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Read and reflect: Writing Prompts About Food, Family and Culture

Choose a dish to bring to the EcoRise virtual potluck on Dec 3rd! Add a photo and label/explanation to this virtual buffet table.

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Delicious pot roast fresh out of the oven

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I tried my mom's pot roast for the first time while living in Louisiana after college, and it changed my life. I refuse to eat any traditional meats during the holidays. So my mom makes a thrid meat of pot roast just for me <3

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Growing up we had more influence from my dad's culture in the home. My dad grew up in Guatemalan and emigrated to the US. Every Christmas we would have these tamales which contain meat, olives, raisins and a bell pepper. We would cover them in lime, which was a common for most dishes.

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It's not actually spaghetti, but there's spaghetti noodles in it. The only source of tomatoes comes from a can of rotel... We use the hot rotel to weed out the weaklings. This happens to be a casserole that is best prepared when you have lots of company. Don't skimp on the cheese! Serve with the left over biscuits or cornbread from breakfast. It's one of the few things that seems like a distinct and surprising dish from my family of origin.

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I chose semiya payasam for my dish, which has been one of my favorite desserts since childhood! There are technically a few different versions of payasam, depending on the type of noodle or grain, spices, and toppings used. One family's way of making payasam might differ from another family's, so it's a fun way to experience different people's cooking!

Semiya payasam as I know it is made with semiya (or vermicelli), milk, ghee, cashews, raisins, sugar, and cardamom. My family typically makes it every time we're together, but I also ask my Mom to make it for me when I go visit her. :)

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My aunt cooking outside in my grandpa's home in Michoacan

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Not a particular dish but a specific cooking style. One of the deeply rooted traditions my family has is cooking outside over an open wood fire. It feels so relaxing to be the cook or the observer in this and I feel the food tastes extra delicious. It brings my family together, especially when we gather and different people begin taking on different tasks to chop veggies or toppings, monitor a food being fried or needing to be flipped, or simply walking by as an observer to see if the food is almost done. Some of my family members have indoor kitchens in their home but hardly (or never) get used because outdoor cooking is so much more preferred. This is a picture of my aunt, my Tia Hortenica, in my grandpa's backyard in a small village called El Limon, making Michoacan-style enchiladas which are one of my favorite dishes. The corn tortillas are dipped in a homemade sauce before being lightly fried then filled with dry cheese and topped with cabbage, tomatoes, pickled onions, salsa and accompanied with a piece of chicken and potatoes.

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Growing up in Central Texas, my family's preferred cuisine has always been Tex-Mex. If you're not familiar with it, according to Wikipedia Tex-Mex is, "a regional American cuisine that originates from the culinary creations of Tejano people (Texans of Mexican heritage). Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of shredded cheese, beans, meat (particularly chicken, beef, and pork), chili peppers, and spices, in addition to flour tortillas." My personal favorite dish is cheese enchiladas, topped with diced white onions, and refried beans and Spanish rice on the side.

Every birthday, promotion, graduation, gathering, visit, and holiday in my family include some type of Tex-Mex. 😋 Specifically, every Christmas Eve at my Dad's, he'll supply the chicken, pork, and veggie (usually bean and cheese) tamales, and the "kids" will bring the sides and fixings like, refried beans and Spanish rice, queso/guac/sour cream, and white corn tortilla chips. For us this is basically the only time of year when we eat tamales. It's sort of like only eating turkey on Thanksgiving. My brothers and I are the third generation to carry out this tradition and it's very special to us.

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Growing up in London, there was an Indian restaurant on every corner. If we ate out, or had "take-away", it was always Indian food. Lamb is also very common in England and we would be sure to include a lamb curry. When my family first moved to the U.S. my Dad would drive long distances to pick up Indian food that rivaled what we so easily found in London. Now, whenever I'm with my family, we get Indian take-away (lots of it) and eat it for days.

