American Family Culture

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Pages: 4

One’s culture is often defined by what is in their kitchen. I come from a family who loves to celebrate and has a passion for food. In my family, the Italian culture is the soul of our family because of my Nonna, which means grandma in Italian. Throughout my life, it has been both my family culture as well as the American culture I live amongst that has greatly influenced my eating habits and my food pallet. Italians find great pleasure in eating spectacular rich food and make most meals a social experience. Another culture who values food as an important part of daily life is China.
Both Italian and Chinese cultures take pride in eating fresh food. Both cultures daily rituals often include a trip to the local market for fresh food and ingredients to use in preparing each meal. However, The American culture has moved from enjoying more family oriented meals towards valuing convenience instead of health & nutrition. I am in the middle. Some days, convenience is key and other days’ fresh food is especially enjoyed. Unfortunately, with convenience, my family as
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Meat isn’t absent amongst the Chinese culture though it is served in small portions more for added flavor or a filler rather than a main dish. To acquire the needed fats and proteins provided in meat, Chinese consume soy products such as soymilk, soybeans and soybean oil, nuts, tofu, beans, and edamame. Italian meals and my family meals most always contain meat. My family, like most Italian families enjoy the flavor of meat and seldom serve in small portions. In Italy meat is served at more than one meal and more than one course per meal, such as cured meats in anti-pasto dishes and on pizzas, in pastas, and as main dishes. Like many from my culture I generally incorporate much protein and fat in my diet, which shows in my nutrient report 3-day intake average of protein to be 125 g of a 71 g