town come in early and stay by my grandma. For thanksgiving instead of eating turkey my grandma and my god mother prepares us ham to eat with the rest of our food. All that we eat on thanksgiving consist of: baked macaroni, yams, potato salad, ham, seafood gumbo, stuffed bell peppers, dinner rolls, upside down pineapple cake, lemon pie, and sweet potato pie. For Christmas all the different food don’t really change, but instead of having ham we have a turkey for Christmas. I find the difference of the tradition in these holidays that my family does different is very unique. Some families make both, turkey and ham. On thanksgiving table you will never find turkey. I look forward to the difference in our holiday, but the most important thing of them is not the food. Even if we didn’t have the food my family would make the most of our time together. We enjoy playing card games such as phase 10 and spades after we eat together as one big family. To go along with the after feast fun my god mother sometimes gets in the kitchen and makes frozen drinks for the family. I could not imagine a better family to spend my holidays with.
I have a really small but close-knit family. We are Americanized but we still hold on to our Vietnamese tradition. A memorable food tradition that my family and I have adopted is on every other Sunday, my mother makes a traditional Vietnamese soup made of whole chicken, beef bone, and brisket, simmered overnight with five herbs and secret spices. It makes a broth and is served over flat rice noodles and topped with red or green onions and cilantro and it is usually served with a side of basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno peppers, and limes depending on the person eating it. On holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Vietnamese New Years, my family usually goes to my grandma's house early in the morning to help cook and set up. We usually make crispy eggrolls called Cha Gio and shrimp spring rolls called Goi Cuon as starters. We also make a jasmine rice dish called Bo Luc Lac. It is a cubed flank steak sautéed with onions, celery, tomatoes, and garlic and a special sauce. We have Korean ribs that my aunt sautés in her secret sauce. My aunt sometimes makes a big pot of eggdrop soup that we enjoy when the weather is chilly. Since we are Americanized, we do make American food. Aside from our Vietnamese dishes, we make barbecue chicken, jambalaya, macaroni, mashed potatoes, and hot dogs. All of the food usually goes onto one big table and it is set up like a buffet. We have two big tables that we eat on. Since one table is not big enough for our whole family, we have two. The adults eat on one and the kids eat on the other. My family food tradition is special in our family because it brings our distant family members together because we don’t usually see each other often.
Taylor Reuther Most of my family food traditions are during the holidays with my family. During Thanksgiving every year we eat most of the same food. We have many traditional Thanksgiving sides, but we add some of our own as well. We make a mock-oyster dip, which is extremely good and a request every year. My two sisters always make mashed-potatoes with lumps, of course. My grandfather always carves and slices the turkey. My mom makes the stuffing, half inside the turkey and half outside the turkey. It is definitely a family favorite during this season. Christmas time also holds a family tradition. The meal is basically the same as Thanksgiving, but the desserts are very different. My little sister makes chocolate covered strawberries for the holiday. My mom gets apple, custard, and pecan pies and there is also king cake each year. All of these desserts are huge hits, especially the king cake because it is usually the first time that we eat it for the festival season. Christmas desserts are a family favorite because everybody eats a little bit of something. Another food tradition my family has is red beans on Monday. My whole family goes over to my Aunt’s house every Monday night, and we have a meal of red beans and rice and sausage. This is my father’s favorite meal of the week because he eats multiple plates. My Aunt cooks a different side with the meal each time, but it is always very yummy. It is one of my favorite nights as well because I get to see my cousins. It is a special night for my family to take time out of the week and spend time with each other over a very delicious meal.
When it comes to most memorable food traditions in my family, baked bell peppers are number one. Each and every one of us looks forward to the bell peppers that my Auntie Shelly makes for every family gathering. No family gathering is complete without them. Whether its a holiday or saints game or birthday, no function is complete without the bell peppers.The way she combines ground meat, crab, and shrimp with a variety of seasonings makes the whole family's mouth water. The way the green pepper is baked to perfection leaves everyone in awe as they all stand in line for their share of the dish. Nobody knows who taught her how to create these wonderful bell peppers, but we are very thankful for her knowledge of how to cook them. Although she has tried to pass the recipe down to her kids, none of them can make the bell peppers as well as she can. I can honestly say that I look forward to the next family gathering not only for my family, but the bell peppers as well.
My most memorable food tradition within my family is the preparation of gumbo on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each year the whole family gets together to celebrate the holiday and prepares a large feast to share. The most popular dish made in my family around the holidays is gumbo. Preparing the gumbo is not an easy process in fact it’s hard work and takes almost a whole day to fix. Everybody in the family is assigned a specific job to help make the cooking process go by a little bit faster. My mother is always the one to start the process by cooking the rue. The rue is the base of the gumbo. Without the rue, there is no gumbo. My sisters always prepare the seafood, throwing in pieces of shrimp and crab. I always prepare the rice, because its one of the easiest jobs, but its also one of the most important. Seafood Gumbo is an amazing dish that has been cooked in my family for years and will probably continue down the family tree. The best part of preparing the gumbo is even though we all have our separate jobs during the cooking process, we all come together to make one delicious giant pot of gumbo. Preparing the meal together is a great aspect of making gumbo, especially since gumbo means “all together”. After the gumbo is finished cooking my family joins together in prayer, another great tradition in our family, then we all enjoy eating the gumbo together as we laugh and joke at the dinner table. Though eating gumbo on major holidays might not seem like a “big family food tradition” it is one of the most memorable food traditions in my family. Gumbo is a big part of my family’s lifestyles and also a big part of my life that brings friends, family, and me all together. I love gumbo and all its history and because of its amazing history, it is one of my most memorable food traditions within my family.
The only memorable food tradition I can remember in my family is during the Chinese New Year holiday. This happens once a year and what we do is we have a family gathering and have a feast together. The foods that we eat are Vietnamese foods. We also eat some American foods as well. Some of the Vietnamese foods that we eat are pho which is rice noodle soup with different kinds of meat and vegetables all mixed together, fried rice, banh bao which is steamed buns with meat and vegetables inside of them, and egg rolls that also have some meat and vegetables inside of them. These are some of the things we eat and are prepared days before the feast and cooked by the women. The men do more of the grilling like fish and sometimes steak. Usually when we eat fish, steak, or any kind of meat we would eat it with rice. Everyone would help around with preparing for the feast, but the adults did more of the cooking. When we eat the family usually splits up by age at the table. All the adults would sit by each other so they can talk to each other and all the younger people would sit by each other because we’re all cousins and we can talk to each other. We usually have lots to talk about because we have families out of state so it’s not often that we get to talk to each other. So we spend the whole night catching up with each other and when we finished we would start to clean up. Whatever we have leftover we would save it for the next day or whenever we get hungry again.
The most memorable food tradition in my family is during Thanksgiving. Everyone in my family and extended families would all bring food to get together and celebrate the joyous holiday. What makes this interesting is that we bring all sorts of food, ranging from Asian foods, Vietnamese and Chinese foods, to American foods. Some of the food that are present are turkey, fried rice, crabs, oysters, crawfish, spring rolls, egg rolls, and much more. As you can see, there is a lot of diversity in the food. This makes it very memorable for me because it is the biggest feast in the year for my family and how diverse the range of food is. My aunts, uncles, and cousins enjoy different foods and they can bring that food to the table for the rest of us to enjoy. For example, my uncle cooks some of the best barbeque chicken and hotdogs while my aunt makes eggrolls that taste out of this world. Sometimes, one person would bring a strange food that I would think twice about eating, but once I have tried it, I can't stop. For example, at one family reunion, my brother tricked me into eating fried frog legs and told me it was chicken. I tried it and thought, "This is some good chicken, but it looks deformed." He told me it was frog legs and I was a bit surprised because I hate frogs, but it tasted so good. I can't wait until next Thanksgiving for this occasion to take place again.
Mahalia Dees My family does not have many food traditions. We cook certain things every holiday but we cook a main dish specific to the occasion. On Thanksgiving, we follow American tradition and bake a turkey. We may make a honey baked ham as well depending on the number of people we cook for. On Christmas we bake a ham every year. Sometimes we spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with my grandmother and aunt which is a completely different experience than celebrating at home because they are vegetarians and choose not to eat fatty foods. Because my father refuses to have a meal without meat, my mother usually cooks a ham or collard greens with pork in them for him and then cooks stuffing or green bean casserole without the fat for the table with my aunt and grandmother. On New Year’s my mother makes jambalaya, collard greens for good financial fortune during the New Year and black eyed peas for good luck during the New Year. Black eyed peas and collard greens are an African American tradition for a new year’s celebration. On celebrated major holidays throughout the year, we make collard greens and baked macaroni and cheese. On my father’s birthday I make my lasagna because it is his favorite dish.
A memorable food tradition in my family is making huge pots of gumbo during the Christmas and New Year holidays. As long as I can remember my family has kept up this tradition every year. It is always a group effort and everyone contributes in some way. It is a way for us to spend time together and bond. The first day my dad is responsible for buying all of the necessary ingredients for the gumbo and potato salad. My mom sometimes makes a second trip if anything is forgotten or bought on accident. The next day my two sisters take on the role of prep cooks. They back shrimps, cut up the various meats, break the crabs, and do anything else that is required to get ready to cook the next day. On the third day, my mom and I do all the actual cooking. I make the rue while she get all the ingredients out and ready to go. Many people just through all their meats in and let it cook in the gumbo but we usually cook all the meat except for the shrimp and drumettes before putting it in the gumbo. We cook the gumbo in the biggest pot in the house which is made out of cast iron. During the process of cook lots and lots of taste testing goes on which seems to be everyone’s favorite part. The drumettes go in second to last so they are tender but stay on the bone. The shrimp are put in last because they cook the fastest. When my mom and I are nearly done, my sisters make the potato salad to go along with the gumbo. My family of five usually can eat off of this pot for two weeks and still have gumbo left to give to other family members and friends.
There are several memorable food traditions that are in my family. Most of my family food traditions occur at the same time every year. My family food traditions main purpose is to get the family together and remember out lost love ones. Many of my family food traditions happen during Christmas or Thanksgiving holiday. However, my most memorable family food tradition happens every Sunday after church; my family and I go over my granny’s house and eat a Sunday dinner. These Sunday dinners have been a tradition in my family for more than 50 years ago. My Great Great Grandparents started this tradition in Greenville, Mississippi to bring the family together and talk about church and family. These Sunday dinners have been going on well after my Great Great Grandparents deaths. We still continue this tradition because each Sunday we all just sit at the dinner table and talk about family memories. We have a variety of foods at these Sunday dinner and most of the recipes were past down from generation to generation. Many of these family dishes remind us of the loves one that family members who died throughout the years. Most of the foods are cornbread, collard greens, chicken, ham, green beans, and many other dishes. Each of these foods has a little part of family history in each of them because they were first cooked by our ancestors. We use these Sunday dinners to share what we learned from the sermon. Every Sunday dinner is a basically a celebration of the Glasper family. These Sunday dinners were some of best moments with my family. The Sunday dinners are a time when my family can come together and share laughter and love. I’m pretty sure that this family food tradition will continue on for many more years.
