Part of my family and I celebrate our backgrounds with traditional foods that were passed down from my great grandmother and great grandfather who grew up in both Poland and Russia. When my great grandmother came to America, she arrived in Ellis Island, like many others. They were fleeing the prejudice against Jews in Eastern Europe. When they arrived, they immediately went to what is now Williamsburg, Brooklyn because of butcher scene and the Polish/Russian neighborhoods. My great grandfather became a butcher and my great grandmother made natural remedies and sold them to friends. My grandmother always tells me how my great grandparents came to New York they had less than three US dollars but they were the happiest people she knew. They didn’t speak English, they didn’t know how to read, but they knew how to enjoy what they had. Blood sausage was a meal that they made very frequently and was very cheap. They would gather the fresh blood from the meats in their butcher shop and save it- It represented them well. My grandma and I make blood sausage every few months to honor my great grandparents being satisfied with what they had and living to the fullest. We, to this day, admire them significantly. 

– Samara Z.

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more