Currently I’m reading The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken by Laura Schenone. In this book the author is on a search for an authentic ravioli recipe which she can point to as a definitive “family” dish. Not surprisingly, her search leads her down a road of various family secrets, surprises and self-discovery. Anyhow, in reading the passages where the author chooses which heritage to further explore for her culinary purpose (as you can tell by the title she chose her Italian ancestory), she discusses the different types of dishes that each of her ancestors would have made. Her discussion made me think of my own family and our “family” dishes.
Culturally, people from my parents’ generation did not read and write, and, I believe, did not experiment with food. I’m not saying that they did not enjoy food, or lacked the imagination to experiment with what was available to them, rather that food was not a luxury, but a very basic necessity and was prepared in that way. Since coming to the US, my parents’ culinary experiences have changed, especially with the availability of certain products (e.g. abundance of meat and dairy products). Like the author, I associate my family dish with my mother (or the matriarch of the family). When I think of my mom, there are several dishes that automatically come to my mind and could be considered our “family” dish. For example, eggrolls, pho, tapioca dessert, and curry noodle soup (similar to Malaysian laksa lemak). However, the “family” dish I find most comforting, which was probably thrown together as an afterthought and born out of economic circumstances, and I find so synonymous with my mom is a simple ground beef and cabbage stir fry. The dish just consists of ground beef, finely chopped cabbage, and salt, served with white rice (which is served at all meals in our household). I’m sure my siblings may remember this dish and may think of another dish as definitive of our “family,” but in my mind, this is our “family” dish.
Culturally, people from my parents’ generation did not read and write, and, I believe, did not experiment with food. I’m not saying that they did not enjoy food, or lacked the imagination to experiment with what was available to them, rather that food was not a luxury, but a very basic necessity and was prepared in that way. Since coming to the US, my parents’ culinary experiences have changed, especially with the availability of certain products (e.g. abundance of meat and dairy products). Like the author, I associate my family dish with my mother (or the matriarch of the family). When I think of my mom, there are several dishes that automatically come to my mind and could be considered our “family” dish. For example, eggrolls, pho, tapioca dessert, and curry noodle soup (similar to Malaysian laksa lemak). However, the “family” dish I find most comforting, which was probably thrown together as an afterthought and born out of economic circumstances, and I find so synonymous with my mom is a simple ground beef and cabbage stir fry. The dish just consists of ground beef, finely chopped cabbage, and salt, served with white rice (which is served at all meals in our household). I’m sure my siblings may remember this dish and may think of another dish as definitive of our “family,” but in my mind, this is our “family” dish.
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