Hwk 4

This picture was taken on Friday night while I was seated with my family at the dinner table. I am used to eating a well rounded meal; most of my dinners consist of some type of vegetable cooked with meat and spices and we eat this with chappati (a desi flat bread). We usually eat using our hands unless if we are having something with rice (which is when we turn to our forks). This particular dish is called "Alo ka salan" with chappati (potatoes and goat meat cooked in many different spices). This picture connects to my theories about my food ways since I have a home cooked meal on a daily basis; I don't rely on fast food restaurant to feed me. I am lucky to be from a family that has a set routine for most meals especially dinners. I am used to sharing my meals with my family, since this is usually the only chance we have to be seated together during the weekdays.

My previous generations have made a huge impact on my family's food ways. There have been some changes made after my parents immigrated from Pakistan to the United States, but I would say most food ways are kept the same. After discussing my mother's food ways when she was a young child growing up in Pakistan, I was able to make many connections with my family's current food ways while living in the U.S. But there were some differences noted as well. In my culture it is the female that has to prepare the meal for her family. Growing up I come from a long way watching my mother in the kitchen preparing our food daily. When my father comes home from work we all eat dinner at the dinner table with all the appropriate necessities.

When my mother was younger she had the same nightly routine as I do. She would wait for my grandfather to come home from work to eat dinner. Dinner was eaten at a set time and place which was at home with family surrounding the table. Before starting the meal everybody has to say "Bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm" and after the meal is complete they would all say "Allah ka shukar", this is all out of respect. My grandmother cooked every meal for her family with the help of all her daughters. My grandfather made monthly trips to the butcher on the weekends to bring home a variety of meat that is needed to prepare certain meals. In Pakistan instead of going to the grocery store, the grocery store comes to you; so there are always vendors in the streets who pass by a certain street at a certain time selling their goods (fruits, vegetables, bread, etc...) My grandmother would make daily purchases of fresh goods she needed in order to prepare the meal she had in mind that day.

Noting her past as a young child, my mother tells me she saw my grandmother in the kitchen early in the morning preparing a meal for the day. The food that was to be eaten the same day was prepared in the morning by 10 or 11 am; this would be served for both lunch and dinner. After talking to my mother about her food ways when she was younger, I was able to compare and contrast between her generations food ways with mine. There were many areas that over lapped, and there were a few that didn't. I think most of this has to do with the fact that my family does not live in Pakistan. If we lived in Pakistan, then all our food ways would be exactly the same; I don't think there would be any changes made at all. Because we live outside of our home country, my family and I have adapted into a few different food ways; not by choice but by force.

Unlike my mother, my grandmother did not have to make weekly trips to the grocery store. She prepared meals in the morning to serve her children for lunch and dinner. Other than these 2 areas my mother's generation and my generation have the same food ways. My dad makes monthly trips to the Halal butcher. My mother prepares dinner each and every night using fresh produce. My family eats at a set time and place every single night. The only meal I seem to focus on is dinner, I feel the reason for this is because dinner is my favorite meal of the day. No matter what is cooked I know I will most likely be having it at home surrounded with my family. The idea of dinner is something I am used to, breakfast and lunch aren't as big of a deal as dinner is for me.