My Cultural Identity

Culture identity is an immense portion of who we are. Culture has an impact from the moment we are born to the end of one's life. Ever happened to heard of the phrase “You are what you eat.”? In my culture it’s a little more like “You eat what you are.” Now, you may be confused so let me explain. I come from a hispanic culture, both of my parents are Mexican which means I come from Mexican roots that have now fused with my personal American culture. Food is an immense part of my cultural identity since it is incorporated so much in my life. The reason a meal is so influential in my culture is because of the sense of togetherness that it builds, the great amount of time that it gives my family to share things together, and the love and care

These events are mostly birthday parties, quinceñeras, Day of the Dead celebrations, Day of the Three Kings, Christmas, and a few others. Besides the fact that all of these events are celebratory occasions, there is a special factor that brings these together, the food. The meals that are served at the events have a direct correlation to the type of ongoing occasion. A very popular dish my family makes during the celebration of a birthday are fried beans with orange rice and “Carne Asada” which is barbecue followed by jello and cake for dessert. We usually have people over and serve a lot of food that everybody enjoys. Another important part of our culture is celebrating the day of the dead. Also called el Dia de los Muertos in Spanish a traditional meal consists of empanadas, tamales, ‘mole’, and sweet bread with a little skull in the middle to symbolize the dead, and candy skulls that can be found in candy stores. My family and I eat these foods to remember our relatives that have passed away. Before I existed my family would do this and as I grew up they slowly educated me about this and now it is part of me. My family and I eat these foods to remember our relatives that have passed away and the food that we remember them by. We “eat what we are”

Most of the time we tend to eat at Hispanic restaurants, such as, La Palmera, Azteca, and Todo México. Frequently visiting these restaurants is very common like on the weekends, when we tend to go out and eat dinner as a family. We enjoy going to buffets because of the variety of foods they offer. I would probably say that the place that is most frequently visited by my family is La Palmera in the Mill Creek Town Center, we usually go there about once a week and at times catch a Seahawks game while we eat dinner. My favorite meal is the burrito with shrimp, rice, beans, jalapenos, onions, sour cream, carne asada, and red peppers. You can catch me ordering this about 85% of the time. My family and I also really enjoy the chips and salsa they feed us before the main meal. Eating basket after basket of chips before our food is prepared and served. Thinking about upcoming dinner can really make your day better and it is always an enjoyable and joyful environment when my family and I sit at the dinner