Whether it’s Chinese food, German Christmas cookies, a Welsh chicken or a pickle ornament in a tree, food is an essential mode of family connection
By HANNAH OSBORN — arts@theaggie.org
As fall quarter comes to an end, students are given the chance to take a break from academics and spend more time with loved ones. For many, the break will be a time to gather with family; something that 69% of Americans have reported looking forward to the most each winter.
Food is often a fundamental part of these gatherings. While the food eaten with family and friends over the break won’t look the same for everyone, each cuisine reflects unique holiday traditions.
Naya Cardiff, a third-year international relations and political science double major, has observed the way her family’s gatherings have changed over the years, visible in what food relatives brought to her parent’s Thanksgiving.
“Back when we used to have big family meetings, it would be kind of whatever anyone brought,” Cardiff said. “But because my grandparents — although one of them is Vietnamese — have always tried to assimilate into white culture, and also because my godparents are from the South, it would be very traditionally Americana, the turkey and the stuffing and all that stuff.”
Cardiff noted that as her Thanksgivings got smaller over time, the food began to shift to cater to different family members’ tastes and backgrounds.
“My mom’s going to make a lasagna and my dad’s going to make a Welsh chicken [this year],” Cardiff said. “My dad’s just using this as an excuse to make all of his Celtic food.”
For Cardiff’s family, there is also a longstanding tradition that separates how they celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. While they make food and come together for the former, she explained that going back home to Oakland for Christmas is a different story.
“The family tradition on Christmas has always been, and always will be, [that] we go to Chinatown and we find a Chinese restaurant to go to,” Cardiff said. “It stems from the Chinese/Vietnamese side of the family and [that] no one’s in Chinatown on Christmas, so it’s just really easy to go find a restaurant that is uncrowded and really good.”
For other students, food may also be related to activities their family participates in. Such is the case for Levi Klouse, a third-year history major, who described a German Christmas tradition involving pickles.
“So, you hide a pickle ornament in the tree,” Klouse said. “The kids have to go find it, and the first person to find it, you get an early Christmas present. It’s really hard to find it sometimes because it’s green and blends in.”
Klouse also shared some of the foods his family makes for the holidays and how they enjoy these dishes, including his regional favorites.
“Personally, my favorite thing that gets made every year is this corn casserole, because we’re from Illinois and we like corn,” Klouse said. “My sister really likes cranberry jello and then we usually make some kind of garlic knots or some breaded roll. I think one of my favorite things is when it turns into a potluck Thanksgiving and everyone brings something, so then it’s super random.”
Sometimes cooking the food comprises the entire tradition itself, along with the memories that come with it. Lailey Elliot, a second-year anthropology major, shared how she and her parents bake cookies together during the holidays.
“We make a whole host of German Christmas cookies,” Elliot said. “We make zimsterne, which are these little cinnamon stars. We make linzer cookies, which are my favorite; they’re almonds with jam in the middle. This is a pretty big undertaking for three people. I have great memories of getting together and making all these cookies with my mother — we like sweets.”
Spending time together was a throughline for what made their food traditions special. Cardiff described why the presence of food is essential to the interactions at her family gatherings.
“For me, food is just a convenient excuse to get everyone in an area that doesn’t have a TV to distract them, which is a good time to talk,” Cardiff said. “Last Christmas, there was considerably less TV because it was a time for us to enjoy each other’s presence. The importance of the food isn’t so much the food itself, although the food is really good, but the fact that [it] allows people to just sit down and talk and not be distracted by all the things.”
Whether sharing conversation over favorite dishes or learning recipes from relatives, food serves as a way to connect us to others and share traditions, according to Cardiff. In this season where we have more chances to dedicate ourselves to others, food allows us to bridge the gap, to make memories and to enjoy our time with each other.
Written by: Hannah Osborn — arts@theaggie.org
