Daily Archive

Seder Plate by Eliya, on Flickr

Our first assignment is just a fun chat at the dinner table.

When families get together for the holidays, there’s almost always a meal involved. Do you have special foods for Christmas? Passover? Birthdays? Fourth of July? Some families have a special meal that’s prepared for a family reunion. Others have food traditions like, “Aunt Sally brought her yellow potato salad to the picnic again.” Tonight, at the dinner table, talk about some of your family’s food traditions. What foods “taste like Thanksgiving” to you? Have every family member fill in these blanks with their own thoughts: “It wouldn’t feel like _______________ without _________.” (For example, “It wouldn’t feel like New Years Day without chili and cornbread,” or “It wouldn’t feel like Labor Day without steaks on the grill.” This discussion might take several meals if you get into the “remember the time…” stories. This oral tradition of passing down your family’s history is fun and can involve everyone no matter what age.

If you have a teenager who will be leaving home in a few years, they might want to write down those special foods. If the time comes that your teen can’t get home to celebrate with you, they can have a piece of home by enjoying their family’s traditional foods with their friends.