Connections with Food

Before reading these two pieces, I had not realized how much of a connection some people had with food, but after thinking about it for a little bit, I realized that I too had a connection with food. Both Ahn and Nicholson had connections to food that stemmed from their parents. Nicholson’s connection was between white food and his mother and whenever he consumed white food, it reminded him of her. Ahn on the other hand had a connection with Korean food that reminded him of his roots. For Nicholson the white food helped him to remember his late mother as well as his cultural background. He associated this food with his time growing up in England and he remembered all the food he ate growing up as a child. He also made the connection to the time after his father passed away when his mother increased her consumption of white food. This was similar for Ahn’s connection with food. There was a very heavy cultural significance for Ahn. He observed his Korean origins whenever he ate Korean food. Though around other people he did not observe his cultural background, when he was in his home, he immersed himself in it, observing his mother while she cooked, and enjoying everything that she would make. As an adult, he came to understand the significance of remembering his roots when he had his own child. As I said before, I did not think that I had much of a connection with food, however when I think about it, food has always been a very important part of my life. As a child, doctors told me that I was allergic to nearly every food. However I later found out that this wasn’t the case and that I was only allergic to peanuts. This gives me a reason to value food and to really appreciate it having experienced life without it. Then as I grew up, my dream job was to be a chef, and though that dream died off, I continued to work in food service. I enjoy these jobs because I love food and loving the feeling of creating a food masterpiece that I can look at and just be proud of. So when I look back on my life, I can really see that food has had a very large impact on my life.