Living in America can be difficult. There are times when I find it hard to feel closely connected to my Pakistani culture. The one thing that always reminds me of my homeland, though, is food, specifically the food my mom cooks every night for dinner.

Biryani, a mixed rice dish, is one of my mom’s classics. Its richness in spice, flavor and taste never fails to satisfy me. Coming home every night to eat Pakistani food enables me to maintain a relationship with my cultural heritage. Every day since my grandparents came from Pakistan in the 1970s, my family has not gone one day without eating traditional Pakistani foods. My grandma would cook a variety of foods including roti, bread, curry, and different types of rice. My grandparents never believed in eating food from restaurants or trying other cultural foods. They developed a habit of eating only home-cooked Pakistani foods, passing that habit on to my mother. My family never got tired of eating Pakistani food because there are so many dishes that can be made.   Biryani is my grandma’s favorite dish to make. The way that both my grandma and mom cook intrigues me because although they always estimate the amount of ingredients they add, and yet the food always comes out appetizing. I hope one day to learn how to make all these dishes just as my mom and grandma do.

– Noorulain Paracha

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant