Comfort Food in Hard Times: Intergenerational Connections
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Abstract
Caught off guard when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, people immediately began to search for models to help guide us through such uncharted territory. Nothing—from the history of the 1918 flu to the experiences of those living in conflict zones (Admad 2020)—seemed to hold the answer. On the other hand, endless posts of sourdough and other baking projects on social media, as well as the short supply of flour and yeast on grocery store shelves, soon made it clear that many people were turning to baking and cooking to help get through. In this article, I reflect on both these aspects—the lack of models and the importance of food—to my own household’s experience of COVID-19. To understand the role of making and sharing food in our lives over the pandemic, I look to my father’s childhood experiences of the Great Depression of the 1930s as a counterpoint. These intergenerational connections reveal ways in which comfort food anchors us at the same time it shapes our aspirations by allowing us to imagine our future selves.
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