Chinedu Echebelem With my parents incorporating their Nigerian heritage and traditions throughout our everyday lives, there are several different memorable food traditions in my family. However, I believe the most memorable food tradition is Fufu. My parents serve Fu-Fu every day, whether it is for lunch or dinner. Although Fufu looks like balled up mashed potatoes, Fufu is made from a mixture of cassava leaves, pounded yam, and water. It tends to be sticky, so when it is being eaten, you usually have to wet your fingers. These ingredients are pounding with a mortar and pestle, if you are in Nigerian, or instead it can be cooked on a stove. Fufu is served with different flavored soups. Some soups are called egusi, okra, and stew, which would be considered tomato soup in the United States. These soups are filled with different types of meat and fish. You roll the fufu into little balls and dip them into the soup. You are not supposed to chew the fufu, but instead swallow it whole. Fufu can be viewed as a utensil, because it acts as a spoon to eat the soup. In my house, Fufu is eaten on a daily basis, and is served every holiday. Fufu is also served as a welcoming meal when guest arrive to your home. You usually would cook your guest fufu, rice, and stew. I believe fufu is the equivalent to how Americans serve finger foods, such as chips and dip, fruit, or cheese and crackers. Fufu is my family’s most memorable food tradition, because it is integrated into many of our family’s meals and I think it is a unique dish. I admire how Nigerian families take their time to cook this meal to welcome other families into their home. This dish is not only a tradition, but it symbolizes respect and unity within my culture.
My family food tradition changes from time to time. Around Christmas time my whole family gathers at my grandma house to celebrate. We have a very big tree and food for all who wants to attend. The favorite dish of mine around Christmas time is the sweet potato casserole. The dinner is always around three o clock. My aunt does most of the cooking and enjoys doing it every year. A dish that my aunt does for some occasions is gumbo which i love when she does it. Last Christmas was kind of memorable because I was there with my cousins and we all spent like we did when we were younger. My family is the most important thing to me. A holiday is nothing special without family and friends. It is a fun peaceful time when you can catch up on quality time. Also my family goes to Church together on Sunday and if we dont cook we try and go out and eat together. Traditions are important for families because they provide opportunities to keep your family legacy going. From the simple to the silly to the sentimental, traditions can create meaningful memories. A good ouying for christmas day is to the movies with your family or close friends. When it comes to food, we all have family traditions of some type. Whether they be passed down from generations, or developed as your family grows, having traditions makes for long lasting family memories and can help to instill family values and healthy habits for others. My family always make sure to capture all memories by taking pictures and recording on a camera. Before the meal we always pray and never forget those who we have lost. My family is very strong willed and determined to suceed in life.
A memorable food tradition in my family is the pound cake that my aunt always makes for every holiday. Ever since I was younger I always remember her making this cake. What makes it so special is the fact that the recipe has been in our family for years. The recipe was handed down from my grandmother to my aunt. Many people in the family have tried to duplicate that cake but only my aunt can make like my grandmother did. Another tradition that we have in our family was my grandmother's sweet tea. She would make it for every Sunday dinner. That sweet tea has been in our family for years as well. These traditions have a little bit more of a special meaning to me because they remind of my grandmother so whenever we have family dinners I feel as though she's still there with us.
My family and I adore food in all aspects. We see food as something special to share with one another during important occasions. I have many relatives that are amazing cooks. Traditionally we pass down recipes and our styles of cooking on to each generation. One major traditional dish that is created is okra gumbo that is prepared by my eldest great aunt for Christmas. She understands the texture, aroma, seasoning, and all the ingredients that make the dish such a success. During Thanksgiving my cousin Catherine makes her special crawfish fettuccini and my Grandmother makes the rice dressing. My mom is an awesome baker so she gets involved with the desserts such as the muffins, cornbread, double chocolate cake, and my dad tops it off with his brownies and glazed bread pudding. Of course those aren’t the only things on the menu. My favorite is my Grandmother’s wonderful black eyed peas and cabbage on New Year’s. It is tradition and legend that the black eyed peas and cabbage brings in the New Year with good luck. I can go on and on about the dishes my family and I adore for many different occasions, but that my take the entire semester. I just hope that someday the generations that follow me could adore and respect the love food brings to our family the way I do! I know I have a lot more learning to do to get to the level my elderly family members are, but with practice and more holidays of spending time in the kitchen with them, it shouldn’t be such a difficult task.
My family is very big on traditions. One of my favorite and memorable traditions from growing up is that every Sunday after church my uncle would cook Sunday dinner. Normally everyone would think that a woman would be in the kitchen but in my family my uncle is the cook. My family was always close and we all went to the same church. After church is dismissed at one o’clock my uncle would go home and start cooking. After dinner is served we would all sit around and talk about the sermon that the pastor delivered. My uncle would pull out his bible and deliver his own mini sermon. Everyone has always said my uncle has the calling to be a pastor but he has never answered it. After my uncle mini sermon we all start to sing and then we watch movies. We normally lose track of time by my uncle house. We always start off with one movie and that one movie turns into two and then two turns into three. We can never leave at a reasonable time but all in all we still have fun and we get to spend that time being a family and I love it.
When it comes to the most memorable food traditions in my family, baked bell peppers are number one. Each and every one of us looks forward to the bell peppers that my Auntie Shelly makes for every family gathering. No family gathering is complete without those delicious baked bell peppers. Whether it’s a holiday or a football game or birthday, no function is complete without the baked bell peppers. The way she combines ground meat, crab, and shrimp with a variety of seasonings makes the whole family's mouth water. The way the green bell pepper is baked to perfection leaves everyone in awe as they all stand in line for their share of the dish. Nobody knows who taught her how to create these wonderful bell peppers, but we are very thankful for her knowledge of how to cook them. Although she has tried to pass the recipe down to her kids, none of them can make the bell peppers as well as she can. Many of her kids try to compete to see whose entrée is more similar to her meal, but none of them comes close to her cooking skills. My Auntie Shelly is the best cook in my family. Another family favorite is her baked macaroni and cheese. I could go on and on about how no other family cook comes close to my Auntie Shelly’s cooking, but one would have to eat it believe it. Her food would have you wanting more, and an invite to the next family gathering. Nobody can deny that those baked bell peppers are the favorite amongst the food, especially based on how many people get them, as well as the number they get. I can honestly say that I look forward to the next family gathering not only for the company of my family, but the bell peppers as well.
