California School of Arts San Gabriel Valley is a diverse campus with different cultures, races, religions, and identities. This December, the holidays have consumed our campus with a wide array of different holiday food and desserts. The celebrations of the holidays include: Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Feast of Our Lady Guadalupe, Boxing Day, Omisoka, and New Years (plus many more). All of these holidays celebrate collective important themes of love, family and unity through the gift of culture, representation and food. Furthermore, eating a traditional dinner unites families through their historical and cultural foods. Food is a way to bring people together through cultures and old family recipes. The CSArtisan wants to share students’ family recipes through this holiday season!
Reina Sato, a 7th grader from CSARTS shared her favorite Japanese and Mexican traditional foods she enjoys this holiday season.
I love having mixed cultures. My mother is Mexican American and my father is Japanese American. Thanksgiving and Christmas are our favorite holidays. My favorite dish to eat at the Thanksgiving table is Takoraisu Mexican and Japanese fusion tacos.”
Takoraisu is prepared by combining tacos and rice to create a delicious marriage of two culinary favorites and end up with something so unique and delicious. Taco rice truly embodies fusion cuisine.What makes taco rice Japanese is that, aside from the Tex-Mex flavor, mirin, sake, and soy sauce are added. This gives it the extra flavor that makes Takoraisu even tastier. Sometimes it can be served with rice in a tortilla roll. Another variant of the dish is called “taco rice ball” where all the usual ingredients like meat, rice, and cheese are combined, dipped in batter, deep fried then served with salsa or tomato ketchup.
Reina Sato is only one of the many diverse students on this campus another student who shares multi-cultural heritage is Malik Brown, who shares his Nigerian-Dutch American fusion foods he shares with his family on christmas,
On Christmas my father makes kibbeling It’s deep fried battered fish, sprinkled with spices and usually served with sauces, like garlic sauce. And if you like oily food with lots of meat and fish which is from the Dutch, too.”
Kibbling is an important family tradition for Malik, sharing that with his family brings him,
It brings me so much joy to sit around the dinner table and share these pepprey well seasoned treats with my siblings.”
Sharing these recipes shows the amazing diversity on campus, bringing inclusivity and joy around every dinner table.
Love to the Lunch Ladies