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I chose homemade Pecan Pie. I grew up going to Thanksgiving at my grandparents in Fort Worth and my grandma would make this without fail and on par with Pumpkin Pie. Pecans are everywhere in Texas and their trees can grow enormous and quite old. When the Spaniards sailed up Texas' rivers, they found pecans, hence the reason so many streets in Texas' cities are named Nueces. They're also connected to the Latinx labor movement through the Pecan Shellers' strike in San Antonio that pre-dated the farmworker's movement in California. I was paid a penny a piece as a child to pick them up out of the yard. :) Toasted, salty, or caramelized and sweet, they're my favorite tree nut and a holiday staple.

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Each fall and winter, I make mulled apple cider once or twice a week. It's a joy that Olive is now old enough to join me. It's a cozy tradition that warms our home and our hearts. While we prepare it, we talk about the special ingredients and their healing powers, each manifesting what we hope to bring into our days, lives, hearts, etc.

Our favorite ingredients are:

Apples: Love, Luck, Prosperity, Healing

Sugar: Sweetness, Love, Inviting good things

Orange: Abundance, Happiness

Cloves: Protection, Success

Cinnamon: Protection, Healing, Luck, Love, Success

Rosemary: Cleansing, Protection

Thyme: Courage, Healing, Positivity

Sage: Wisdom, Intuition, Clarity

Nutmeg: Luck, Protection, Safety, Balance

Ginger: Confidence, Prosperity, Success

Vanilla: Love, Passion

In the summer, we make simmer pots to fill our house with beautiful smells and magic using lemons, herbs, and flowers from the garden.

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My ultimate comfort food has always been my dad's meatballs. This was the dish we would ask for on birthdays, special celebrations, or when you've had one of those weeks. It's his own personal recipe, inspired by the Bolivian dishes he grew up with. One that his mom (my grandma) and brothers (my uncles) have still yet to figure out.

My dad only wrote down the recipe once, just for me and my partner, so that we could make it whenever I'm feeling homesick. Over time, we have turned it into a yearly tradition--cooking it together around this time of year and inviting our friends and family to share in the comfort it brings. We're making it next weekend, and I can't wait!!

Note about the photo: For some reason I could not find a single photo of the dish plated.. The entire dish includes meatballs, rice, potatoes, and choice of vegetable.

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Being mostly Irish, my mom always roasted lamb and potatoes for the holidays. I grew up in a Christian household so lamb not only represented our Irish heritage, but also was a symbolic traditional dish to honor the sacredness of the season. Two years ago my mom came to Austin for Christmas and taught me how to make it... I have yet to replicate it without her by my side, but I look forward to going home to her house to cook with her this winter holiday.... She is a phenomenal cook and has m any people outside of our family continue to arrive at her door to eat her delicious food- which I aspire to emulate!

We also always eat eggs benedict on Christmas morning (a tradition I do cook in my own house) and it is always a family affair---I have many memories of my mom poaching eggs, my dad stirring the hollendaise sauce, my brother toasting bread and me and my sister cutting avos and tomatoes :)

And lastly- one of my most cherished family foods is sourdough bread and butter!

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My family and I always reveled in having leftovers. We always tried to get creative on what to do with them. This year, I decided to use pre-made crescent rolls to make a "Thanksgiving Leftovers Bake".

Although in Mexican culture, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving... it's something that we loved to adopt as our own. I grew up always celebrating and appreciating a holiday where people come together to share a meal.

After reading the article I felt as if I wanted to continue the tradition of giving with my ever-growing family. I want to continue to emphasize how important it is to USE leftovers... one person's scraps, is another raccoon's delight. In all earnest, these traditions helped me truly value food sustainability. Also, it's a great way to incorporate more mashed potatoes and gravy in my yearly consumption - always a win :)

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My step dad's favorite dip. Always featured as part of our Christmas family party! So good. Made with hearty, creamy fava beans and loaded with flavor from ground cumin, fresh herbs, and a zippy lemon garlic sauce with hot peppers!

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My dad's from Louisiana and he grew up with a family recipe with sweet potato pie. I say recipe but nothing is written down the process is whats passed down. Then we are taught to taste the pie during the process to get the taste just right. This has been handed to me and my family. The only thing in my family that is strictly protected and no one is allowed. to share with others.