As a child I can remember many family food traditions. Every Sunday my family and I would gather around the dinner table filled with love and happiness. My grandmother made sure my tummy was satisfied with her deep down south cooking. Embarrassingly, I often over indulged in gluttony at the family’s Sunday dinners. In particular, the best thing my grandmother made was her famous gumbo. Living in Louisiana, gumbo is a big thing in the south. My grandmother made the best gumbo. No one could prepare this meal the way my grandmother could. Every seasoning, spice, and sauce seemed just right. She had so many different ways in preparing her special gumbo. One Sunday she might prepare shrimp gumbo, and the next Sunday would prepare crawfish gumbo. Other family members tried to make gumbo like my grandmother but none could compare to my grandmother’s. I never knew the recipe to make my grandmother’s special gumbo, but I knew whatever she did the outcome we phenomenal. Who taught my grandmother the recipe to her special gumbo is unknown. My grandmother has been trying to keep her special gumbo as a family tradition and is now teacher my mother how to make it. Sunday dinner as well as other holidays and special occasions my family always looks forward to my granny’s special gumbo. As my granny prepared her special gumbo I could smell the lusters of the spices skating into my nostrils. Waiting for her to cook it seemed like it took an eternity. As my grandmother cook I would always stand in the kitchen and help her and just talk about good times and wonderful memories. Looking back, the moment then she taught me many lessons as a final result her special gumbo. I enjoy Sunday dinners all because of my grandmother’s special gumbo.
One memorable food tradition in my family is sweet potato pie. This was a tradition we used for various occasions throughout the year. Most commonly, it was thanksgiving and Christmas. My grandma would take her time making sure that they were baked jus right the night before. When she got done baking them they were wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in the refridgerator until it was time for them to be eaten. My favorite part in the whole preparation was licking the spoon and the bowl while they were baking. Sweet potato pie is probably the most popular desert in my family. My grandma can make them better than anyone I know. My dad always has his way of being difficult and requesting a special pie made for him. This is because he supposedly likes a thinner sheet of sweet potato on his slices. I always used to wonder why he didn't just scrape off the excess of what he didn't want. It wasn't until Igot a little older that I recognized his hustle. He just wanted his own pie. I can't wait until Thanksgiving again; then it's sweet potato pie season all over again.
I have a lot of memorable food traditions with my family. They are mostly seasonal because they fit for the occasion. One of my most memorable traditions is during Christmas time. Although it is cold during the winter time and hot drinks and food are ideal, we look forward to something freezing. My mom, sisters, and I all make chocolate freeze cups once winter break hits. It is basically chocolate milk with sugar completely frozen. Once it is frozen, we eat it with a spoon while decorating the tree or making cookies for Santa Claus. When I was younger I thought it was something my mom thought of and decided to start doing it, but I found out that it was a family tradition. Half of my family is from New Orleans and the tradition come from my great-grandparents. I found out that they used to sell frozen chocolate cups out their house in the 7th ward when kids would come home from an elementary school called Epiphany. I was really amazed because I found out a lot of people liked them and it was something they were known for in the neighborhood. Now it is something we do in the winter and I really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteNancy Pham
ReplyDeleteLooking back on my childhood, there is a food tradition that I cannot forget. I remember every once in a while, my whole family would get together and have a huge feast. It was really spectacular. There were soups, lobster, salads, pasta, roasted pork, and rice. Basically, it was a bunch of Asian dishes that were brought from home or bought from restaurants. However, before we were able to eat those yummy foods, they were placed upon altars and incense was lit. I remember playing in the smoke when I was little, thinking I could catch it and bottle it. Once the incense was all gone, we would take the food down from the altar, warm it up, and eat it. The family would dig in and the table was rich with conversation. Most of the time, my grandfather would talk about his memories as a general in the Viet Nam War. I remember listening and nibbling at my food as I listened quite intently. It was only a couple of years ago where I really sat down with my grandfather and asked him about this tradition. Apparently, this tradition is to commemorate a family member’s passing. There were many dates that my grandfather remembers and these dates have to coincide with the Chinese calendar. I am sitting in front of my grandmother’s altar as I am writing this. I look upon it with sadness, because I do remember the date of her passing. However, I do not understand the whole process of the traditions. I do not understand why the incense has to be burned or what has to go on the altar. I always wonder whether or not I will keep this tradition alive in the future. In a way, I feel as if I have to because I would be ashamed if I knew that my culture died out because of me.
Our family has one particular food tradition that just so happens to also be a southern tradition as well. My dad’s side of the family mainly participates in this tradition. It is eating black-eyed peas and cabbage on New Years day. It is believed that if this is done it will bring good luck to your household and family. I particularly like this tradition because I enjoy eating black-eyed peas and cabbage. This tradition has run in my family for many many years. It has been a southern tradition for even longer. I have been participating in this tradition since before I turned one year old. Usually, my Granny cooks the peas and my uncle cooks the cabbage. It has been a memorable family tradition because it is during a time when all of my family comes in town and we all sit around the house eating and socializing. What adds on to the fun is that since it is a southern tradition, close friends and neighbors even pitch in and we hang out with them also. I definitely plan on continuing this tradition with my own family in the future. From what I see, it has been a tradition where my family comes together and we all enjoy each other’s company.
ReplyDeleteI have many memorable food traditions in my family. All of our food traditions fit well with all of the holidays, expect Christmas. On Christmas there is this particular dish that my grandmother cooks. This dish is cooked on Christmas because it fits perfectly with the cold weather. Shrimp and crab gumbo is the dish that all of my family members love. I remember my first time watching my grandmother prepare this dish; I was disgusted and a bit disturbed. I was a little girl watching her put the scary crabs and shrimp into the pot. I was too young to understand that seafood was edible. Also the strange smell made me think it was going to be nasty. Boy, I hate the smell of the shrimp and crab gumbo. When my grandmother finished preparing the gumbo she insisted on my trying it and I said “NOO” and she shoved a spoon full of the gumbo into my mouth. After I swallowed the gumbo, I thought I was in heaven. I didn’t know that food could taste that good. Now I cant get enough of my grandmother‘s gumbo. This has been my most memorable food tradition because on Christmas my family and I are brought together to eat this wonderful meal and make memories. What also makes this food tradition memorable to me is seeing all of my family members because we all live far apart and rarely see each other. There’s nothing better than quality time with your family members and eating a good meal. I wish my grandmother could cook shrimp and crab gumbo on every holiday but it would be breaking our family’s tradition. Shrimp and crab gumbo is not only my family’s food tradition but it’s a food tradition in southern Louisiana, mainly New Orleans. New Orleans is known for its gumbo, spicy foods, and other great things also.
