New Cultures & Communities
I’ve always been someone who has loved to eat food and cook. Cooking has been something that brought me joy. After watching the episode of No Passport Required it has really got me thinking about food and its ties to culture and society. In the episode we watched for class it focused on Arab-American food in Detroit and Dearborn. It was super interesting learning about a culture of food I don’t have much experience with. I never really knew that Detroit and Dearborn are the homes of many Arab-Americans in the United States. It was really interesting to see someone like Marcus Samuelsson, who has no experience with that cuisine, learn about the culture, and have meaningful conversations with people who embrace their culture through their cooking and lifestyle.
When visiting a new place it’s important to fully immerse yourself in the culture to educate yourself on the lifestyles of those who live there. For me, I think that is what’s most exciting when visiting other countries. During my semester abroad in Paris, I visited many other countries in Europe and my favorite thing was visiting the landmarks and eating the food that is indigenous to the history and culture of the place. When I visited Greece I was able to climb up to the Parthenon and eat all of their amazing cuisines. I got to try fried cheese and gyros that were authentic and delicious. Learning about the culture and having conversations with people is what’s most meaningful for me when traveling to new places.
Learning about culture is one of the most educational things one can do. There are so many different cultures in the world and every single one has its own special community. Even in the United States the cultures from state to state, and city to city can be incredibly different. I find that when you’re traveling to new places you don’t really gain as much knowledge unless you educate yourself and are willing to obtain knowledge of the cultures. Trying the most authentic cuisine, and visiting landmarks that hold importance to the communities’ history allow you to gain insight into their community and culture. In No Passport Required, Samuelsson was able to gain a better understanding of the culture of Arab-Americans in Detroit and Dearborn by having honest conversations with knowledgeable people of the community. Not only was he able to learn about their cuisine, but also how they live their lives, and he left having gained immense knowledge into the culture and community of Dearborn and Detroit. I really think that is more important in the long run because Samuelsson is now able to understand and respect the places he’s visited.
I have always been someone who enjoyed Greek mythology and traveling to Greece allowed me to be immersed in a culture I had read about and studied for years. I feel as though I gained more knowledge from my trip because I truly wanted to learn more about Greek culture and history. Hiking up to the Parthenon by far was my favorite part because it was incredible to get to see such a huge structure that was built centuries ago and is still apart of Greece’s culture to this day.
Traveling to new places, whether that be a country or another state or city, should be a learning experience. You will obtain new knowledge if you research the things you’re interested in prior to visiting. For Samuelsson his interest involves food, but there are so many other things you can learn about and experience when you travel. Learning about different cultures helps us grow as people because we become more well-rounded and knowledgeable in areas that are not our expertise. There is always room to grow and learn more. We are not beings with static minds, we are beings who can continue to gain knowledge every single day of our lives, and we have to be open to learning new things.
