Who am I
Everyone recognizes the phrase “you are what you eat”, but not everyone knows what the phrase means. The most universal definition is if you eat healthy then you will be healthy. However, the food you choose to consume tells more about who you are culturally, socially, and your core values. Michael Pollan, a New York Times journalist, argues we should avoid food with health claims because they may not be actual food (2). The food we choose to eat represents a relationship between the origin of the food and yourself. While I grew up eating traditional Chinese food, such as Chinese porridge, which is prepared by my mother, I now find myself craving healthy salads to bring on the go, and this signifies that I am leaving behind my ethnic roots for a quick and convenient lifestyle.
While I grew up in a traditional Chinese home, my mother would cook Chinese porridge on cold days. I would watch as she poured large scoops of uncooked white rice into a large pot of hot water. While the rice cooked in the
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They would shop at one of these locations at least once a week to buy vegetables, a large sack of rice, and other groceries that is not found at an American supermarket. My parents did not mind going out of their way to visit different shops to buy groceries for the week because they enjoy cooking meals they had growing up in my grandparents’ homes. In his article, “The New American Food Culture”, John Ikerd states “The ‘traditionalist’ have strong religious beliefs and hold traditional family values” (2). According to Ikerd’s definition of a traditionalist, I find my parents more traditional because they value my family's ethnic background and try to hold on to their ethnic roots by eating foods from our culture and speaking the language. While my parents did not mind going out of their way, they held on to their values by the meals they