Connecting through Diversity and FOOD!
By Laura McGuire
The world of my childhood was so small in some ways. Cultural diversity way back then seemed based on race – African-American and “mainstream” white American culture – or, at most, a couple of different kinds of European culture were all that I could see. Even the food that I was exposed to was so limited. Eating at an ethnic restaurant meant choosing between watered down Chinese-American takeout or, really, Italian food. Occasionally a German restaurant (I mean, Haussner’s was a thing). There were no Japanese or Mexican or Ethiopian or Peruvian or Indian places in my world or on my corner.
I had a wonderful opportunity to sit down with Sara Workeneh, and our conversation (I wish I could have recorded it) wandered down so many different avenues! But one theme kept repeating, and that is how culture and curiosity and being open to new things helps us to learn about and embrace one another.
That led me to reflect on how I have encountered new cultures, and I realized that so many of my insights about “the other” and other perspectives have come through food. How my childhood friends whose parents came from Romania or Korea helped open my eyes to their outlooks on life by sharing their lunches. How my first taste of Ethiopian food (taken in the context of my Foreign Language club in high school) or traditional Spanish food (how different from the supermarket tacos of my childhood) stretched my understanding of the world. How an experience of an Indian friend’s family party gave me insight on the connection between food and culture.
It really startled me to realize how much my experience and appreciation of other cultures has come through the common denominator of food. I’m constantly awed at how people take some basic ingredients shared across many cultures and create something completely unique to them.
Being open to tasting new things – or even regular old things in new contexts – has helped me to be open to different people and their world views. Food shows us so much about our cultural experiences and backgrounds. I even learned a lot about my own heritage as an Irish-American when I tasted foods beyond corned beef and cabbage. Learning about my Czech ancestry, which I didn’t even know about until I was an adult, through tasting Česnečka (garlic soup) and kolaches (fruit pastries) helped me connect with that culture.
I wonder what stories you could tell about new understandings of your own that have been made through food? What discoveries about your own heritage or connections with a new culture have been made through breaking bread with your family or friends?
So, I invite you to bring something that is uniquely yours – your food, your connections, your experience, your cultural expression – to help us celebrate World Quaker Day this October 5. We’ll be holding a potluck after the later Meeting for Worship, and we hope that you will bring something that tells a bit of your story.
I can’t wait to taste and hear those stories!
- Laura