Independent case study
The following food choices will be compared between him and myself such as the criteria we both SE to determine what we eat and has it changed even though he Is In another country and I have lived here In the united States my whole life. Do we eat meals alone and If so why? Have we had to adjust our diets as a result of an event? Are there certain foods that neither of us will eat and if so why based on culture and or religion. Finally, when traveling to other cities, states, or countries do we allow our palettes to explore other foods?
Assai was asked what criterion was used to determine what he eats and has it changed as he has gotten older and he stated that “I choose foods that are healthy ND farm grown. I own a farm and like to pick olives from my tree, almonds, fresh meat from local shops and usually I just drink water so that my body is not compromised with impurities. ” He did state that as he has gotten older he has paid more attention to eating items that did not contain much sodium and sugars mostly in part that he lost his wife to colon cancer and she was as careful in her selection of foods as he Is. L also usually Just eat what my wife (as he is remarried) makes for me because she knows my eating habits are to be as healthy as possible.
” I honestly did to find It surprising because when visiting Jordan a few years ago the life in general was very simple and people were pleased with the simplest of things. For myself however, I could agree with his response to an extent. I do try to choose foods that are fresh, I usually cook at home rather than eat out and it is not because I do not enjoy it but rather because I use fresh vegetables and fresh meat that lacks the middle man.
The meat I buy Is from local farms that kill the meat “hall” which means that are not killed in Inhumane ways. I do enjoy the occasional soda and processed aka but I do Limit that as I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. Even though he and I are years about we both appreciate and understand that we choose our foods based on its health value, to limit the intake commercialese items.
Does he eat foods alone? In the Middle Eastern culture it is not common that people eat alone, it is actually frowned upon.
Family is revolved around the conversations and laughter’s shared at the dining table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “l do not like to eat alone, I feel as If I am not able to enjoy the food and appreciate where it came from, who prepared it and enjoying the time with my Emily, my sons, my wife even my neighbors at time that will come and join me. ” He felt that now a days families are consumed with work and school and never get to enjoy one another’s company and share stories of each other’s day, the upcoming events even at times arguing but ultimately making up with one another by the time desserts came around. I Is not very oaten tense clays Tanat people slot together Tort almost every meal however for Assai this was an important factor in maintaining a relationship with family, friends, and keeping the idea that family is the most important factor.
I myself do not like to eat alone. I believe that cooking and food is an important factor in family. In my household we used to eat dinner every day together. Unlike Assai eating every meal does seem impossible here in the US due to the constraints of work and school but dinner was always a meal we had to share together because it did allow us to maintain a sense of closeness.
My husband and I hardly eat a meal alone and it actually feels strange for us to do so.
Assai and I carry the same sense of value when it comes to eating meals together as a family. When I have my own family I know that I will do the same because since my parents are both room different countries the idea of maintaining a close relationship with one another does revolve around meals. It allows people to respect the meal and respect where it came from and who prepared it, amongst other things.
Are there certain foods that are eaten only during certain times? I asked Assai this question and you could hear in his voice the excitement as he began to talk about the foods during Ramadan. It is a month of holy fasting in Islam where people sustain from eating and drinking from sun up to sun down. “l love Ramadan because it is during this time that we can enjoy foods that are only specifically eaten based on the coaching in the Quern.
For example, we eat a lot of watermelon in the morning to maintain our hydration during the day.
We eat foods in the morning that will sustain our bodies throughout the day and leaving us feeling full. I love after fifty (the meal after the fast is broken at sundown) because we eat things like dates to break our fast. That is a must, we have to eat 3 dates and water and then eat a lentil soup to open our stomachs. We then pray and then enjoy foods like stuffed grape leaves, menses (yogurt and lamb over a bed of yellow rice) and for dessert TAFN which is a astray that is made only during this holy month.
It is like a mini pancake that is stuffed with a walnut, sugar, and cinnamon mixture and baked for 15 minutes and topped with honey or syrup made Just for this dessert. Assai enjoyed this question as the month is approaching and he could indulge in items that are made only once a year. For myself I could agree with him probably a 100% because it is true. During our holy month of there are foods like the TAFN dessert that is only eaten during this time. It is very hard to find during any other time of the year.
