8/24

For me, growing up on the peninsula of the Bay Area has introduced me to a lot of culture. I got to befriend people who were incredibly rich, and people who were relatively poor, all in the same general location. My school was a huge melting pot, and I became friends with many people very different from me and my family. There were people such as my friend Adam, who invited me to Shabbat dinner every friday and had me join in the traditional Jewish prayers, and friends like So for me, the culture that I relate to isn't necessarily rooted in familial tradition, but picked up by going to friends' houses for dinner. Also, despite the seperation of my family, I have still been influenced by my heritage through the foods and customs that permeate our dinner table sessions. For example, My grandmother, who I have only met once in my life, is responsible for getting my father and I into making buckwheat stew for breakfast before an important day. Buckwheat is a staple food in russia, and even though it is prepared differently there, I can still take pride in my family's history every time I sit at the table with dad and partake in our own ritual.