Madeleine Holloway-Tjan, October 17, 2011, Nutrition 203 Self-Evaluation of Food Habits Demographics Did your family immigrate

to the United States? From where? How many generations ago? In 1969, my fathers family, the Tjans, immigrated to the United States from Holland. My father was born in Indonesia, and at the time, Indonesia was a colony of Holland. In an electronic conversation with Olga Tjan (October 2011), my grandmother, she informed me the reason it was necessary for their family to move from the islands was because the communists under the Indonesian president threatened to take over the country. The Catholic church in Bandung helped my family get to Europe because my grandfather was one of the founders of the Catholic university in Indonesia (1). All of my ancestors on my fathers side reside in either Indonesia or Holland. My mother was born in Berkeley, California. Her parents, my grandparents, were born and raised in the South. My grandma was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and my grandpa was born in Texas. In a phone conversation with my grandma, Virginia Holloway (October 2011), she informed me that her great-grandparents came over from Europe. She stated they traveled to the United States from the England, Scotland and Ireland area (2). My grandfathers ancestors came from a similar area, and when both their families immigrated, they settled in the South. What is your ethnic background? Explain the origins of your name and your parents names. My ethnic background is Indonesian and a mixture of Irish, English, Scottish and Native American. My fathers surname is Tjan, which is a Chinese name that is traditionally written in Chinese characters. The Chinese character for Tjan was translated in Dutch and consequently the "Tj" was used for the English equivalent of "Ch". Therefore, Tjan is the product of the mistranslation in Dutch for what is known in America as the surname Chan. My mothers maiden name, Holloway, is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from those living in a hollow way or holy way. What is your religious affiliation? Explain or clarify. I am not affiliated to any religion. My mother was brought up Protestant, and my father was raised in a Catholic household. My parents decided when raising me that religion would not be instilled in our household. At this point in time, I still do not belong to a religious organization. Ingredients/Common Foods List 1-3 specific foods that you eat every day. Explain or clarify. Due to the fact that I live in a sorority house and do not have easy access to fridge space as well as cooking equipment, I have had to adapt a new way of eating and have strayed from the diet I

am accustomed to. Two meals are prepared each day in the house, so I am able to graze over them as well as eat food I purchase for myself. There is a great amount of variety in my diet and very little consistency. Every day I try to eat a breakfast composed of whole grains. This includes either a whole grain cereal, Barbaras Shredded Oats, or steel cut oatmeal. I also eat either an apple or carrots every day in order to add fiber to my diet, increase my daily fruit/vegetable intake, and also because I enjoy the taste of both. Lastly, I always eat the vegetable portion of the dinner served. I am not a vegetarian, but do not prefer eating meat, so I always fill up on the grilled, roasted or steamed vegetables served at dinner. List one specific food that you eat once a week and one food you eat once a month. Explain or clarify. Once a week I eat poultry. The amount of chicken I eat is not specifically limited to once a week, but I do not prefer to consume chicken when I have the option not to. The main reason I add a small amount of poultry in to my diet is to increase my protein intake. Once a month I eat Sprinkles cupcakes. Sprinkles cupcakes are my special treat to myself, so at least once a month I make sure to take time out of my schedule and drive to La Jolla for a little sweet indulgence. How often do you eat foods traditionally consumed by your ethnic group? Explain or clarify. I rarely ever eat Indonesian food and other foods traditionally consumed by that ethnic group. When I was younger, my fathers side of the family used to prepare Indonesian food at family get-togethers. These meals included finger foods such as lumpia, shrimp chips and satay. Indonesian cuisine is a mixture of Dutch food (potatoes, meat and vegetables), Indonesian food (rice, hot and spicy dishes of meat and vegetables), and Chinese food. Coconut, chili, soy sauce and peanut sauce are common Indonesian flavorings (3). My dads side of the family is not as close as they were during my childhood, and though my family still gets together to eat, my grandma does not cook traditional Indonesian food for our family anymore. My Moms side of the family has never prepared traditional Irish, English or Swedish food; so I have never eaten foods traditionally consumed by those cultures. Are there some foods you eat or avoid eating for religious or personal reasons? Explain. There are no foods I abstain from eating for religious reasons, but there are a handful of foods I avoid for personal reasons. I avoid eating red meat whenever possible, but am not completely opposed to eating red meat when I am at a restaurant that specializes in preparing red meat or a household where beef is being served. I also avoid eating cheese whenever possible, not because I am lactose intolerant, but because as a child I had an extreme distaste towards all cheese products. As I am getting older my palate is adjusting. I do not mind cheese when melted, but I avoid cheese when possible on dishes such as salads, sandwiches, and burgers as well as on snack crackers. Are there certain foods you would like to eat more often if cost wasn't a factor? Explain. If cost as well as convenience of preparation were not an issue, I would love to eat more fish. One of my favorite meals is a well-prepared piece of salmon, halibut or tuna, in accompaniment

