HW 4 - Your Families' Foodways

Habits are merely repetition, motions that become so normal to us we don’t even realize how often we do them. I believe our eating habits have been adapted from our caretakers and those around us. We don’t really change them unless something in the motion becomes abnormal and we are forced to. Until about 10 months ago my eating habits were reflections of my parents, and it was my choice to change them because I could feel something wasn’t working. Our culture, our families and our friends piece together the way we eat.

My mom grew up in Upstate New York, the nearest grocery store was 19 miles away from her house. A typical meal was some sort of meat, potatoes, a vegetable, salad and some sort of fruit. They always drank milk and only had soda on special occasions. My Grandmother would can food so when winter came around they had certain types of food. They grew a lot of their food in a small garden they had on their property. My Grandmother made a lot of sweets, she enjoyed baking. My Grandmother today has diabetes most likely a direct link to the amount of unhealthy desserts she ate in her younger years. She has had her leg amputated, most of her fingers and some of her toes. Recently when I visited her she told me how she doesn’t understand how she is still here. I think her story is quite remarkable and even though she is suffering with this disease she still manages to live a full life to the best of her ability.

When my mom went to college she kept eating the way she had while growing up under my grandparents roof. However when she realized she was heavier than normal she changed her eating habits and became a vegetarian. She wanted to be healthier and see if she would feel better by eliminating meat from her diet. For 17 years she was a vegetarian, she ate a lot of brown rice, tofu and vegetables. Although she does admit she has a sweet tooth she learned how to balance her eating habits. She likes that in New York City we have so many resources of fresh food and tries to buy local as much as possible. She likes to cook her own food so she knows what is in it. This allows her to not use salt, sugar or lots of oil. I believe especially now my mom is influenced by her own mother and the setting she lives in to help create eating habits.

My dad grew up in New York City, not to far from where we live now. A typical meal in his house was some sort of meat, vegetables and there was always a salad. When my grandparents had guests over they usually served wine as well. My grandmother was in charge of ordering food, there was a butcher shop in the building, and two blocks down was a grocery store that sold vegetables. She would call the owners every day to see what they had in stock. My grandmother tried her best to make the meals as interesting as possible but she was not much of a cook. On Wednesdays my Aunt Paulina would visit my grandparents and make a traditional Romanian Jewish dinner. Unless they had guests they wouldn’t sit in the dining room but the kitchenette. When my Dad moved out of his parent’s house and was on his own he ate similarly but much less expensive food.

Today my eating habits are mainly based on my mothers this is because she is the one who does most of the cooking in my house. She is the definition of a health nut. So much of our food is organic and from the health food store down the street from our house. However when I eat healthy I feel better about myself. We do have sweets occasionally but not to often, and if I open my fridge and there is soda in it I am shocked. Since my mom was also a vegetarian for 17 years she has helped me a lot in picking foods that give me enough nutrition to live a healthy life. My parents don’t like ordering in food and don’t like eating at fast food restaurants.

Every night we all have dinner together and talk about things that happened in all of our days. As much as some nights I really am not in the mood to talk I think by having this time in the day it has only been beneficial to my life. We discuss and expand our ideas and thoughts while surrounded with each other’s company. I think my parents have taken the positive parts of their food related times while growing up and incorporated them in our family. So forth having a huge influence on me as a person and as an eater.

However I think something else to consider with eating habits are friends. Since I am at the age where quite a number of my weekly meals are without my parents I have to take the eating skills I have been taught and put them into use. Personally I end up bringing lunch from home quite a bit, probably due to my mothers idea of knowing what is in her food. It also eliminates the option of not knowing what to eat, since my diet is very specific. And furthermore if my friends want to eat something unhealthy I don't have the temptation to join in. I guess the real test to see how you honestly eat is when you are on your own and have the whole menu to choose from.