Nourishing Traditions with Our Mothers
We're wrapping up May and leaning into honouring mothers and maternal figures everywhere this month. They have nurtured and nourished us throughout the years, so how can we continue to celebrate them for 2023?
Focusing on the nourishing aspect, we did two activities at Oma. For our Family Treating Day, we had the kids make Cheerio Bird Feeders (click this link for the DIY project) and it was a big hit. We also asked our staff to share some recipes that were either prepared by or reminded them of their mothers and collected them all in a file to create a mini cookbook. These activities lead to us thinking: in what other ways can we continue to be nourished by our maternal (and paternal) figures through culinary traditions? Yes food nourishes us physically, but also evokes powerful feelings of nostalgia, reinforces a familial bond, strengthens our identity, and brings us closer to each other. So how can we keep our parental figures close through what we eat? Here are a few ideas that we hope inspire you!
RECIPE COLLECTION
Get those favourite recipes that your mother makes, and collect them all in a PDF or book. This is such a great keepsake that can be shared for generations to come. Bonus points if they are handwritten by her and/or include pictures of the dish as well.
EAT A FAVOURITE MEAL
Is there a favourite home-cooked meal or restaurant that your mom enjoys? Recreate it at home or visit the restaurant during the month of May to really make her feel special. You can even turn this into a themed day centred around a particular cuisine she loves.
LEARN A NEW CUISINE/TAKE A COOKING CLASS
This is a great opportunity to expand your mother's palette, let her give in to curiousity, or just learn something new. And it doesn't necessarily have to be food based either - there are options like tea, coffee, and wine-tastings, cocktail making, and baking and decorating classes too!
PREPARE A TRADITIONAL DISH TOGETHER
If there is a particular food from your mom's culture that is only served on special occasions or is particularly labour-intensive, get the whole family involved in making it. It's a great way to learn about mom's background, learn a new (or old) culinary technique, and maybe see how a recipe can change over time.
BREAKFAST IN BED/BRUNCH/PICNIC
We couldn't skip these popular, tried-and-true Mother's Day suggestions because they can simply be remixed with one of the ideas above to personalize. A French-inspired breakfast tray because mom's favourite trip was to Paris. Brunch at a Turkish restaurant because she's always wanted to try shakshouka. A picnic filled with Malaysian dishes to honour her heritage. These are still lovely opportunities for creating memories of nourishment and love, and have so much potential to evolve as the years go by.
Which one of these activities do you want to start making into a family tradition?