I too enjoy the lamb and ice but love to indulge in delicacies like lamb tongue saute©De with tomatoes and bell peppers.
I may have been raised here but I love food and Middle Eastern cuisine. On the other hand since I am half Mexican there is a meal called Mole which is chicken with a spicy sweet sauce that is eaten actually only on a person’s birthday or big events like a wedding or even a funeral. It is not that complicated to make but growing up I remember my mother making this every year for my birthday. Assai and I enjoying foods at a certain time make us appreciate the foods even more.
Until this ay I never knew the real reason that Mexican events choose to eat Mole because God forbid you wear a white dress or shirt that day and spill it on your clothing you might as well forget about wearing it again! Assai is the editor in chief of the Jordanian newspaper and was required to travel a lot during his younger years and when asked, when he travels does he try other Toots Trot Deterrent cycles en gave me a council Ana stated yes. “when I would go to Egypt I would love to eat foul which are beans mixed with garlic and lemon and eaten with bread.
Even though we, Ordains) have a similar dish, Egyptians are the aerators of the meal. I went to Europe and ate cow’s stomach stuffed with rice. I loved eating meals and trying new foods because it allowed me to experience the lifestyle of the other cultures and appreciate the different varieties they had to offer. ” I myself love to travel and would the trademark dish of that country. When I went to Panama there is an island called Boca del Tort and one of their signature meals was a fish wrapped and seasoned with spices.
I never tasted a fish as delicious as that. Assai and I both agreed in the conversation that trying an unfamiliar dish was a necessity cause if we were invited to someone’s home it was rude to decline it. For example when I went to Egypt they have a Juice called Tamarind which is tamarinds or tamarind Juice. Being half Mexican that was actually a fruit we ate not drank because it is spicy but being in Cairo I was invited to a dinner and could not turn it down even though I had to try my hardest to swallow it.
The last question he and I shared was eating seasonally which allowed us both to reminisce on the different foods we ate during certain seasons.
Assai stated that he would only eat watermelons on the hottest of days with cheese and bread. L loved eating watermelon with my dad as a kid when the sun would be about 90 degrees and the watermelon during that time tasted that much sweeter. I also loved having the fruit from my farm as the season turned.
Like oranges and Apples that grow on my farm I sit and wait for the red on the apple to be bright and then would enjoy it on a nice spring afternoon. I try to eat what is in season because during that time the fruits and vegetables are at their best”.
Assai at one point had to pause the interview because the urge of eating grapes and watermelon had taken over and I could hear IM ask his wife to cut some up and enjoy it with him while we were on the phone. For myself I enjoy eating mangos outside during the hottest of summer days because the fruit tastes that much sweeter.
Coming from the south the best way we ate it was cut up and peeled with a spicy fruit seasoning on top. Watermelon is also a top favorite since it helped with the hydration but could be enjoyed to its fullest. Assai and I do share the same tastes in food since we do share the same culture. It is amazing that regardless of the years between he and I that certain things do not change.
I obviously may eat other items that of course are not even available in his country but the same goes for myself.
There are fruits that he mentioned that honestly I still do not know what they are or even what they look like. However, doing the study with him allowed him to go back in his mind and remember the Joy food actually brought him and even myself. Even though generations have lost a sense of tradition in certain cases some still revolve around food. The older generation passed down recipes for generations and generations following what their generation did so that we can keep tradition alive.
I remember helping my aunts in Egypt make dinner and they were insistent in me following the steps to a T so that the food could be replicated in the exact same manner.
Food can sometimes be taken for granted in what it represents. It’s not only something that we eat but it can still maintain family value that can be lost during today’s generation. If we as society keep things simple and cook at home, eat out every once In a Wendell, Ana enjoy ten we nave Ana remember now Truncate we are then maybe people can open their eyes to how many countries have people who are not as fortunate.
