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Indian Food Culture Dinner
- 1. Indian Food and Culture An Asian American Dinner By Katherine Nickell Ashford University-- EDU639: MRE1325B Instructor: Bridget Griggs July 22nd, 2013
- 2. What I Did: Dinner/banquet with former Employer, Mr. Raj Patel, an Asian American immigrant from India Discussed food and preparation with his wife, Mrs. Dee, and their vegan lifestyle Went to a vegan market with Mrs. Dee Cooked one of my recipes in an all vegan manner Had dinner with some of our guests and some of their family (no blood relation)
- 3. Preconceived Notions: Food would all be very spicy Food would all taste similar, like curry Food would be lacking without cheese and butter That my pie would not taste as good prepared in a vegan manner Portion sizes would be tiny, there would not be much food
- 4. What I Learned: There was a ton of food (all of Mrs. Dee’s cooking happened in foil broiling pans) We had baingan bharta, tikka masala, aloo, and peda for dessert Nothing tasted the same, and I did not miss cheese. However, the peda was very savory for a dessert. Mrs. Dee and the other Indian women wore beautiful saris, though most of the men just wore “western” pants and shirts
- 5. Intercultural Communication: Respect for the difference in how each culture perceives women Do not use slang or negative “western” terms, because they can be offensive If present, address the husband first Health and family are important Respect the religion, culture, and diet (it IS a big deal if the food is not vegan)
- 6. Further Learning: The many different regions and races of India (even people who live there do not understand the breadth and scope of how large this nation is) How to get past racial stereotyping and the Muslim stigma from after 9/11 How each generation’s culture is mixing tradition and “western” ideals to form a new hybrid culture, and how we, as educators, can become culturally responsive to that
- 7. Socio-Cultural History: Immigration U.S. Immigration Act of 1965 ended national quotas, allowed naturalized Indians to sponsor relatives for citizenship (Ramisetty- Mikler, 1993). Most immigrants are looking for better career opportunities (as cited in Ramisetty- Mikler, 1993). Asian Indians are now the 3rd largest Asian immigrant group, behind Chinese and Filipino, and the Asian immigrant population increased 4 times faster than the overall US population (Hoeffel & Rastogi, 2010)
- 8. Socio-Cultural History: Religion, Family, Ethics India is represented by 4 religions, Hindu, Islam, Christian, and Sikh, with Hinduism, a religion of many gods, being dominant (Ramisetty-Mikler, 1993). Family is valued, father is head of household, children live with family until marriage, shame and guilt are used to keep children in line (Ramisetty-Mikler, 1993). Family and community come before individual needs, achievement and education are priorities, formality is taught (Ramisetty-Mikler, 1993).
- 9. Current Reality: Higher education is very important, and 5 times as many Asian Indians have a Bachelors degree or higher than the US national average (CIA). 3,183,063 people in the US reported identifying as Asian Indian, either alone in in combination with other races, in the 2010 census (Hoeffel & Rastogi, 2010). This is a 67% increase between 2000 and 2010 census reports (Hoeffel & Rastogi, 2010).
- 10. Current Challenges: “DotBusters of the 1980’s around Jersey City began to breed intolerance and violence against Asian Indians, which resurged after 9/11, when being “middle eastern looking” became dangerous. Sikh men were common targets, despite not being Muslim or Arab (Isler, 2006). Trying to maintain the native culture and language, for trips back to their native country and visiting family, while trying to fit in to American culture and master English skills (Jadhav, 1999).
- 11. Intersection of Facts and Learning: I know the Patel’s came from India for better financial opportunities They travel back and forth every few years to visit family The Patel children are an interesting mix of traditional Indian values and western culture I have witnessed racist comments and judgments being made based solely on their skin color and accents Though Mrs. Dee holds the family together, Raj is still the authority, and Dee defers The Patel’s have high expectations of their children and demand respect
- 12. Culturally Responsive in My Own Classroom: Meet with the parents and family of students, begin by addressing the father, and attempt to learn about their individual culture and values Ask my students to describe their culture and how they view their identity Include talks about family and values in class discussions Respect formality when dealing with students and parents Set high expectations for all students, and make sure parents are aware of these
- 13. References CIA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/. Hoeffel, E., & Rastogi, S. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-11.pdf Isler, H. (2006). Hostile Times: Desi College Students Cope with Hate. Penn GSE Perspectives On Urban Education, 4(2). Jadhav, L. (1999). South-Asian Immigrants--Living in Two Cultures. Ramisetty-Mikler, S. (1993). Asian Indian Immigrants in America and Sociocultural Issues in Counseling. Journal Of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 21(1), 36-49.
