In viewing “A World of Food,” I was surprised to find myself disgusted by some of the food that was presented (like eyeballs, and blood sausage). It was weird because I see myself as a very “open-mouthed” eater, I am accepting of new foods and almost always willing to try them. Growing up I was exposed to various cultures and foods, these sometimes clashing elements allowed my family to create our own kind of “food culture.”
My father hails from Chad and spent most of his childhood in school in the south of France. My mother, a self-proclaimed “child of the world,” former Peace Corps volunteer, and food enthusiast grew up in the Midwest of the United States. Obviously, neither Chadian nor French cultures share the same food ideals with the Midwest. As a young adult my mother traveled and lived in different countries, most notably the Central African Republic (where she at caterpillars) when she was in the Peace Corps, but she also lived in Mexico and Holland before that, and visited numerous other countries. In talking about food, I will mostly refer to my mother because she is the cook of our household and she has taken it upon herself to provide our family with delicious food from differing cultures.
In the Clamoungou house there is no typical dinner menu. My mother’s favorite cuisines for dinner include: Central African, Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, Pacific Northwestern, Thai, Ethiopian, Eastern European, “American,” and the list goes on… So, growing up the monotony did not come at the dinner table. My family lives in Seattle, an epicenter for diversity in the Pacific Northwest, the variety my mother brings to our table is reflected in the people we see and the cultures we experience everyday. I believe near the beginning of her 26 year residence in Seattle my mother added techniques of various Asian cuisines, Vietnamese in particular, and the Pacific Northwest flavor to her repertoire. At Christmas time my mother likes to stay true to her Eastern European roots, this is because she is now carrying on the Christmas Eve dinner tradition that her Hungarian grandmother was known for. Every Christmas Eve we enjoy a traditional “sour soup,” which is soup made from sauerkraut juice, mushrooms, onions, bacon, and rice, it sounds pretty strange but it is delicious. We also enjoy a traditional Hungarian nutroll. My mother also likes to keep us in touch with our Central African family so she often makes things like greens with peanut sauce and gumbo.
After I graduated high school I spent six months in France with my cousin, my aunt and my uncle. I was introduced to a completely different food culture in my time there. It was hard for me after awhile because I was used to variety almost every night of the week, but there they generally ate classically French foods, with little variation. In my time there I tried many things that I had never ate before like: headcheese (on my first night!!), blood sausage, foie gras, homemade liquor, various cheeses (and I’m not saying brie), and other things that I cannot quite remember. But in being “open-mouthed” I discovered a love for foods that I would not otherwise have tried due to the stigma or what they seemed like – it’s funny it almost makes it easier to try something when the word for it is in a different language.
I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to experience so many different cultures through their food and to have a mother who is so willing and eager to express herself with food from all kinds of places. It’s strange for me in Bellingham because in Seattle when I would get hungry I would just run down to the taco bus or stop at the Vietnamese deli, but you just can’t do that here.
Lee, Jennifer. The fortune cookie chronicles : adventures in the world of Chinese food. 1st. New York, NY: Twelve, 2008. Print.
Counihan, Carole. The anthropology of food and body : gender, meaning, and powe. 1st. New York, NY: Routledge, 1999. Print.
