Food Diversity

“You are what you eat”. This is most often thought of in terms of being fit and healthy: in order to be healthy, you must eat healthy. However, it also works in terms of food diversity. Most people tend to eat what they are used to, what their parents grew up eating, therefore what they cooked for their kids as well. The cycle continues if it is not broken by somebody.

While Boston is a very segregated city, we do have a lot of diversity in our restaurants. I am fortunate to live in a fairly diverse neighborhood in Brookline. I grew up in Monument Beach; a small village of Cape Cod, where the majority of the population is white. Since living in Brookline, my children and I have made African American friends, Indian friends, Chinese friends, and Japanese friends. Thanks to this diversity in culture we too have been exposed to a variety of different foods.

When a lot of people think of ramen in the United States, they think of the brand Top Ramen. This is a stereotypical food that comes to mind for people on a budget, particularly college students, because it is so affordable. In fact, it was a staple in my house growing up. I would regularly mix the shrimp and beef packets together to make my favorite combination of flavors!

After living in Brookline for nearly three years, a friend introduced me to Ganko Ittetsu, a traditional Japanese Ramen restaurant. I will never go back to my ways of the past. That simple yet delicious dish expanded my palette to wanting to try other traditional dishes from various ethnic restaurants. I started seeking out Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Vietnamese, French, Thai, and Middle Eastern restaurants that didn’t serve just Americanized versions of their food. I believe that through food we are getting a peak into another culture, and perhaps some of the stereotypes or racism can begin to be dismantled. After all, food can and has changed the world throughout history, that’s what gives it so much power.