Food Around The World

Michelle Padilla, Staff Reporter

One thing is clear, everyone loves food. But most of the time, we eat something without knowing its background. The only thing most people know is what country the dish is from. Many are not aware of the pride and history many meals have.

Most people go to a Mexican restaurant and eat Mexican dishes, but have no idea what it means to that country’s people. 

Food sometimes represents a culture, a religion, a person’s lifestyle and beliefs, or can just be a family recipe that is passed down every generation. In any way, food always means something to those who first discovered a recipe or to those who that recipe was passed down to.

Freshman Diana Corona, who is Cuban and Mexican, shared her opinion on the importance of traditional food, “A country’s food depends on its people’s hard work, besides the climate and what that specific land can grow. In Cuba, there are a lot of fields, so it all comes into play with agriculture. Food is important because it represents our culture and background.” 

People are proud of their customs, they put their rich, native flavors into their dishes, but these dishes are shared without context or background. The consumers remain ignorant to its significance.

Freshman Martina Roufaeil comments how her country’s food makes her feel better. “When I have a particularly bad day, I go home and eat traditional Egyptian food, it kind of soothes my nerves, because it’s something familiar.” 

We all grow up eating the food of our cultures. Everytime you want to feel at home, you seek for the food your family presented to you, our acquaintance with it makes us feel comfortable. That is also where family recipes come in; to keep a custom alive. Traditional cuisine is passed down throughout the generations to keep heritage alive. It is an expression of our cultural identity. 

Those of us that come from other countries bring our food as a way to preserve our culture when we move to another place. A way beliefs are represented in food is in Chinese dishes. Harmony is a vital trait in their life aspects, and they show this by creating delicious meals with balanced flavors. Food can teach you a lot about a country’s influences or a person’s ways.