You Are What You Eat

Damira Kulzhanbekova, junior, identifies as Kazakh. She, along with her immediate family, moved from Russia two years ago where she was raised in a communal setting in Moscow. Her mother is from Kazakhstan and her father’s nationality is Russian and Tatar. Kulzhanbekova said she eats a variety of traditional Russian food and Kazakh meals like beef pilaf. “Whenever we celebrate a holiday with fami...

Kristen Holness, junior, said she identifies as Black and Jamacian American because her parents are immigrants from Jamaica, who also identify as Black. In the comfort of her own home, there is a lot of Caribbean influence. Her parents speak Patois, which Holness said is primarily a dialect rather than a language. She also said there is a lot of Indian influence in her food and a heavy use of spices ...

Eunice Heo, junior, said she identifies as Asian, and her parents are from South Korea. Some of her family still lives there, including her aunt and uncle, cousins and grandparents. Heo was born in New York, shortly lived in South Korea and moved back to the United States. For her, traditional family meals involve an individual bowl of rice for each person served with an assortment of side dishes su...

Monica Bremer, spanish teacher, grew up in Panama until she was about 17 years old. About this age, she became a vegetarian due to health issues; however, meat and fish are often incorporated in Panamanian meals. Later, she moved to Cuba and lived there for four years to obtain her bachelor’s degree to become a teacher. Bremer also received a degree in Indian Classical Dance, so she lived in India fo...