The objects I chose are my family’s antique plates and china. My grandmother passed many of these to my mother. From then on, it became a tradition for us and our relatives to give each other antique plates and china. As a result, many of our antique plates are from Bangladesh and America since those are the areas that my family mainly lives in. These plates have been very important to my parents ever since they immigrated to America since they reminded them of everyday life in Bangladesh. Moreover, each plate reminds my parents of the person who gave it to them. This is why my parents care for the ones that my grandmother since it represents a memory of her. We usually use these plates on special occasions like birthdays where we will also cook more traditional foods like dal puri or samosas. One big reason I chose these plates is because they instilled a sense of caution in me and my sibling from a young age. Most of the time we use the plates as decoration, which is nice since they are symbolic of my family’s heritage. In the future, I hope to keep this tradition alive with my siblings.
Place(s): New York, Bangladesh– Shams Rary


 

– SR

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant