My boyfriend’s mom Maria was born in Brazil and lived there until college when she moved to the United States in 1988. She brought a basket of index cards with recipes written on them from her, her mom, and her grandmother. My boyfriend loves cooking and sometimes will choose a recipe to cook when we visit his parents and everyone always enjoys it, I love trying new foods, and his mom gets reminded of home and her family. It has also been a family tradition for years for my boyfriend’s family to cook 3-4 of his mom’s recipes on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maria moved to the United States with her parents while her grandparents and many of her other family members stayed in Brazil. The recipes that Maria brought with her mean a lot to her because a significant portion of them are from her grandmother who cooked for her all throughout her childhood. Maria spent her childhood with a completely different culture and lifestyle which she says was difficult to leave behind when moving to the U.S. She also stated that her family’s main reason for leaving Brazil was to find better job and living opportunities. Maria settled into the U.S. fine because she knew a significant amount of English but her parents were hesitant because they did not. Years later Maria and her parents comfortably settled into the U.S. all the while making their family recipes that she still eats today.

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