Recently, I read that stress is spiritual isolation. I know that food anxiety is a form of stress that many people experience daily. Where does this anxiety over food start in a culture?
I have been fortunate to share many meals eating homemade Vietnamese food by my boyfriend's mother. His family and him came to the states 18 years ago, and she still prepares traditional meals from her country every night. They are flavorful and unique, and eating her cooking has helped me open up my taste buds from the american food i grew up on.
Tonight as i was over at his parent's house, we shared a fresh papya after dinner. As i sat there like a small child, waiting for it to be peeled and the seeds scraped out, i had flashbacks of our trip to Vietnam last summer. We spent 3 weeks in south Vietnam, and although the scenery and people were amazing, the tropical fruits were unforgetable. I woke up every morning eating pomelos and lychee. Every meal was followed by my favorite: dragonfruit. If you have never ate a dragonfruit, i highly encourage you to buy a ticket to a tropical country just to experience this great combination of kiwi and watermelon! And the apperance of the fruit is just badass, i mean who wouldn't want to eat something that looks like a hot pink ball of flames?
So as we enjoyed the fresh papaya, my boyfriend's father sat on the couch next to us and induldged in good old american Klondike bar! He looked just as satisfied with his dessert as i was with mine. But i did find it ironic that him and I were both enjoying food from the other's culture. I guess it demonstrates that everyone wants what they don't have or didn't have growing up. Im pretty sure he wasn't offered ice cream every week, like i was. I hardly saw ice cream or any dairy products for that matter while i was in Vietnam. On the other hand, i ate my very first papya at that same dinner table, just like i have tried a great deal of new tropical fruits and asian vegetables since moving to Seattle.
As i watched his father walk to the fridge and grab his second Klondike bar of the night, i realized that some cultures dont have a fear of food like Americans do. Some people are just glad to be living in a country where they have food on the table, whether it be a traditional meal or a savory american ice cream bar. Some people are excited to have a refridgerator even!
I think tonight i became aware that in order to rid our culture of food anxiety, we need to be humble and thankful for food in all its many forms. Although we can separate health food from the SAD: standard american diet, we can and need to also be thankful that we have food in this country and more imporant that we have choices and freedom to eat what our stomach desires.
I have been fortunate to share many meals eating homemade Vietnamese food by my boyfriend's mother. His family and him came to the states 18 years ago, and she still prepares traditional meals from her country every night. They are flavorful and unique, and eating her cooking has helped me open up my taste buds from the american food i grew up on.
Tonight as i was over at his parent's house, we shared a fresh papya after dinner. As i sat there like a small child, waiting for it to be peeled and the seeds scraped out, i had flashbacks of our trip to Vietnam last summer. We spent 3 weeks in south Vietnam, and although the scenery and people were amazing, the tropical fruits were unforgetable. I woke up every morning eating pomelos and lychee. Every meal was followed by my favorite: dragonfruit. If you have never ate a dragonfruit, i highly encourage you to buy a ticket to a tropical country just to experience this great combination of kiwi and watermelon! And the apperance of the fruit is just badass, i mean who wouldn't want to eat something that looks like a hot pink ball of flames?
So as we enjoyed the fresh papaya, my boyfriend's father sat on the couch next to us and induldged in good old american Klondike bar! He looked just as satisfied with his dessert as i was with mine. But i did find it ironic that him and I were both enjoying food from the other's culture. I guess it demonstrates that everyone wants what they don't have or didn't have growing up. Im pretty sure he wasn't offered ice cream every week, like i was. I hardly saw ice cream or any dairy products for that matter while i was in Vietnam. On the other hand, i ate my very first papya at that same dinner table, just like i have tried a great deal of new tropical fruits and asian vegetables since moving to Seattle.
As i watched his father walk to the fridge and grab his second Klondike bar of the night, i realized that some cultures dont have a fear of food like Americans do. Some people are just glad to be living in a country where they have food on the table, whether it be a traditional meal or a savory american ice cream bar. Some people are excited to have a refridgerator even!
I think tonight i became aware that in order to rid our culture of food anxiety, we need to be humble and thankful for food in all its many forms. Although we can separate health food from the SAD: standard american diet, we can and need to also be thankful that we have food in this country and more imporant that we have choices and freedom to eat what our stomach desires.
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