Food & cultural backgrounds?

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Melinda77w
Melinda77w Posts: 96
in Food and Nutrition
Hi,
I come from a polish/ukrainian family & we often associate things around food. And when we have food, i mean we HAVE food, lol, everyone is encouraged to eat eat & eat. I'm wondering of anyone else out there has come from something similar & knows the secret to managing the gatherings. For 33 years, it's all i've known & i think it's going to be a hard cycle to break, lol.

Replies

  • Maria_Cutie
    Maria_Cutie Posts: 136 Member
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    Puerto rican family.
    Fried everything.
    I know your pain... I just avoid it and make my own thing separate...
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
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    persian here

    it's tough when we all get together. our entire social culture revolves around food. what am i supposed to say? "sorry grandma. can't eat your dinner. i don't know how many tablespoons of oil you used"

    i figure i can't avoid it forever so for those days that i know i'm going to be eating persian food, i try to set aside enough calories for a large dinner and make good decisions.
  • Melinda77w
    Melinda77w Posts: 96
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    Yes it is a hard thing. I could take my own food, but the look i would get from my grandmother wouldnt be worth it, lol. & i love things love cabbage rolls & borsch (beetroot soup).....I suppose the thing would be to just eat sensibly with it. Maybe go for half of what i would normally eat. I dont want to give up these foods because i'm really proud of my heritage & want it continued with my generations. Thank you for your inputs :)
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    YUM. Just prepare for grandmas. that's what I do. Its only a few times a year, so I enjoy.
  • Natp274
    Natp274 Posts: 36 Member
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    I was just thinking of posting a topic like this one over the weekend!

    I'm from New Zealand, half Maori half Niuean (polynesian people from the pacific). Our everyday is around food, and all family gatherings. We recently had a birthday for a family member, and the ammount of food! It was yummy, but almost depressing at the same time :(.

    I get what you mean about the cycle, and how it seems hard to break. I've recently quit smoking. All my girl cousins, 25 years and up smoke, my aunties smoke, the only one who doesn't smoke out of the 5 sisters is my mother. Even my 75 yr old grandmother smokes! I stopped hanging around with them the first few months, just so I would give up. That has worked, I can sit with them and not smoke. But EATING, my goodness, I will have to miss every family event for the next two years! Emotional eating seems embedded in my family's genetic makeup. I haven't had kids yet, but I always imagine that when I do, I will teach them better eating habits.

    Thanks for this thread. And for letting me rant lol.

    N :)
  • Melinda77w
    Melinda77w Posts: 96
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    Hi Natp274 :-)
    I'm from austraila, we're neighbours, lol....add me if you would like, i'm all for suporting someone & having it back, lol.
    Oh i totally get what you mean. I'm going through the smoking thing too, i want to give up, but like the polish food, ciggies are the second thing i've always known in my life, lol.......It's ahrd coming from a family that does eveything around food, lol... I believe i will get on top of all these obstacles though. And so will you :-)
    Best of luck to you :-)
  • ApproachingDusk
    ApproachingDusk Posts: 70
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    I don't come from the same type of background, but what about asking your family members for a recipe of what you are eating on those big days? then you can kind of figure out how that will fit into your "calorie budget" and plan your portions a bit?

    I did this with my parents recipes so that I could eat with them, Its kind of like going out to eat and researching whats there and making the choices that are better for what my budget allows.
  • nicothepotato
    nicothepotato Posts: 306 Member
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    My family culture revolves around food as well. I'm lucky that my mom and one of my aunts to most of the cooking and they have found a healthy outlook on life. When my grandfather died from diabetes, most of my family learned to eat a little healthier. My mom and aunt have gone to total health nuts when Dr. Oz got famous and made it all seem easier. The fatty foods only come out at Thanksgiving and Christmas and cake on birthdays. I'm always expected to bring my own food because I try to eat vegan.
  • plv2010
    plv2010 Posts: 48 Member
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    For sure. I'm Hawaiian/Portuguese, but both of my parents are Hawaiian, and I live in Hawai'i. The lu'aus that they show on TV are nothing like real lu'aus. We eat a lot of salt in our foods, and beer plays a huge part in my family gatherings. And it's very common to drink beer while snacking on things like roast pork, steak, and other foods.
  • sunnylv
    sunnylv Posts: 42 Member
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    My family likes to eat too whenever I visit. Lots of sweets. Lots of meat. Lots of bread. How about you just take a small amount of each of your favorite foods and make sure you exercise more for the week? You could also ask for recipes before the specific event. Parents love to know you want to continue to make the "favorite" foods. At home figure out the calorie/fat counts and adjust your portion sizes. Try your best to pile on the veggies (fresh not fried) and bring your own healthy dish to share.
  • leilani♥
    leilani♥ Posts: 579
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    Hawaiian chinese filipino background. I'm not filipino but the boyfriend is. Our families are all about Eat EAT EAT and EAT some more!! Everything in my cultural background is loaded in fat & sodium. It sure is TASTY THO! AHHH...
  • wonnder1
    wonnder1 Posts: 460
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    Hah...I'm Polish too. I feel your pain.

    I don't know if your Grandma is the same as my Grandpa...

    I realized that, they love putting food on your plate. It makes them happy. You know what else makes them happy? Complaining about you not eating enough.

    So, I'll eat the 3 Pierogi...and then let him complain for 30 minutes. Win/Win!
  • Melinda77w
    Melinda77w Posts: 96
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    LoL Wonnder1, yep, they sure seem to be upset if you turn down the food. & who wants to upset their grandparents, lol, not me.

    Ahh Pierogi, yumm.....I'm getting hungry thinking about it, lol. Thanks for the input, i'm glad i'm not alone in this battle, lol :-)
  • plv2010
    plv2010 Posts: 48 Member
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    Hawaiian chinese filipino background. I'm not filipino but the boyfriend is. Our families are all about Eat EAT EAT and EAT some more!! Everything in my cultural background is loaded in fat & sodium. It sure is TASTY THO! AHHH...

    Omg! I just got hungry for diniguian, sari sari, lichen kawali, and pork adobo. I LOVE Filipino food!

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