with a grilled vegetable and whole grain. Also, if price were not an issue I would love to try a variety of new ethnic foods as well as go out to eat more and experience new, international cuisines. List food(s) commonly eaten in your region of the United States. Explain or clarify. I grew up in Northern California, and in my opinion, California cuisine is similar in the north and south. Foods commonly eaten are locally grown produce, shellfish and seafood, and fusion style cooking. Locally grown, organic and sustainable eating is an extremely prevalent trend in California right now. All natural and fresh foods are commonly seen as trademarks of California cuisine. The diverse mix of cultures, sensibilities and food influences, combined with Californias fresh and local produce, lead to the creation of a whole new food movement California Fusion (4). California restaurants also now offer tapas, small plates, which are becoming more and more prevalent. These small plates include dishes inspired by Asian, Italian and Mediterranean influences. Meal Composition/Cycle How many meals and snacks do you eat each day? Explain or clarify. On a normal day, I eat 2 large snacks and 3 small snacks. For breakfast I always eat a bowl of cereal or oatmeal. Then a couple hours later, I usually eat an apple or carrots, followed perhaps by a handful of mixed nuts. Around dinnertime, I will eat what could be considered a small meal. Everyday I always incorporate a sweet treat in to my diet. What foods or food groups are needed to make a meal for you? What foods do you consider snacks? Because I eat multiple small portions throughout the day, I consider myself to consume a variety of large snacks. When I go out to dinner, or a family style dinner is prepared, I consider it a meal when a protein, starch and vegetable are all present. In my opinion, just one of these food groups alone constitutes as a snack. Is the meal served in "courses"? If yes, what are they? What is the order of service? None of the meals I consume are served in courses. What are the major holidays you and your family celebrate each year and what special foods are served for these holidays? The three major feasting holidays my family observes are Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, similar meals are served including: roasted chicken with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and green beans. Pumpkin, mincemeat and pecan pie are traditionally served for dessert on Thanksgiving while just pecan pie is served for Christmas dinner. For Easter my family prepares a brunch including: herb-cheese biscuits, sausage, bacon, eggs and fruit salad.

Do you ever fast? If yes, when? What, if any, foods are avoided and/or consumed? No, I do not ever participate in fasting. Rules What, if any, utensils do you use when you eat? Explain or clarify. The utensils I use when eating including fork, knife, spoon and hands. I use a combination of the three when eating depending on the food I am eating. When I am consuming liquid I use a spoon. Specifically, when I am eating cereal and there is barely any liquid left I drink the milk out of the bowl. When I am eating something that need to be cut, I use a knife and fork. Lastly, when I am eating something that is small and compact to eat, I use my fingers as utensils. At a family meal, who would be present? Explain or clarify. At a family meal the only people present are my Mom and myself. There are only two people in my family, so at meals it is only my Mom and I who are present. Is someone at the family meal served first? If yes, who and why? Explain or clarify. My mom and I both are served at the same time. List three rules that you follow when you eat a meal. Do these rules change if you eat informally? How? One rule I follow when I eat a meal is I always cut my food into smaller pieces with a knife as supposed to picking up a large piece of food and biting half of it off my fork. When I use a knife I do not cut all the food I am eating at one time, rather I cut the food I am eating bite by bite. Another rule I follow as I am eating is I always drink water before, during, and after my meal. Lastly, when I eat I always chew with my mouth closed and avoid smacking the food in my mouth. None of these rules change when I am eating a meal informally, but when I am eating a snack I dont always consume it in accompaniment with water. Attitudes and Application List two things you discovered about yourself through this evaluation. Explain or clarify. During this evaluation I recognized that I do not eat what many consider to be meals, but instead throughout the day I regularly eat snacks. I unconsciously have been doing this for the last year or so, and this report helped me recognize this pattern in my diet. Another thing I discovered was that there are very little indications of other cultures in my food habits and I have developed my own special eating habits that are very different from others. Are there any food habits or practices related to food that you find morally or ethically wrong? Explain or clarify.

For the most part, I find the inhumane treatment of farm animals for the production of both their meat and their animal products to be ethically wrong. The farming of eggs by chickens that are not free range is extremely sad to me as well as seeing the living conditions animals are raised in for the production of their meat. How do your food habits differ from your family norms? Those of friends? Those of people you work with? Those of clients or patients? In what ways do they differ? My eating habits are very similar to my Moms eating habits. The only difference is the portion size of our snacks/meals, because she tends to eat more than me. For the most part, my Mom and I have a very similar palate. In general, I have a much healthier and cleaner diet than my friends as well as my boyfriend and his friends. Their diets are high in processed foods, carbohydrates and meat, where I tend to stray away from eating these foods. In my opinion, I have a very specific diet that diverts along the traditional eating habits many hold to. How can you personally avoid ethnocentric judgments regarding food habits? Because of my particular, healthy diet I can avoid ethnocentric judgments of others eating habits by recognizing that everyone eats in a different, specific way and not one food habit is more superb than another. It is crucial not to judge others on the foods they eat, the way they eat them or the amount they eat. In order to avoid ethnocentric judgments of others it is necessary to realize that as I may not immediately understand other cultures habits, many people may not relate to my personal eating habits. It is important to recognize that culture shapes many peoples diets and that these patterns and traditions are not easily changed.

References 1. Tjan, Olga. E-mail interview. 16 Oct. 2011. 2. Holloway, Virginia E. Telephone interview. 17 Oct. 2011. 3. "Indonesian Food - Cuisines of Indonesia - Indonesian Food Recipes - Famous Indonesia Cuisines." Indonesia Travel - Indonesia Travel Guide - Travel to Indonesia - Indonesia Travel Information. Web. 16 Oct. 2011. <http://www.indonesiatravel.org.uk/indonesian-food.html>. 4. "California Wine & Food - Discover the World's Top Wine & Food in California Online at VisitCalifornia.com - Visit California." California Vacation, Travel, Tourism, Visit California Visit California. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://www.visitcalifornia.com/Things-To-Do/Wine-andDine/>.

Nutrition 203 Cultural Heritage Report Instructor: Joan W. Rupp, MS, RD Name: __________________________________________

Semester: __________________

Writing style, spelling and grammar Format References Content

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