By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer
When I was a kid, my grandmother would always try to sneak a piece of candy into my pocket, much to my parents’ dismay. Maybe for many people this story might sound trivial, maybe amusing. For me, it meant a great deal. The loving and thoughtful way my grandmother handed me those candies etched itself onto my memory of my childhood.
The bonds we have with the people we cherish can define how we see food. This is because food can connect people together, both to their past and to their future with new memories of bonding. Many people enjoy bonfires with loved ones. Maybe just a meal around a table. The food isn’t the centre of what makes that experience special; the effort and ambiance is what defines it.
When I still lived in Sri Lanka, my grandmother would make a nearly 30 minute daily trek to our house to make our family meals. Her menu, included rice, parippu, beans, chicken and more, wasn’t just delicious, but filled with so much love. If you were wondering if my grandmother’s habit of sneaking food only applied to candies, you would be dead wrong! She loved to sneak an extra egg or two into a meal. I think her dedication to feeding us speaks to a larger story. Food can be one element in how people show love, how people convey effort, and how people ultimately form bonds.
According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, shared cooking and dining with family “positively influence family well-being.” This is through “strengthening emotional bonds, fostering communication and improving family cohesion.” This illustrates how critical the role your family or even the people you love can have on your relationship to food. Beyond the cuisine, it’s the routines you create through the process of making meals for your loved ones.
This is something I think I can see with my own family. For example, Easter season has always been special for me since I was little. This is because, every year without fail, my father would bring home a chocolate Easter bunny home. This tradition is something that really defines my childhood.
In my native language of Sinhala, there is a saying: one raises a child like a flower. One has to constantly water, and protect their flower from the elements for a chance of survival and to nourish it. Food is a major aspect of this philosophy. Proper love, care, and attention to detail are essential to nourishment and survival.
Perhaps many of us take for granted the personal connections that we have with our family or other people that make us feel safe through food.
I am thankful for all the memories I’ve had with my family around plates of food.
I think for a lot of people, these types of conversations shape who they become. For me, I can personally attribute a lot of those conversations to my parents and especially my grandmother. Though she isn’t here anymore, her endless dedication towards her family is something that has shaped me. I can only hope she attains Nibbana.
