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Building Bridges
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When you hear the phrase cultural heritage, what comes to mind?
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Maybe you remember going to see ethnic folk dances with people wearing traditional costumes.
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Perhaps you were exposed to the music and arts of this culture.
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Most likely, however, what comes to mind will be the food.
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It might begin with the recollection of your mother’s cooking,
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or visiting grandma’s house and receiving a special treat as a reward for good behavior.
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As you close your eyes, can you picture your favorite dish?
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Is it a salad with a special dressing, or a scrumptious dessert?
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Can you smell the aroma wafting through the house?
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Maybe you’re far away from home and eating your favorite soul food
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makes you feel closer to those you’re separated from.
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Many of us have missed spending a holiday or two with our loved ones,
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only to find ourselves calling to ask what they had for dinner.
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It doesn’t matter if it’s the same thing that is served year after year.
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There’s nothing like food to help us identify with our roots.
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These recipes, cherished family favorites,
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handed down from each generation to the next might undergo subtle changes,
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but there still remains a cable of unity.
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It is this unity which constructs the bridge between families and generations.
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Food can be described as the building blocks of this cultural bridge.
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Good food knows no boundaries.
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It becomes the great equalizer between young and old.
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Here, in the kitchen the old master works hand in hand with younger family members and friends,
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passing on traditional skills used in the culinary arts.
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However, more is taking place than a mere transfer of information about ingredients and mixing instructions.
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Magic moments are created between child and elder.
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It becomes an opportunity for a parent to teach family values while passing the sugar and beating the eggs.
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Confidences can be exchanged along with the natural flow of conversation.