Gathering the fresh tortilla shells, I separated them and laid them on the counter. As I worked on my usual Mexican dinner--the one I'd made for over twenty years without interference--Mom strolled through the kitchen and hovered over me, a look of uncertainty on her face. Her brown eyes burned a hole through my work area that was hot enough to bake my enchiladas on the spot!
"Won't you need a larger baking dish?" she asked. "Why are you adding more spices to the sauce?"
"Don't grate the cheese by hand. Use my machine." "Why don't you fill them this way?"
"It would be easier if you folded from the other side."
"Oh dear, you've spilled crumbs on the floor--could you move a minute so I can
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When my father died, Mom's zeal for cooking and baking exploded! Cooking had been my father's passion, but now Mom started watching every televised cooking show she could find and loved thumbing through dozens of cookbooks. Our long-distance phone conversations often centered around the latest recipes she had tried out. I felt elated that Mom had found a fresh, creative interest. However, her lustful appetite for preparing food (pun intended) came with one drawback--she started "hovering" over "her" kitchen and anyone using it.
We only visited my mother once-a year, but I had always helped out by cooking some of the evening meals. Now, I had high hopes this kitchen exchange had been a fluke, but when Mom's hovering continued, I solved MY problem by fixing dinner during Mom's nap time.
I didn't discuss what had happened with my family, but the following Sunday while my mother was in church, I heard a commotion coming from the kitchen.
"Hurry!" my son's voice echoed down the hallway. "She'll be home soon. I think her church gets out at
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While my husband and sons prepared their meals in the kitchen, Mom scrutinized every move they made, fussing over them and tossing out suggestions and questions. Although they knew she meant well, they squirmed under her attacks.
It didn't take long before my sons affectionately and secretly named their grandmother, Mother Hover--a take off on Mother Hubbard.
When it looked like Mom's new habit was here to stay the family learned to perfect their kitchen timing, watching and waiting until that moment when perhaps Mom was in the shower, or bathroom. Even a phone call allowed everyone a chance to hustle to the kitchen and throw a cheese sandwich together at record speed.
Although we've now had years of practice, our breakfast and lunch plans are not foolproof and we still find ourselves giggling and eye rolling with each other when Mother Hover catches us in her kitchen. Of course, none of us would ever mention to Mom that her actions are slightly
In the writing “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” Geeta Kothari describes the differences in the American and Indian cultures through her unique description of the food differences. As a little Indian-American girl, Kothari curiously wanted to eat what of kids her age ate, tuna salad sandwich, hot dogs, and foods of such nature. Kothari describes her first encounter with a can of tuna fish as it looks “pink and shiny, like an internal organ” (947). As Kothari ages, it becomes clear that she sees American food much the way her parents saw it- “repugnant… meat byproducts… glued together by chemicals and fat” (947). Even though Kothari describes American food as strange, disgusting, and foreign; it was also “infidelity” to eat it (951).
The definition of homemade has changed drastically throughout time. Rachel Jones recognizes this in her article “Homemade is the New Organic,” published in 2013 by The Atlantic. It is in this article that she explains how media nowadays has raised expectations on home cooking. Jones` purpose is to make readers aware of the unrecognizable and unrealistic expectations that the modern media subtly places on us when it comes to home cooking. Based on the content and the examples presented in the article, it appears as though the author`s intended audience is people who cook, or more specifically, mothers that cook. Jones begins building her credibility with past experiences and reputable sources, uses facts to back up her claims, and appeals to reader`s emotions.
I was born in Mexico and raised in beautiful San Diego since the age of four. Coming to the United States at a very young age I had to face many challenges that have shaped me to the person that I am today. I consider myself a Chicana woman who has overcome the obstacles to get were I am know. Being raised in a Mexcian household has thought me to embrace my culture and its roots. The Spanish and native blood that is with in me remind me of many Americans today. The reason I consider my self Chicana is because of the similar background that I shared with many Americans today. Living in the U.S. I have learned to adapt and embraced the American culture so much so that it came a point of life were I struggled to find my own identity. Taking
This research project is focused on how food exists to not only help us survive, but also for helping to create and shape identities, especially the national identity for Mexico. I will approach this topic primarily through a discussion on the formation of Mexican cuisine, but also about how food tells us stories about history, art, tradition, globalization, authenticity, and on gendered food identities, particularly on the role of women and their sense of empowerment through the evolution of Mexican cuisine. Mexico’s ethnic food was a part of their culture, but it became problematic when the Europeans brought with them a variety of new foods and looked at Mexican food as suspicious
“Momma!” I whined across the room, “I’m starving.” She always hates when I whine at her, I do it now just to grind her gears. She was lying on the couch so I laid my head on her lap and naming of foods that sounded good to me.
In the city of Havana in Cuba back in 1989, was a little spot restaurant called La Cocina Ramona. A young girl named Selena Rivera had been working there as a dishwasher for about a year now. She started at age 13 working in the kitchen and busing tables. At the same time, she would look and watch the cooks work. She could remember when she was 10 after coming home from martial arts training, her mother would teach her and her sisters the art of cooking. Sylvia Fierro, the chef, needed help with getting ingredients prepped. “This is the list of what I need,” She said, holding the paper up in the air. Without waiting for an answer, Selena snatches the list from Sylvia's hand “I’ll do it” she says, and started going to work chopping lettuce,
Growing up, like any normal child, I had to follow certain rules set by my parents. Both of my parents are very resourceful and economical, and as a result, food is never wasted in our household. From a young age, my sister and I have been taught to take onto our plates only what we can finish; if we fail to do so, we are scolded without fail with one variation or another of the “think about the poor children in Africa who have nowhere near as much food as you do” lecture. My mom always tries to use as many parts of our food as she can, not very much unlike how the Native Americans used every single part of their meat in order to honor the revered spirits of the animals they hunted; when we have watermelon, instead of throwing away the tasteless
I was 13 years old, my first year back in El Paso since my family moved away when I was four, the first year to join my larger family. It was the first time I was invited to the annual “tamalera,” the tamale-making party held on Christmas Eve. When my father first told me that I had to help my grandma make tamales, I was fairly indifferent. I responded with the normal, pre-teen apathy: “I guess.” Little did I know that tamale making would become such an important part of my life.
Using canned foods and instant sauces saved women the time of preparing meat and vegetables and seemingly turned cooking into a two-step process: empty ingredients into a pan and placing the pan in the oven. My mom can attest to this as she often resorts to casseroles when the family schedule becomes hectic. The quick preparation of the meal and slow cooking in the oven takes away from the time my mom spends laboring in the kitchen and allows her to use that time on other tasks around the house or simply to spend more time with my family. Shopping for casseroles includes an assortment of inexpensive ingredients, which can fill the plates of the entire family. Casseroles not only call for cheap ingredients but also a rather short list of them. The growing popularity began to slow as people relied on canned food, left overs, and instant sauces. Despite the simplicity of the dish, my mom enjoys using her creativity with the casserole dishes and has created many recipes of her own for our
Cooking dinner while on the phone? Someone who has it all together? Have you ever thought of the effect that all of this has on the mother? As you can imagine, the level of stress of the modern mom is significantly increased. Due to her heightened level of responsibilities, the she is accountable to more people.
This statement by Druckman portrays the belief that women cook for the emotional experience while men cook for the technical experience. Research conducted by Marjorie DeVault (1991) suggests wives and mothers cook as a way to show their love to their family. Similarly, research by Cairns, Johnston, and Baumann (2010) discusses women’s emotional responses to cooking for their family and friends. Both studies highlight the emotion and nurture women feel as they cook for others. The studies’ discussion about the nurturing aspect of cooking demonstrates the traditional feminine belief that women cook in order to nurture their families as discussed by Friedan (1963) and Hochschild
He saw the way his parents were cooking and developed a keen interest in cooking. During his childhood, Joshua spent lots of time in the kitchen, experimenting and making dishes. Joshua’s parents had a bit of an unorthodox way of nurturing their child. They always encouraged Joshua to explore new things and to try hobbies, but they understood Joshua’s passion for cooking. While neither of his parents worked in the food industry, they had many recipes that were passed down from generation to generation in the family.
She believes that reason that the generation that now is the ones who cook the most, go for the easy
other project around the house and moms expect their daughters to help them in kitchen.
mind. Mom is at home to make sure the dishes are put away after the meal by