Food Rituals: an Entree Into Multiracial Family Culture
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FOOD RITUALS: AN ENTREE INTO MULTIRACIAL FAMILY CULTURE A Thesis submitted to the faculty of San Francisco State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree A: Master of Arts (, In f=THS7 Ethnics Studies * U lo by Nicole Evelyn Leopardo San Francisco, California May 2016 Copyright by Nicole Evelyn Leopardo 2016 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL I certify that I have read Food Rituals: An Entree into Multiracial Family Culture by Nicole Evelyn Leopardo, and that in my opinion this work meets the criteria for approving a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Arts in Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Melissa Nelson, Ph.D. Professor of American Indian Studies FOOD RITUALS: AN ENTREE INTO MULTIRACIAL FAMILY CULTURE Nicole Evelyn Leopardo San Francisco, California 2016 The meanings of food rituals among ethnic groups have become scholarly areas to explore using Sociological and Anthropological approaches. However, still missing in this analysis is what these rituals mean to self-identified multiracial families. Using Ethnic Studies and Mixed Race Studies literature, this research project weaves together cultural understandings of food rituals and theoretical concepts in Mixed Race Studies literature. This research seeks to answer the following questions: What function do food rituals play in multiracial families? How do these rituals help to create a sense of common culture in a multiracial family? Using focus groups of three multiracial families in the San Francisco Bay Area, the researcher found that food rituals function as a tool of cultural continuity and adaptation, and serve to challenge established gender roles. resentation of the content of this thesis. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to my graduate thesis committee, Dr. Andrew Jolivette (chair), and Dr. Melissa Nelson who have given me their generous support in completing this project. Thank you to my Ethnic Studies professors at San Francisco State University for challenging me academically as well to my undergraduate advisors and friends at University of California, Santa Barbara. To Daryn for all your love and willingness to help in any way that you can. To the families that have shared their time, homes, and delicious food with me. Last but not least, to my family: my parents Holly and Ken, siblings Angelina and Vincent who always remind me that I can do whatever I set my mind to. Thank you to my ancestors who have paved the way for me to complete this degree. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables......................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures...........................................................................................................................ix List of Appendices.................................................................................................................... x The Lucky Bean and Black Licorice: Introduction................................................................. 1 Regional Significance of Topic...................................................................................5 Academic Context.........................................................................................................7 Thesis Overview......................................................................................................... 12 “The Kids are Going to Have a Tough Time on This One”: Literature Review.................14 Literature on Multiraciality........................................................................................ 14 Literature on Food Rituals.........................................................................................21 Cultural Blending........................................................................................................40 “Talking and Hanging out with Mom in the Kitchen”: Methodology................................47 Possible Limitations...................................................................................... 51 Insider/Outsider Identity............................................................................................ 53 Multiracial Literature................................................................................................. 53 An Alternative Recipe: Focus Groups and Mixed Race Studies............................59 The Significance of the Family Home.................................... 61 “Marinade it Nicely to Seal in Moisture and You’ll Have a Nice Chicken Breast”: Data and Results...............................................................................................................................64 What are Food Rituals?. 66 “When You Feel That Culture”: Results..................................................................73 Food & Cultural Representation............................................................................... 76 Parent and Family Recipes.........................................................................................78 Child Desires to Continue on Cultural Recipes....................................................... 81 Shopping for Food......................................................................................................84 Food Bringing the Family Together......................................................................... 87 Cultural Adaptation.................................................................................................... 90 “Half salmon Half trout...that Tastes Really Good”: Analysis.......................................... 94 Theoretical Frameworks............................................................................................95 Meet the Foodie Families......................................................................................... 101 Initial Observations...................................................................................................104 What Function do Food Rituals Play in Self-Identified Multiracial Families?... 106 I. Cultural Continuity: Recipes and Senses as Ancestor’s Voices........................106 II. Cultural Adaptation............................................................................................. 110 III. Resistance to Gender Binaries...........................................................................115 “Bringing it all together”: Conclusion.................................................................................123 References.............................................................................................................................. 127 Appendices............................................................................................................................. 134 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Table 1: Participant Families.................................................................................48 2. Table 2: Summary of Thematic Analysis.............................................................74 LIST OF FIGURES Figures Page 1. Bay Area Total Percentage Multiracial..................................................................6 ix LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page 1. Focus Group Questions..............................................................................................134 x 1 The Lucky Bean and Black Licorice: Introduction I am multiracial. Black, Swedish, and Italian, to be exact. Therefore, certain flavors— like salty and sweet black licorice that sticks to your back teeth or that slight spice of collard greens-- are intimately sewn into my identity. These flavors are not only part of my identity, but they also weave me into certain racialized and cultural experiences. For example, knowledge of my mother cooking black eyed peas on New Year’s Eve for luck ties my family into the Black American experience. Further, that small black dot connects my family to the many cultures in Western Africa who, like my mother, consider that dot to be very lucky (Harris, 2011, p. 18). Thus, for me, beans and especially black eyed peas tie me into the Black experience, and specifically to the rainbow of dark and light skin tones that are my mother’s family. My father’s annual Christmas feast serves to connect me to the Swedish ethnic identity. During this feast, he cooks plenty of proteins including the Swedish ham, meatballs, and sausages. We also always drink liquor—either a dark Northern California beer or a shot of vodka with our pickled herring. This annual food ritual connects me to the experience of rural Swedish farmers, who mark important life passages and holidays by cooking various meats and drinking alcohol (Poe, 1999, p. 123). These poor farmers were able to break up their usual meals of dark rye bread, potatoes, and salted fish with these large feasts. My family’s access to Swedish middle and upper class foods characterize us as Swedish Americans, since our foods reflect middle class access, 2 abundance, and variety that were not accessible by rural farmers in Sweden (Poe, 1999, p. 121). Thus, these food rituals serve to connect me to a very specific rural Swedish immigrant experience. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, the space of the kitchen was passed between my parents, depending on who was working or what holiday we were celebrating. The kitchen goes beyond mom’s usual domain during our conjoined celebration of Swedish Christmas and “American” Christmas rituals. During these holidays, the kitchen becomes