As the mad rush to the holiday season begins, I’m again thinking of all the subtle - and some of the not so subtle – ways my family would blend Old World traditions with those of their new country. Food, of course, figures high in the equation.
Of all the “lifeways” an expatriate naturally changes when they emigrate to a new culture, one of the slowest to go seems, inevitably, to be the foods they crave to nourish both their bodies – and their souls. Finding them - or at least the basic ingredients to make them - becomes not just a task...but a quest. Today, I believe it actually is a lot easier than it was for my grandmother. Every city has its small ethnic enclaves, filled with shop sthat stock the things that American grocery stores would probably not find shelf space for. Even at the super stores, there are changes, though. As the American palate has matured, so have the stores' willingness to stock such things as Tahne or bulgur, wher eit was once nearly impossible to find even plain yogurt!
Juice and an English muffin or cereal might seem like a normal breakfast for most kids growing up in the 1950s, for example, but cheoreg, string cheese and those wrinkly black olives were far more commonly found on our table – at least when Grandma and Grandpa were present. The cheoreg was made from scratch, of course, but the olives and string cheese came from a small ethic grocer in our town who specialized in Mediterranean foods.
Coffee was typically Turkish coffee – or in the morning – my grandfather’s special café au lait. Grandma would bring the milk to nearly a boil in a saucepan, adding a teaspoon of sugar to dissolve in the hot liquid. Then, she would cut the heat and carefully pour the hot, rich coffee into the mixture until it was a soft, creamy beige color. As we grew older, we were allowed a cup, as well, although more sugar was usually added after Grandpa’s cup was poured – along with more milk. Even the coffee could be hard to find - but, again, the specialty grocer filled the bill.
Today, I believe my grandmother would be amazed to find that, between the grocery store and the health food store, she could locate nearly everything she needed for her Armenian table. And what is still nearly impossible to find can always be ordered online.
