This was incredible to read! Excited to see more posts like this. right up my alley. Exactly the type of stories and traditions we risk losing, especially with immigrant roots. Keep putting these together and I'll read them all and share with friends/family. Looking forward to what's to come!
This rocked. I love good, evocative food writing, and I love good personal essay and this is BOTH!
I don't have a food betrayal story, so much as a reverse-food betrayal hot take? I think Americans do Bavarian soft pretzels better than the Germans do. Eek.
Love how your grandfather embraced something new and different. It reminds me of my grandma who had moved here from India in her 70s and started exploring different cuisines. Home cooked Indian food was still her go to but somehow still enjoyed a little experimentation.
Love this. It reminded me of betraying my mom’s rice when I was little. My next door neighbor (turned babysitter, naturally lol) was Puerto Rican and I looooved coming over after school to eat her meals. My mom noticed how much I loved Doña Tere’s rice and started making arroz con gandules for me at home. To this day she’ll still whip out the pigeon peas for meals when I come home. Looking back I’m sure it stung to stop making the rice she always knew how to make, but it’s so sweet to think she learned a new style just so I could enjoy it more. Wow 🥲
I haven’t thought about little memories like that, thanks for helping me pull this out of my memory and gain a newfound appreciation, Tyeesha! <3
Wow, thanks so much for sharing this memory. Your mother seems like the type of person to put her foot in all her cooking, so I'm sure she left a little of herself in every pot. I can't wait to make it with you one day!
My initial thought was that soup was dark when it’s supposed to be clear and white like the dumplings made of white rice. And that our ancestors would turn up from the graves. How I used to make stuff like that and my family members would detest but my aunt said nice things and encouraged me…. Also I’d like to take this opportunity to say that my father, Tyeesha’s gramp had to walk from school barefooted because his shoes were missing since they had to place shoes in the hallway during the classes.He only ate tree bark during the war whereas my mom lived in the same city who got married arranged later,always had food even during the war, she said. It’s hard times these days for some and hope things will get better for all.
Breathtakingly beautiful memories, like gentle flashbacks, bringing back the warmth of togetherness through the years.🫶🌸🌸🌸💕
Thank you, 이모. I’m glad we can connect over these memories, even from afar. And thanks so much for supporting this work! 🩷
This was incredible to read! Excited to see more posts like this. right up my alley. Exactly the type of stories and traditions we risk losing, especially with immigrant roots. Keep putting these together and I'll read them all and share with friends/family. Looking forward to what's to come!
Thank you for supporting this work, and welcome to the family! Excited to help you tell your stories one day soon ☺️.
This rocked. I love good, evocative food writing, and I love good personal essay and this is BOTH!
I don't have a food betrayal story, so much as a reverse-food betrayal hot take? I think Americans do Bavarian soft pretzels better than the Germans do. Eek.
This means a lot coming from such a talented writer. Thank you for supporting the work!
On the pretzels, I tend to agree SMH. It’s the flavor and moisture. Maybe our brains are broken. That’s a whole other essay…
Love how your grandfather embraced something new and different. It reminds me of my grandma who had moved here from India in her 70s and started exploring different cuisines. Home cooked Indian food was still her go to but somehow still enjoyed a little experimentation.
Thanks for sharing this! Grandparents are always the most resourceful lol. Curious if there were any mashups you have particularly fond memories of?
I wish I could! She didn’t venture out a ton or try fusion but she loved pizza, Mexican food, and this local Mediterranean chain lol
It would have been great to introduce her to more options now that I know more too :)
One I’m excited to try in Chicago is swadesi bakery. They have things like samosa and gulab jamun croissants!
Yummmmmm 😋
Love this. It reminded me of betraying my mom’s rice when I was little. My next door neighbor (turned babysitter, naturally lol) was Puerto Rican and I looooved coming over after school to eat her meals. My mom noticed how much I loved Doña Tere’s rice and started making arroz con gandules for me at home. To this day she’ll still whip out the pigeon peas for meals when I come home. Looking back I’m sure it stung to stop making the rice she always knew how to make, but it’s so sweet to think she learned a new style just so I could enjoy it more. Wow 🥲
I haven’t thought about little memories like that, thanks for helping me pull this out of my memory and gain a newfound appreciation, Tyeesha! <3
Wow, thanks so much for sharing this memory. Your mother seems like the type of person to put her foot in all her cooking, so I'm sure she left a little of herself in every pot. I can't wait to make it with you one day!
My initial thought was that soup was dark when it’s supposed to be clear and white like the dumplings made of white rice. And that our ancestors would turn up from the graves. How I used to make stuff like that and my family members would detest but my aunt said nice things and encouraged me…. Also I’d like to take this opportunity to say that my father, Tyeesha’s gramp had to walk from school barefooted because his shoes were missing since they had to place shoes in the hallway during the classes.He only ate tree bark during the war whereas my mom lived in the same city who got married arranged later,always had food even during the war, she said. It’s hard times these days for some and hope things will get better for all.