Growing up all three meals were cooked, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so most times the meals were heavy. This ensured we stayed full until the next meal. Home cooked meals are passed down from generations. So, imagine my surprise when I moved to another country and realized that donuts, coffee cakes, cereal and other kinds of pastries are considered breakfast. Not to mention home cooked meals like pizza, hamburgers, and macaroni and cheese, to mention a few.
Rice is a main part of every meal and meat is cooked to produce what is called gravy in my culture. Gravy is resulted from stewing the meat and adding a lot of water and spices then let it simmer to a thick paste. Then there are yam, green banana, and dasheen, these are starchy roots, except for the banana, these roots are dugged out of the ground, peeled and cooked. These starchy roots sometimes substitute for rice.
Living in a foreign country with a different culture where food is concerned has proven to be quite difficult. In order to get what I consider real food; I have to find an Asian or Hispanic restaurant because these meals are somewhat similar to what I am use to. Even grocery shopping is hard because I can't find the traditional food I want. Sometimes I can get a few things at the international markets.
Now looking back, my mother must have done it that way for a reason. Maybe because there were many of us siblings. Whatever the reason was, it has a lasting effect, because now I am not a fan of fast food. I especially won't eat it for dinner.
Perhaps it's culture or availability or the unfeasibility of cooking for a small household, convenience over quality, I often make this trade :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you grew up with home cooking, I hope you pass this on to future generations ^_^
It's a good thing that you grew up with home cooked meals because now you have that creativity to make fun meals and prefer than over a cheap quick meal.
ReplyDeleteReading this made me hungry lol The dishes you described sound amazing.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds amazing. I wish this country had rice everyday and that it wasn't fatting foods.
ReplyDeleteOK so yummm, home cooked is always better than fast food.
ReplyDeleteI ate plenty of yams and green bananas when I lived in Hawai'i! Cassava, too.
ReplyDeleteLearning to meal prep has really helped me a lot in this respect. It makes home cooked meals a lot easier to have on a daily basis.
It definitely takes up most of a weekend night, but the beef and yuca stew throughout the week is definitely worth it, though.
Nothing beats a good home cook meal. As I get older, I have been paying more attention to the meals my mom cooks because I want to learn to cook like her so when I have a family I can cook them a home cook meal.
ReplyDeleteI love home cooked meals. I have had them from my mom since I could remember and whenever I want Asian food, she always tells me she could make me that at home and sometimes she does. My mom is Filipino, so I get to eat a lot of Filipino food and any other Asian food she decides to cook.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of traveling to foreign countries is the food experience. Best foods come from South Korea and Mexico hands down.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar upbringing. I lived most of my life in America, but I wasn't exposed to American cuisine until later in life and it took me a while to register that difference in culture.
ReplyDeleteI Like those food. Fortunately, I do find some of those provisions on the Asian and Mexican store as well. Nothing better than a home cooked meal.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that americans eat fast food because that is what they are used to I think cooking is an important skill everyone should learn.
ReplyDeleteI love home cooked meals! I eat fast food for convenience but, if I eat fast food for more than like three days I honestly feel sick. International grocery stores are my favorite.
ReplyDeleteBeing from Mexico, I know what you mean, there is so many food that even just taste different depending on where you get it from. Having family from Mexico come and visit and letting us know how different food taste even if it is made with the same ingredients that are made at home.
ReplyDeleteRice is something we have at home all the time! Home cooked food is always better!
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