Cover Letter: Food and Identity Writing Process

The writing process has been quite a journey for the past few weeks. At first, I found it
challenging to understand the three authors in the context of the assignment. Although I had
individually read each article, it was doubted how I was required to formulate ideas for the essay.
I understood the connection between food and identify but could not conceptualize the readings
deeply. Therefore, I have gradually edited my essay, something that reflects the changes in
thought process. In my first draft, I did not identify a main idea around which I would mold the
rest of the paper. My ideas were scattered and poorly presented. With constructive feedback, I
restructured my essay to a final draft that I believe best presents a comprehensive synthesis of the
assignment.
One of the major revisions I have made is on using the “MEAL” format in all the
paragraphs. I have now added topic sentences, included evidence, and analysed the idea and
linked it to my thesis statement. In addition, I have also introduced all three authors (Wong, Ahn,
and Harris) in the introduction and briefly described their articles. Most of my original essay is
almost non-existent in this final draft, and I hope that my audience will find my essay compelling
and easy to understand. I have also introduced a fresh perspective to some basic concepts, which
helps connect the entire essay into one continuous flow of thoughts. Thank you so much for the
useful insights which have helped me develop a better understanding on how to communicate
effectively.

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Defining Identity through Food: The Role of Childhood Memories on Food and Eating Practices
Food is an important social and cultural identify for many individuals due to the
symbolism involved on preserving ethnic identity. Further, it plays an important role in how
people express themselves amidst immense cultural diversity. For instance, Harris in In a Leaf of
Collard, Green gives personal experience on food relating her closely to African-American
identity. She remembers her grandma’s specialty in cooking collard greens and reflects on how
collard greens have followed her throughout her life. Wong, in Eating the Hyphen, explores her
thoughts about her very “incorrect” way of eating Chinese dumplings. Although she treasures
Chinese food, especially dumplings, she muses how her “American” way of eating dumplings
means to her being a Chinese-American. Her eating style that she says may be odd and
considered “un-Chinese”, but it is the best way she indulges her Chinese roots. Ahn, in Home
Run, recounts his experience dining at a Korean restaurant where he realized he was losing touch
with his Korean roots. As a Korean-American whose parents emigrated to the U.S when he was a
toddler, he identifies more with the American culture when growing up. However, since he is
Korean, he still finds identity in Korean foods. The three authors give ideas concerning food and
identity, exploring how different food and eating practices help individuals retain their ethnic
identities in a world where being different is frowned upon. Food is an essential source for
identity, and despite the influence of acculturalization in a new culture, maintaining food and
eating practices that exemplify unique ethnic identities is a vital aspect in preserving one’s
cultural heritage.
For most people in a foreign environment, foods from their childhood play a crucial role
in defining ones identity, sense of belonging and their connection to her ethnic values. For
instance, Harris, through In a leaf of Collard Green, discusses her life-long love for collard

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greens that she adapted from her grandmother as a small African American girl growing up in
Jamaica, Queens: “I liked all the foods Grandma Harris cooked; she wasn’t a great cook, but she
excelled at southern classics like beaten biscuits. Her southern tastes were different from the
more European dishes that my Pratt-educated mother placed on our dinner table at home” (Harris
2). When she is older and off to college, one of the best things about her school life is the brown
packages of collad greens from her grandmother. As an adult, she would identify markets that
stocked collard greens whenever she lived, and felt at peace when she found one. According to
her, the food defined her when she was growing up and it that identity that has contributed the
kind of foods she experiments with; she has a deep connection with collard greens.
While food is undoubtedly a very unique element in diverse cultures, most people who
have not grown up in their home countries have very little understanding the value of authentic
ethnic dishes. Roy Ahn’s Home Run: My Journey Back to Korean Food talks about his life
growing up in America, and the role of the Korean food culture he adapted from his parents as a
child, in defining identity. Although he has lived all his of his life in America, the Korean food
culture continues to influence Ahn’s identity, especially after his parents death when he was 24:
“I can’t say that I channeled my parents by cooking Korean food, or that food
reinvigorated my innate sense of Korean-ness. I am not at all certain about the synapses
that get fired when human beings experience emotions from cooking an eating the foods of
their childhoods. All I can say for sure is that something sublime happened in that mecca of
Korean cuisine- the Rockies- where I rediscovered my native food heritage” (Ahn 5)
When he was growing up, his mother introduced him to the Korean culture, primarily by
introducing him to Korean foods, and he believes it is this influence that has shaped his identity;
he perceives himself as a American of Korean origin. When he visits the Korean restaurant for a

