Around my house, stories of our past did not matter much. While I have some interest in my immigrant family member, I never had anything to hold me to those ancestors. However, while my grandmother could not give me something tangible, she gave me a special gift of her southern history through her cornbread. When I was a child, I, my family visited my grandmother’s house during Thanksgiving. While I did not ask about my grandmother’s past, I always enjoyed eating her cooking. For some reason, her cooking always had a pleasant smell, especially her cornbread. The cornbread that she made was moist, thin, and every bite refreshed that buttery taste. My grandmother’s cornbread made me want to create a corn bread that matched hers. However, I found my cornbread could not compete. I tried to use a pre-made Jiffy box in order to emulate the steps that I did not understand. However, this caused my cornbread to be dry, and bland. However, my mom was able to emulate my grandmother’s cornbread using the same Jiffy Box, because she used her belief of cooking over what the recipe told her. I realized I should have tried to understand how my grandmother developed her cornbread. I decided at that to put cinnamon in my cornbread, to deviate from the recipe, and find my own way to my grandmother’s history. Like I said I do not care so much about the deep history of my family, but the values that my family brings with them will always be with me and the fusion of my cooking.

– Jordan Gray

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant