How does food relate to your experience of gender and or religion?

Since an early age, I remember my grandmother working arduously in the kitchen to have everything ready for the arrival of my grandfather. My grandmother would spend countless hours slaving away over a hot stove cooking all the food, making sure it was made freshly with quality ingredients and delicate techniques. Her food was by far the best I have ever had; my grandmother had mastered Spanish cuisine to a whole other level after so many years of cooking. These skills were the result of generations of instruction from mother to daughter to sometimes, even granddaughter. 

I recall her teaching me how to make “torrejas”, which are equivalent to American French toast. This famous dessert is made using a special bread, dipped in an egg, cinnamon, and sugar mixture, then fried until the perfect crunchiness and soaked overnight in a thick sugary syrup. We would even make the dough from scratch. She always stressed the importance of cooking, primarily when finding a husband, as the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach she would remind me.

I love cooking, but thinking that I would do it for the purpose of serving some else disgusted me. My grandmother's goal in life for me was to get married and have kids. I, on the other hand, have always wanted to be a doctor. Science has always sparked my curiosity, but I also have a passion for cooking. Learning the art of food from her was such a privilege, even though our views toward food were entirely different. For her, it was an obligation, a job, for me; it was a hobby, a learning experience.

Our view of food is an analogy for our distinct experiences and generations. She grew up in a society in which women’s role was to be a homemaker, where their rights were limited, and their central goal was to breed children; while I have grown up in a society where woman have almost equal rights to men and are completely self-sufficient. The comparison of our perspectives toward food mirrors that clash of our generations and gives so much meaning to the evolution of women’s role in society.  Who would have thought that plate of “torrejas” could convey such history and be seen from such different perspectives?