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meal, he realizes that his son, Charlie, who was born and brought up in America, may not
identify with Korean food, a fact that troubles Ahn because he realizes that his son’s failure to
relate with Korean food will lead to his loss of identity. Therefore, he makes a mental note to try
his best to introduce him to the Korean food experience.
Food impacts the way people feel about their sense of belonging, but enjoying foreign
cultures does not imply that one does not value authentic ethnic food practices. For instance, Lily
Wong’s Eating the Hyphen is a detailed description of her special attachment with dumplings, an
essay she writes as an undergraduate. In the article, she describes how much she loves dumplings
that she eats them with a whole set of cutlery that includes a fork, a knife, a pair of chopsticks,
and a dip of carefully chosen ketchup (Wong 40). However, this is somehow a secret practice for
her as she feels that she would be judged by “authentic” Chinese on the way she eats such a
cherished Chinese delicacy:
“But Chinatown was full of people who spoke the language- whether Cantonese of
Mandarin- who somehow just seemes so much more Chinese than I ever could be. And
perhaps that’s true. Maybe that’s why I feel so gosh-darned American when I eat my
dumplings with ketchup while holding my chopsticks “incorrectly” (Wong 43).
Unlike Ahn and Harris, Wong does not feel the pressure to identify with “authentic” Chinese
food and eating practices and is comfortable in adopting American culture. Her description of
her eating process is also important because it is a reflection of her attention to detail and desire
for those around her to also value her American identity. It is worth noting that while she loves
eating dumplings, she is very specific about the type of dumplings that she eats. Her Chinese
background has a huge influence on the type of dumplings she prefers to partake. In essence, her
article demonstrates that her love for dumplings influences her identity, or the way she does

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things. Wong’s essay exemplifies the idea that people can preserve their cultural identity through
food but in different ways. In some cases, some people may feel they are losing identity and start
tracing their identity in food from their societal background. To them, food means much in
ethnic identity. For instance, Ahn feels that failing to introduce his son to Korean cuisine will
lead to him losing his Korean identity. Conceivably, his thoughts stem from realizing that by his
parents introducing him to Korean foods, they helped him to identify as Korean, something that
he is grateful for and wishes for his son Charlie.
Moreover, food dictates how a person to associate with their ethnic grouping. Earlier
experiences on food have long-term effects that a person identifies with until old age. The
aspects are inheritable from generation to generation, and people associate with food and feeding
habits to trace their identity. Wong wants to associate with Chinese traditional culture and find
the Americanized dumplings unsuitable for her consumption. She wants to feed on dumplings
that are just like her grandmother’s. Chinese dumplings that were introduced to her at an early
age continue to be a part of her diet in as an adult. Feeding habits matter a lot to her, and she
feels American when feeding on the dumplings using ketchup and fork only, which is why she
incorporates the chopsticks, a Chinese practice.
Culture is like a skin; one cannot do away with it. Habits introduced to a person at an
early age cannot be laid off until old age. Harris was introduced to collards while young, and she
associated with them until she settled in New York away from her parents. The taste of leafy
greens followed her, and she admits that it reminded her of her blackness amidst the groves of
ivy. The collards defined her heritage and grounded her identity throughout her life. Harris
inherited the culture from her grandma, and he has preserved it. Greens are part of her diet, even
though she has advanced her cooking techniques.

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Although many people lose their culture after integrating into other cultures, they still
hold aspects that associate them with their ethnic identity. The majority of people living with
people of different ethnic groups want to preserve their identity and remain unique from the
others who are not of their ethnic group. While focusing on Ahn, he is of Korean origin but
living in the United States. When his parents died, his fondest memories involve food; his
mother was a great cook who kept their Korean identity through food in the most amicable
manner. He also realizes he has a knack for incorporating Korean food themes at the restaurant
where he eventually becomes a chef, and he feels proud of himself for not losing his ethnic
identity. Food to him is a significant component of culture, and he hopes that his son will adopt
his Korean culinary practices. Similarly, Wong is in the United States, as well but does not want
to lose identity and hence likes the Chinese dumplings and believes that authentic dumplings are
quite special and different from what is commonly found at “Chinese restaurants”. However, she
cannot help being American and thus must oddly take apart her dumplings with a knife and fork,
and add ketchup in order to savour them. Nevertheless, she does not like the Americanization of
the Chinese dumplings feeding habits since she associates it with losing identity. Therefore,
regardless of having settled in a foreign land, she expresses her pride for being a Chinese even
though her mannerisms could be easily ostracized by “authentic” Chinese diners.

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Work Cited

Ahn, Roy. “Home Run: My Journey Back to Korean Food”. Gastronomica, vol 9, no. 4, 2009,
pp. 12-15. University of California Press, doi:10.1525/gfc.2009.9.4.12.
Harris, Jessica. “In A Leaf of Collard, Green”. We Are What We Eat, vol 77, no. 13, 1998, p.
17. Wide Gardener.
Wong, Lily. “Eating the Hyphen”. Gastronomica, vol 12, no. 3, 2012, pp. 18-20. University of
California Press, doi:10.1525/gfc.2012.12.3.18.