Photo by Sherry Yang
Ever since I was young, I associated family with food. My mom, dad and I would eat at the dinner table every night and talk about how our day went. My extended family would gather at my grandmother’s house and eye the many dishes she spent all day preparing. Food always brings my family together.
My eyes opened to a new and different environment after moving from Redondo Beach, California, to Southeast Michigan when I was 6 years old. There was no longer grandma’s cooking, the cheap but flavorful taco stands, or the Japanese curry restaurant that I loved more than candy. Instead, I learned about the Polish Paczkis, a 425-calorie filled doughnut eaten before Lent, and the famous German fried chicken that you could only get 45 minutes away at Frankenmuth, a little Bavarian town.
I quickly realized how diverse food was and how each dish could tell a story. My appetite for wanting to explore the world and what it had to offer grew. Through the food I came across, I learned about other people and their cultures. For me, food became meaningful.
Through this magazine, I hope to share a taste of the diversity and culture that food can provide. Food can bring people together, regardless of our different backgrounds. It can shape who we are as individuals and who we are as a community. This issue explores local fresh-produce vendors, cultural dishes and the different ways social media and technology influence the way we view cuisine. We also delve into the deeper topics of food insecurity, food waste and eating disorders, all of which still have great impacts on society today.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to create a magazine where I am able to work with amazing writers, photographers, designers, artists and editors, as well as my advisers Elizabeth Smith and Courtenay Stallings. Thank you so much for always teaching, inspiring and cheering me on. I am forever thankful for everything you taught me.
Through these pages, I hope you experience how connective food can be. In a time where it may feel like we are growing apart from one another, food can provide us with a means of coming together. Gather your family and friends and share your experiences, stories and backgrounds and feast on God’s gifts to us.
Enjoy.
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Follow Chad Jimenez on Twitter: @itschadjimenez