- 14. Template Provided By www.animationfactory.com 500,000 Downloadable PowerPoint Templates, Animated Clip Art, Backgrounds and Videos
Editor's Notes
- This week, I attended a dinner hosted by my former boss, Mr. Raj Patel, an Asian American immigrant, originally from India, and his wife, whom we call Dee. Also invited were some of our regular winter guests from the hotel I used to run for the Patel’s. This qualifies as a cultural immersion activity because we ate food specific to their culture and religion, based on a vegan diet. I have had “Indian” food prepared by Mrs. Dee, as she used to bring snacks and new things for me to try while I was her employee, but I also wanted to try my hand at vegan cooking, and agreed to bring a dessert. Mrs. Dee and I have discussed diet and food extensively throughout the years of my employment with them, and though outside of cheeseburgers (my weak spot) I eat vegetarian, I could not see myself living without cheese. She uses soy and almond based milk products, including cheese, and assures me that I will not miss the “real” stuff. She says that Raj, her husband, is not as strict with his diet, and is instead, a lacto-vegetarian, meaning he will eat dairy products. However, she says she cooks exclusively vegan, and it is how she prefers her children to eat. Side note: her “kids” are 19 and 23, one in college, and one just graduated with his BS in Biomedical engineering.
- I went with Mrs. Dee to a vegan market she frequents to make sure that all of my ingredients were up to her specifications. I decided to make a banana pie. I found a pudding mix that did not contain gelatin, vegan cream cheese, vanilla soy milk (which I use regularly instead of cow’s milk because I prefer the flavor), graham crackers, and Blue Bonnet Light Margarine, all of which is vegan. I made two pies, so that I could taste one and make sure it was okay. It tasted just as good as the one I usually make without being specifically vegan.
- At the dinner the next day, there was a ton of food. Everything Mrs. Dee prepared was in large foil broiling pans. Though she, herself, took small portions, she had cooked enough for an army. I felt kind of guilty for only bringing one pie! Her dishes included bainganbharta, tikka masala, aloo, and peda for dessert (I had to have her write those down for me!). All of the food was a little spicy, even the peda, which was very unlike any “sweet” I have had before, and very flavorful. I was surprised by how much I did not miss the things I consider staples in my cooking (butter and cheese). I got rave reviews for the pie, and Mrs. Dee asked for my recipe (though this could have been just out of politeness). I also had to reassure her that it only contained vegan ingredients. Mrs. Dee was dressed in a beautiful purple Sari (she always wears one when attending events or parties for the hotel. Raj was in a polo shirt and dress pants, his usual attire. They had some “cousins” there, also Asian American immigrants, who Dee explained to me were not actually blood related. The women also wore saris and one of the men wore a kurta (which is just a long shirt). We ate outside, by the pool of the hotel.
- Raj and I have had conversations about how to speak to one another. His culture definitely puts men at the head of the household, and we have discussed the relationship between my husband and I (who act as equals). He has also explained to me how very insulting little things can be to him (they do not use slang, and saying something that I might find very casual, like the word “stupid” or “mean” is taken very seriously by his culture). I think communication between his culture and mine requires a lot of respect, both ways, and avoidance of typical American negative slang. It also takes understanding, because Mrs. Dee defers to him when I ask her business questions, but Raj finds it amusing that my husband will come in and ask me before he goes somewhere or spends money (mind you, we lived on site at the hotel for a few years, so our families got to know each other quite well and witness many personal interactions).
- I am very interested in continually learning about the Indian culture, because there are so many. I also feel especially “protective” over Asian American immigrants, not only because of my close relationship to the Patel’s, but because of the way all Asian Americans were treated after 9/11, being lumped into the category of Muslims because of their looks and their skin color, even though that is only a small percentage of the population (the Patel’s are not Muslim), and being criticized for their religion, which had very little to do with the attacks (it’s like saying that all Baptists want to picket military funerals because one small sect did). I think it is important that we start looking past one’s skin color and general appearance before making judgments or assumptions.