Writing about Food Memories

On 2/4/10 I posted about some of my favorite books on food and restaurants. Almost everyone -- not just food professionals -- has wonderful food memories evoking important times and connections in her or his life. I was recently reminded of this when I asked students in a writing class to write about a meal or dish that was significant in their lives. I asked them to describe the food itself (good practice in focusing on details) and what the meal meant to them (good practice in making larger connections). It was a topic they could all relate to, and they did some of the very best writing they had done all semester. Most of the stories had to do with family meals or specific dishes -- from dumplings to pickled vegetables to paella -- cooked by mothers, fathers, and grandparents, and symbolizing the importance and warmth of family gatherings and family ties. A couple of them had to do with meals created in students' newly independent days away from their families, as they formed their new communities with college friends. For many of the writers, these meals and dishes clearly symbolized love, caring, and connection. In all cases, the writers not only told but also showed the reader how and why these meals or dishes were important to them, and how the associated memories reverberated through the years.