My Oma Immigrated from Germany in 1951. She was only 15 years old when she came to America. She moved to live with her aunt, but her Mother taught her to cook traditional German food. My Oma has since begun to teach me what she learned from her Mother. One of the most significant German dishes in my family is spätzle. Spätzle is an egg noodle served with butter and cheese. My Oma is from Württemberg, a region in Southwest Germany where spätzle is their regional specialty, so you can say I have learned from the best.  My Oma learned from her Mother, who learned from her Mother, and so on. It has always been special to make with my family. My Oma would recruit her kids and grandkids to help make noodles. They are cut by hand and very time-consuming.  Everyone in my family has learned from my Oma, we all have our own board so we can all cook together. Cooking spätzle with my family is my time to feel immersed in my heritage. I feel lucky to have grown up educated on German culture. I am thankful for my Oma teaching me to cook. I have even been able to visit my Oma's hometown and make noodles with relatives. I have since been able to cook spätzle for my friends to share German cuisine with them. Although I am most excited to carry on the tradition and teach my kids how to make Spätzle on their own boards. 

– Sophia Moders

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