ReplyDeleteI have numerous food traditions in my family, but the most memorable ones are during the holidays (Christmas and Thanksgiving). On my mother side of the family we usually have more of a traditional feast. My grandmother will cook dressing with cranberry sauce to complement it. She will season a turkey a night before the holiday and fry it the next day. I don’t know if it is just a southern thing, but most of the people up north I talk to have never heard of frying a turkey. Then she will make some homemade yeast rolls from scratch. We also will have a lot of desserts for the holidays because her kids like to take them home to eat. She makes praline candy, fruit cookies, sweet potato pie, pound cake, and pecan pie. We also have a tradition of making this special punch in which she won’t tell anyone the recipe for. On my dad’s side of the family it is not as tradition for both holidays. On Thanksgiving my grandmother will make macaroni and cheese, regular dressing and oyster dressing, fried and smoked turkey, baked hen, chocolate cake, carrot cake, cheese cake, potato salad, cranberry sauce, and pecan pie. On Christmas she will decide to change it up a little bit. She will cook the same things but will add gumbo. This tradition of cooking food on the holidays for the both sides of my family dates back generations. With all of my family living in the south, it is just natural to receive such foods for the holidays. We all enjoy eating until we can’t eat any more because that is the biggest meal we will receive all year. With all of my family having jobs and living in different places, eating food during the holidays is a memorable food tradition.
ReplyDeleteMy family loves to eat, so of course we have many food traditions. My favorite one is the tradition that we have on Thanksgiving. Everyone on my mother's side of the family comes to visit and they each bring one of their specialty dishes. I have family that range from Texas, to Chicago, down to New Orleans, across to Georgia, and back to Mississippi, so get to eat a wide range of food that we don't usually get to eat all the time. My aunt from New Orleans makes an amazing dressing and a mean macaroni noodle dish. My aunt from Mississippi learned how to make gumbo years ago and her dish is my second favorite. My favorite dish of all is the blackberry cobbler that was passed down from my great grandma to my mother and now to me. I loved it so much I decided to learn how to cook it myself. With so many different foods it has become one of my favorite times of the year. Some of the traditions we have are on Christmas my mom bakes cookies for everyone. New Year's we cook black-eyed peas, cornbread, and cabbage because it is supposed to bring good fortune, luck, and money to you throughout the year. On my father's side of the family for the Fourth of July we have a big celebration and my grandma cooks some of the best food ever. Her foods give you the itis and make you all sleepy. You have to take a nap after her meals. She also makes a killer chocolate cake that even my mother's side of the family asks here to make for them sometime. During hunting season whenever we go hunting and kill a deer we have deer sausage made and have them for breakfast the next morning. There are a few of our family food traditions.
ReplyDeleteMy family and I don’t really have food traditions. However when food and my family get together it is always going to be a good time. My family is a little different around the holidays though. When thanksgiving comes around we always spend it by my grandma’s house in Slidell, Louisiana. Since I live in Slidell my mom and I don’t have to travel too far, but family from out of town come in early and stay by my grandma. For thanksgiving instead of eating turkey my grandma and my god mother prepares us ham to eat with the rest of our food. All that we eat on thanksgiving consist of: baked macaroni, yams, potato salad, ham, seafood gumbo, stuffed bell peppers, dinner rolls, upside down pineapple cake, lemon pie, and sweet potato pie. For Christmas all the different food don’t really change, but instead of having ham we have a turkey for Christmas. I find the difference of the tradition in these holidays that my family does different is very unique. Some families make both, turkey and ham. On thanksgiving table you will never find turkey. I look forward to the difference in our holiday, but the most important thing of them is not the food. Even if we didn’t have the food my family would make the most of our time together. We enjoy playing card games such as phase 10 and spades after we eat together as one big family. To go along with the after feast fun my god mother sometimes gets in the kitchen and makes frozen drinks for the family. I could not imagine a better family to spend my holidays with.
ReplyDeleteI have a really small but close-knit family. We are Americanized but we still hold on to our Vietnamese tradition. A memorable food tradition that my family and I have adopted is on every other Sunday, my mother makes a traditional Vietnamese soup made of whole chicken, beef bone, and brisket, simmered overnight with five herbs and secret spices. It makes a broth and is served over flat rice noodles and topped with red or green onions and cilantro and it is usually served with a side of basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno peppers, and limes depending on the person eating it. On holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Vietnamese New Years, my family usually goes to my grandma's house early in the morning to help cook and set up. We usually make crispy eggrolls called Cha Gio and shrimp spring rolls called Goi Cuon as starters. We also make a jasmine rice dish called Bo Luc Lac. It is a cubed flank steak sautéed with onions, celery, tomatoes, and garlic and a special sauce. We have Korean ribs that my aunt sautés in her secret sauce. My aunt sometimes makes a big pot of eggdrop soup that we enjoy when the weather is chilly. Since we are Americanized, we do make American food. Aside from our Vietnamese dishes, we make barbecue chicken, jambalaya, macaroni, mashed potatoes, and hot dogs. All of the food usually goes onto one big table and it is set up like a buffet. We have two big tables that we eat on. Since one table is not big enough for our whole family, we have two. The adults eat on one and the kids eat on the other. My family food tradition is special in our family because it brings our distant family members together because we don’t usually see each other often.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Reuther
ReplyDeleteMost of my family food traditions are during the holidays with my family. During Thanksgiving every year we eat most of the same food. We have many traditional Thanksgiving sides, but we add some of our own as well. We make a mock-oyster dip, which is extremely good and a request every year. My two sisters always make mashed-potatoes with lumps, of course. My grandfather always carves and slices the turkey. My mom makes the stuffing, half inside the turkey and half outside the turkey. It is definitely a family favorite during this season.
Christmas time also holds a family tradition. The meal is basically the same as Thanksgiving, but the desserts are very different. My little sister makes chocolate covered strawberries for the holiday. My mom gets apple, custard, and pecan pies and there is also king cake each year. All of these desserts are huge hits, especially the king cake because it is usually the first time that we eat it for the festival season. Christmas desserts are a family favorite because everybody eats a little bit of something.
Another food tradition my family has is red beans on Monday. My whole family goes over to my Aunt’s house every Monday night, and we have a meal of red beans and rice and sausage. This is my father’s favorite meal of the week because he eats multiple plates. My Aunt cooks a different side with the meal each time, but it is always very yummy. It is one of my favorite nights as well because I get to see my cousins. It is a special night for my family to take time out of the week and spend time with each other over a very delicious meal.
Charity Crain
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to most memorable food traditions in my family, baked bell peppers are number one. Each and every one of us looks forward to the bell peppers that my Auntie Shelly makes for every family gathering. No family gathering is complete without them. Whether its a holiday or saints game or birthday, no function is complete without the bell peppers.The way she combines ground meat, crab, and shrimp with a variety of seasonings makes the whole family's mouth water. The way the green pepper is baked to perfection leaves everyone in awe as they all stand in line for their share of the dish. Nobody knows who taught her how to create these wonderful bell peppers, but we are very thankful for her knowledge of how to cook them. Although she has tried to pass the recipe down to her kids, none of them can make the bell peppers as well as she can. I can honestly say that I look forward to the next family gathering not only for my family, but the bell peppers as well.
Kierra Hitchens
ReplyDeleteMy most memorable food tradition within my family is the preparation of gumbo on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each year the whole family gets together to celebrate the holiday and prepares a large feast to share. The most popular dish made in my family around the holidays is gumbo. Preparing the gumbo is not an easy process in fact it’s hard work and takes almost a whole day to fix. Everybody in the family is assigned a specific job to help make the cooking process go by a little bit faster. My mother is always the one to start the process by cooking the rue. The rue is the base of the gumbo. Without the rue, there is no gumbo. My sisters always prepare the seafood, throwing in pieces of shrimp and crab. I always prepare the rice, because its one of the easiest jobs, but its also one of the most important. Seafood Gumbo is an amazing dish that has been cooked in my family for years and will probably continue down the family tree. The best part of preparing the gumbo is even though we all have our separate jobs during the cooking process, we all come together to make one delicious giant pot of gumbo. Preparing the meal together is a great aspect of making gumbo, especially since gumbo means “all together”. After the gumbo is finished cooking my family joins together in prayer, another great tradition in our family, then we all enjoy eating the gumbo together as we laugh and joke at the dinner table. Though eating gumbo on major holidays might not seem like a “big family food tradition” it is one of the most memorable food traditions in my family. Gumbo is a big part of my family’s lifestyles and also a big part of my life that brings friends, family, and me all together. I love gumbo and all its history and because of its amazing history, it is one of my most memorable food traditions within my family.
The only memorable food tradition I can remember in my family is during the Chinese New Year holiday. This happens once a year and what we do is we have a family gathering and have a feast together. The foods that we eat are Vietnamese foods. We also eat some American foods as well. Some of the Vietnamese foods that we eat are pho which is rice noodle soup with different kinds of meat and vegetables all mixed together, fried rice, banh bao which is steamed buns with meat and vegetables inside of them, and egg rolls that also have some meat and vegetables inside of them. These are some of the things we eat and are prepared days before the feast and cooked by the women. The men do more of the grilling like fish and sometimes steak. Usually when we eat fish, steak, or any kind of meat we would eat it with rice. Everyone would help around with preparing for the feast, but the adults did more of the cooking. When we eat the family usually splits up by age at the table. All the adults would sit by each other so they can talk to each other and all the younger people would sit by each other because we’re all cousins and we can talk to each other. We usually have lots to talk about because we have families out of state so it’s not often that we get to talk to each other. So we spend the whole night catching up with each other and when we finished we would start to clean up. Whatever we have leftover we would save it for the next day or whenever we get hungry again.
ReplyDeleteMinh Luan Nguyen
ReplyDeleteThe most memorable food tradition in my family is during Thanksgiving. Everyone in my family and extended families would all bring food to get together and celebrate the joyous holiday. What makes this interesting is that we bring all sorts of food, ranging from Asian foods, Vietnamese and Chinese foods, to American foods. Some of the food that are present are turkey, fried rice, crabs, oysters, crawfish, spring rolls, egg rolls, and much more. As you can see, there is a lot of diversity in the food. This makes it very memorable for me because it is the biggest feast in the year for my family and how diverse the range of food is. My aunts, uncles, and cousins enjoy different foods and they can bring that food to the table for the rest of us to enjoy. For example, my uncle cooks some of the best barbeque chicken and hotdogs while my aunt makes eggrolls that taste out of this world. Sometimes, one person would bring a strange food that I would think twice about eating, but once I have tried it, I can't stop. For example, at one family reunion, my brother tricked me into eating fried frog legs and told me it was chicken. I tried it and thought, "This is some good chicken, but it looks deformed." He told me it was frog legs and I was a bit surprised because I hate frogs, but it tasted so good. I can't wait until next Thanksgiving for this occasion to take place again.
Mahalia Dees
ReplyDeleteMy family does not have many food traditions. We cook certain things every holiday but we cook a main dish specific to the occasion. On Thanksgiving, we follow American tradition and bake a turkey. We may make a honey baked ham as well depending on the number of people we cook for. On Christmas we bake a ham every year. Sometimes we spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with my grandmother and aunt which is a completely different experience than celebrating at home because they are vegetarians and choose not to eat fatty foods. Because my father refuses to have a meal without meat, my mother usually cooks a ham or collard greens with pork in them for him and then cooks stuffing or green bean casserole without the fat for the table with my aunt and grandmother. On New Year’s my mother makes jambalaya, collard greens for good financial fortune during the New Year and black eyed peas for good luck during the New Year. Black eyed peas and collard greens are an African American tradition for a new year’s celebration. On celebrated major holidays throughout the year, we make collard greens and baked macaroni and cheese. On my father’s birthday I make my lasagna because it is his favorite dish.
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ReplyDeleteA memorable food tradition in my family is making huge pots of gumbo during the Christmas and New Year holidays. As long as I can remember my family has kept up this tradition every year. It is always a group effort and everyone contributes in some way. It is a way for us to spend time together and bond. The first day my dad is responsible for buying all of the necessary ingredients for the gumbo and potato salad. My mom sometimes makes a second trip if anything is forgotten or bought on accident. The next day my two sisters take on the role of prep cooks. They back shrimps, cut up the various meats, break the crabs, and do anything else that is required to get ready to cook the next day. On the third day, my mom and I do all the actual cooking. I make the rue while she get all the ingredients out and ready to go. Many people just through all their meats in and let it cook in the gumbo but we usually cook all the meat except for the shrimp and drumettes before putting it in the gumbo. We cook the gumbo in the biggest pot in the house which is made out of cast iron. During the process of cook lots and lots of taste testing goes on which seems to be everyone’s favorite part. The drumettes go in second to last so they are tender but stay on the bone. The shrimp are put in last because they cook the fastest. When my mom and I are nearly done, my sisters make the potato salad to go along with the gumbo. My family of five usually can eat off of this pot for two weeks and still have gumbo left to give to other family members and friends.
ReplyDeleteThere are several memorable food traditions that are in my family. Most of my family food traditions occur at the same time every year. My family food traditions main purpose is to get the family together and remember out lost love ones. Many of my family food traditions happen during Christmas or Thanksgiving holiday. However, my most memorable family food tradition happens every Sunday after church; my family and I go over my granny’s house and eat a Sunday dinner. These Sunday dinners have been a tradition in my family for more than 50 years ago. My Great Great Grandparents started this tradition in Greenville, Mississippi to bring the family together and talk about church and family. These Sunday dinners have been going on well after my Great Great Grandparents deaths. We still continue this tradition because each Sunday we all just sit at the dinner table and talk about family memories. We have a variety of foods at these Sunday dinner and most of the recipes were past down from generation to generation. Many of these family dishes remind us of the loves one that family members who died throughout the years. Most of the foods are cornbread, collard greens, chicken, ham, green beans, and many other dishes. Each of these foods has a little part of family history in each of them because they were first cooked by our ancestors. We use these Sunday dinners to share what we learned from the sermon. Every Sunday dinner is a basically a celebration of the Glasper family. These Sunday dinners were some of best moments with my family. The Sunday dinners are a time when my family can come together and share laughter and love. I’m pretty sure that this family food tradition will continue on for many more years.
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ReplyDeleteChinedu Echebelem
ReplyDeleteWith my parents incorporating their Nigerian heritage and traditions throughout our everyday lives, there are several different memorable food traditions in my family. However, I believe the most memorable food tradition is Fufu. My parents serve Fu-Fu every day, whether it is for lunch or dinner. Although Fufu looks like balled up mashed potatoes, Fufu is made from a mixture of cassava leaves, pounded yam, and water. It tends to be sticky, so when it is being eaten, you usually have to wet your fingers. These ingredients are pounding with a mortar and pestle, if you are in Nigerian, or instead it can be cooked on a stove. Fufu is served with different flavored soups. Some soups are called egusi, okra, and stew, which would be considered tomato soup in the United States. These soups are filled with different types of meat and fish. You roll the fufu into little balls and dip them into the soup. You are not supposed to chew the fufu, but instead swallow it whole. Fufu can be viewed as a utensil, because it acts as a spoon to eat the soup. In my house, Fufu is eaten on a daily basis, and is served every holiday.
Fufu is also served as a welcoming meal when guest arrive to your home. You usually would cook your guest fufu, rice, and stew. I believe fufu is the equivalent to how Americans serve finger foods, such as chips and dip, fruit, or cheese and crackers. Fufu is my family’s most memorable food tradition, because it is integrated into many of our family’s meals and I think it is a unique dish. I admire how Nigerian families take their time to cook this meal to welcome other families into their home. This dish is not only a tradition, but it symbolizes respect and unity within my culture.
My family food tradition changes from time to time. Around Christmas time my whole family gathers at my grandma house to celebrate. We have a very big tree and food for all who wants to attend. The favorite dish of mine around Christmas time is the sweet potato casserole. The dinner is always around three o clock. My aunt does most of the cooking and enjoys doing it every year. A dish that my aunt does for some occasions is gumbo which i love when she does it.
ReplyDeleteLast Christmas was kind of memorable because I was there with my cousins and we all spent like we did when we were younger. My family is the most important thing to me. A holiday is nothing special without family and friends. It is a fun peaceful time when you can catch up on quality time. Also my family goes to Church together on Sunday and if we dont cook we try and go out and eat together.
Traditions are important for families because they provide opportunities to keep your family legacy going. From the simple to the silly to the sentimental, traditions can create meaningful memories. A good ouying for christmas day is to the movies with your family or close friends. When it comes to food, we all have family traditions of some type. Whether they be passed down from generations, or developed as your family grows, having traditions makes for long lasting family memories and can help to instill family values and healthy habits for others. My family always make sure to capture all memories by taking pictures and recording on a camera. Before the meal we always pray and never forget those who we have lost. My family is very strong willed and determined to suceed in life.
