Growing up, I ate a lot. I was the kid who had to eat a second meal after going to a friend’s house for dinner and was generally too hungry to ever be picky. Granted, although I stopped growing a long time ago (thankfully), I still see myself as a good eater. My culinary curiosity and overall appreciation for different kinds of food is a large part of my identity.
Perhaps your identity is not as wrapped up in eating, but is defined by your job, where you live, your family or your hobbies (whether that is biking or birding!). Our identities also tend to be made up of the cultures that we grow up in, the traditions we practice and the groups we belong to. All of these components give our lives' meaning and help us to define who we are. When we lose some part of our identity or a group we belong to is challenged - it is painful. Whether you have experienced systemic racism, COVID has turned everything upside down for you or you are waking up to the collective trauma of our fellow Americans - this all challenges our identity.
Our identities around food can be just as complicated (if not arguably much more delicious). Our love of certain flavors and dishes so often comes from our cultural identity and the celebrations associated with them. And like other parts of our lives, what we eat can be incredibly personal or more collective due to our membership in certain groups. No matter why you eat the way you do, you all know the feeling of being told that you should eat differently. Few topics make me more defensive - probably because it directly challenges my identity.
Our identity in food is just as it must be in life - constantly re-examined. Though this will take fortitude, it also can lead to unexpected sources of joy.
So how does what you eat represent who you are? Is there a certain dish, a celebration perhaps or is it what you eat daily? Beyond food, what makes up your identity? And how do the groups that you are affiliated with contribute to how you see yourself in the world?