The Importance Of Ethnic Culture

According to Shirley & Levy (2013), “The term ethnicity is a cultural heritage shared by people with a common ancestral origin, language, traditions and often religion” (p.3). In other words, the person that I am today has been shaped by my past; I have become an heir of a culture, language, religion and tradition that makes up who I am and from what ethnic group I belong. As a result, my shared cultural background determines the type of foods, family relations, patterns of communication, values and beliefs that I hold. Furthermore, I was told that my descendants shared their rich heritage from the African and Indian descent. At first, this information made me believe that I had to be in Africa or India to be a partaker of their culture. However, growing up in Grenada gave me the opportunity of

These foods meant quite a great deal to my parents and grandparents because, gardening was what they did for a living. They were of the belief that you eat what you grow. Therefore, foods such as yams, breadfruits, green bananas and sweet potatoes were often steamed, then eaten with a few grains of curried or steamed jacks and fresh vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes and carrots. On the following day, if there was any steamed food remaining, my Grandmother would fry them and we would eat this for our breakfast; in addition, she would boil green bush (lemon grass, or black sage) and give us to drink. For this reason, I continue to enjoy these foods because it is deeply rooted in my subculture. Furthermore, I must highlight our traditional drinks that we enjoy during the Christmas season. My grandmother would ensure that she plants sorrel and ginger so that we can celebrate the traditional way. She would blend the ginger, then mix it with an ounce of essence. Also, she would boil the sorrel and mix it with an eight of ‘Clarks Court’ rum. After, she would sweeten them and place them in the cooler to be