A memorable food tradition in my family is the pound cake that my aunt always makes for every holiday. Ever since I was younger I always remember her making this cake. What makes it so special is the fact that the recipe has been in our family for years. The recipe was handed down from my grandmother to my aunt. Many people in the family have tried to duplicate that cake but only my aunt can make like my grandmother did. Another tradition that we have in our family was my grandmother's sweet tea. She would make it for every Sunday dinner. That sweet tea has been in our family for years as well. These traditions have a little bit more of a special meaning to me because they remind of my grandmother so whenever we have family dinners I feel as though she's still there with us.
ReplyDeleteDikeyta Bowser
ReplyDeleteMy family and I adore food in all aspects. We see food as something special to share with one another during important occasions. I have many relatives that are amazing cooks. Traditionally we pass down recipes and our styles of cooking on to each generation. One major traditional dish that is created is okra gumbo that is prepared by my eldest great aunt for Christmas. She understands the texture, aroma, seasoning, and all the ingredients that make the dish such a success. During Thanksgiving my cousin Catherine makes her special crawfish fettuccini and my Grandmother makes the rice dressing. My mom is an awesome baker so she gets involved with the desserts such as the muffins, cornbread, double chocolate cake, and my dad tops it off with his brownies and glazed bread pudding. Of course those aren’t the only things on the menu. My favorite is my Grandmother’s wonderful black eyed peas and cabbage on New Year’s. It is tradition and legend that the black eyed peas and cabbage brings in the New Year with good luck. I can go on and on about the dishes my family and I adore for many different occasions, but that my take the entire semester. I just hope that someday the generations that follow me could adore and respect the love food brings to our family the way I do! I know I have a lot more learning to do to get to the level my elderly family members are, but with practice and more holidays of spending time in the kitchen with them, it shouldn’t be such a difficult task.
Ira'neshia
ReplyDeleteMy family is very big on traditions. One of my favorite and memorable traditions from growing up is that every Sunday after church my uncle would cook Sunday dinner. Normally everyone would think that a woman would be in the kitchen but in my family my uncle is the cook. My family was always close and we all went to the same church. After church is dismissed at one o’clock my uncle would go home and start cooking. After dinner is served we would all sit around and talk about the sermon that the pastor delivered. My uncle would pull out his bible and deliver his own mini sermon. Everyone has always said my uncle has the calling to be a pastor but he has never answered it. After my uncle mini sermon we all start to sing and then we watch movies. We normally lose track of time by my uncle house. We always start off with one movie and that one movie turns into two and then two turns into three. We can never leave at a reasonable time but all in all we still have fun and we get to spend that time being a family and I love it.
Charity Crain
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to the most memorable food traditions in my family, baked bell peppers are number one. Each and every one of us looks forward to the bell peppers that my Auntie Shelly makes for every family gathering. No family gathering is complete without those delicious baked bell peppers. Whether it’s a holiday or a football game or birthday, no function is complete without the baked bell peppers. The way she combines ground meat, crab, and shrimp with a variety of seasonings makes the whole family's mouth water. The way the green bell pepper is baked to perfection leaves everyone in awe as they all stand in line for their share of the dish. Nobody knows who taught her how to create these wonderful bell peppers, but we are very thankful for her knowledge of how to cook them. Although she has tried to pass the recipe down to her kids, none of them can make the bell peppers as well as she can. Many of her kids try to compete to see whose entrée is more similar to her meal, but none of them comes close to her cooking skills. My Auntie Shelly is the best cook in my family. Another family favorite is her baked macaroni and cheese. I could go on and on about how no other family cook comes close to my Auntie Shelly’s cooking, but one would have to eat it believe it. Her food would have you wanting more, and an invite to the next family gathering. Nobody can deny that those baked bell peppers are the favorite amongst the food, especially based on how many people get them, as well as the number they get. I can honestly say that I look forward to the next family gathering not only for the company of my family, but the bell peppers as well.
As a child I can remember many family food traditions. Every Sunday my family and I would gather around the dinner table filled with love and happiness. My grandmother made sure my tummy was satisfied with her deep down south cooking. Embarrassingly, I often over indulged in gluttony at the family’s Sunday dinners. In particular, the best thing my grandmother made was her famous gumbo. Living in Louisiana, gumbo is a big thing in the south. My grandmother made the best gumbo. No one could prepare this meal the way my grandmother could. Every seasoning, spice, and sauce seemed just right. She had so many different ways in preparing her special gumbo. One Sunday she might prepare shrimp gumbo, and the next Sunday would prepare crawfish gumbo. Other family members tried to make gumbo like my grandmother but none could compare to my grandmother’s. I never knew the recipe to make my grandmother’s special gumbo, but I knew whatever she did the outcome we phenomenal. Who taught my grandmother the recipe to her special gumbo is unknown. My grandmother has been trying to keep her special gumbo as a family tradition and is now teacher my mother how to make it. Sunday dinner as well as other holidays and special occasions my family always looks forward to my granny’s special gumbo. As my granny prepared her special gumbo I could smell the lusters of the spices skating into my nostrils. Waiting for her to cook it seemed like it took an eternity. As my grandmother cook I would always stand in the kitchen and help her and just talk about good times and wonderful memories. Looking back, the moment then she taught me many lessons as a final result her special gumbo. I enjoy Sunday dinners all because of my grandmother’s special gumbo.
ReplyDeleteTaiRhe Turner
ReplyDeleteOne memorable food tradition in my family is sweet potato pie. This was a tradition we used for various occasions throughout the year. Most commonly, it was thanksgiving and Christmas. My grandma would take her time making sure that they were baked jus right the night before. When she got done baking them they were wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in the refridgerator until it was time for them to be eaten. My favorite part in the whole preparation was licking the spoon and the bowl while they were baking. Sweet potato pie is probably the most popular desert in my family. My grandma can make them better than anyone I know. My dad always has his way of being difficult and requesting a special pie made for him. This is because he supposedly likes a thinner sheet of sweet potato on his slices. I always used to wonder why he didn't just scrape off the excess of what he didn't want. It wasn't until Igot a little older that I recognized his hustle. He just wanted his own pie. I can't wait until Thanksgiving again; then it's sweet potato pie season all over again.