Elise Wilke-Grimm
News/Opinion Editor
With Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Winter Solstice, etc., different traditions are celebrated everywhere, and as the holiday season approaches, some students are looking forward to getting filled up with traditional holiday cuisine.
To celebrate the Lunar New Year, senior Zoe Delay looks forward to traditions her family takes part in. Delay mentions a soup called tteok-guk, which is prepared and eaten every year to bring in good luck and it’s made with chewy rice cakes, beef, eggs and seaweed.
Other traditional foods Delay has for the Lunar New Year are mandu (dumplings), a marinated Korean beef called bulgogi, a cinnamon punch called sujeonggwa and different types of seasonal fruits and nuts are commonly eaten. It’s common for everyone to wear hanboks, which are a traditional garb, during celebrations.
On Christmas day, senior Michael Barrios and his family get together to celebrate. Everyone brings their own home cooked meals to share for dinner. Some examples of popular holiday foods Barrios’ family will eat are tamales, which are popular within Mexican cuisine, and other popular foods such as: atole, pozole and occasionally mole with rice, which is normally made from chicken, white rice, and mole sauce.
When it comes to desert Barrios explains different dishes like arroz con leche (rice with milk or rice pudding), flan napolitano and a type of sweet bread that’s called conchas.
“I don’t have a favorite food because I always eat everything,” Barrios said.
For Hanukkah a popular dish celebrated throughout Jewish culture is latkes. They’re made from shredded potato that is flattened into pancakes and finished off with various toppings such as homemade applesauce for a sweet pancake or garlic and onion seasoning and cheese for a more savory option.
“We make them [latkes] every year as a family,” senior Nick Yusen said.
Senior Mia Jacobsmeyer eats one big dinner with her family during the eight nights of Hanukkah. Jacobsmeyer explains that everything normally tends to be made kosher. Brisket is the main dish and it is commonly served with an array of different sides. Jelly doughnuts and kasha (roasted buckwheat) are also popular options.
“I always love Hanukkah meals because they’re always homemade and taste so good… Kasha is a favorite dish of mine. We have it every year because my grandma makes it.” Jacobsmeyer said.
During the holiday celebrations in Peru, Vincenza Pierce eats a variety of different traditional foods in her culture. Some popular dishes include lomo saltado, which is basically stir fried meat, tomatoes and onions eaten with rice and french fries, arroz con pollo which is chicken and rice, Papa a la Huancaina, which is boiled potatoes with a special sauce made from crackers, cheese and chile.
“One of my favorite dishes is lomo saltado; I love all Peruvian style foods though,” Pierce said.
 |
Elise Wilke-Grimm – News/Opinion EditorThis is news and opinion editor Elise Wilke-Grimm’s second year on ECHO staff. She is excited to continue working on the ECHO and get lots of chances to write. |
Support Our Sponsors
