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Food – the Cultural Connection
Imagine the mouthwatering taste of pihlohlo or chelsekl el diokang, sweet Pohnpeian and Palauan treats that feature cassava and tapioca as their main ingredients (see sidebar for recipes). These delicious desserts and other favorite traditional and contemporary foods prepared by Pacific Islanders for family and friends can foster interest in and create a desire for better understanding among different cultures. Interaction with people from a variety of cultures has become common in Hawaii and the Pacific. Greater sensitivity to differences in language, communication, values, behavior, dress – and food – is more important than ever.
As a parent, you can help promote discussion about your culture through shared eating experiences. Some will find the new dishes unique, though tasty and interesting, while others will discover that they are similar to foods enjoyed by their own families. For example, pihlohlo is much like Hawaii’s kulolo.
You could prepare a special food dish to share with your children’s teachers and classmates, perhaps on your children’s birthdays. Or, in recognition of a national celebration, such as Idihd n Kehp, you or your children could relate its cultural significance to the class. Children especially enjoy classroom activities for which parents provide the recipe and ingredients for a favorite food, and they prepare the dish themselves. This is a good way to share holidays and other family traditions.
Teachers are usually very pleased about an offer to supply the recipe and ingredients for a favorite food that is easy to prepare. Visit or phone the school, or send a note with your children, to make arrangements.
Parent involvement in school activities is important to children’s adjustment, happiness, and academic success. Opening the lines of communication through food – essential in so many ways to us all – is a great way to create common ground and promote cross-cultural acceptance and understanding.
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