How food shapes America’s 250 years of community

As the United States of America prepares to celebrate its semiquincentennial this July, people across the country will gather with friends, family and neighbors for parades, fireworks and, of course, food.

For 250 years, Americans have marked life’s biggest moments around the table. Across generations, families and communities have shared recipes, prepared meals together and passed along traditions that tell the stories of who they are and where they come from. While those traditions may look different from one household to the next, the act of gathering over food is one of the experiences that has long connected communities across the country.

American history is filled with examples of food bringing people together. From community dinners to backyard cookouts, holiday meals and neighborhood potlucks, food has long been part of how we celebrate, remember, welcome others and strengthen relationships.

Ashli Stokes, interim department chair of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies and professor of communication studies, researches how identity is communicated through foodways, or the practices surrounding food and eating. She has published multiple books about how food sends messages about cultural and specifically Southern, identity, including “Hungry Roots: How Food Communicates Appalachia’s Search for Resilience” and “Consuming Identity: The Role of Food in Redefining the South.” She recently joined an episode of WFAE’s Charlotte Talks to discuss how food helps build communities by creating a sense of “us-ness,” highlighting regional differences, preserving traditions and offering moments of connection.

“Food serves as a universal communicator. Research suggests that shared food experiences may promote a number of civic values including inclusivity, participation and democracy,” Stokes said. “Food experiences sometimes provide approachable methods to explore commonalities and perhaps improve relationships. Becoming more food-literate may strengthen communities, helping create a citizenry better able to relate to each other.”

Eating food from different cultures or backgrounds will not directly influence lawmakers or change policy, Stokes notes, but her research shows that sharing the same foods can make differences less threatening or more appealing.

Using food as a way to experience other cultures offers a glimpse into different lifestyles that we have only seen from a distance and allows us to locate commonalities with each other.

“Food can provide a sense of regional, city, or national identity. I think you see it a lot in the World Cup coverage right now in what visitors are eating,” explained Stokes. “People visiting the United States are excited about Waffle House. They’re excited about the experiences they’re having at Buc-ee’s. When you have that local experience and can talk about it with somebody, it gives us that sense of ‘us’ and helps us understand how people see our regions.”

Participating in the rituals of backyard barbecues and cookouts may offer another sense of bonding and togetherness. By having a chance to participate and through bringing their own personal touches and family traditions, opportunities for conversation may open. Beyond eating the food and sharing memories with family and friends, preparing the meal together can become part of the tradition itself, according to Stokes, where families or communities engage in rituals that recreate cultures. Talking about a family member’s special side dish or laughing about who is only allowed to bring the paper products connects us and may create a family ritual.

“The ability to participate in a ritual is really important. Whether it is helping the cook in the kitchen or you’re loading the dishes, you are participating in the rhythms of that experience. It gives you something to talk about – how you may or may not do it the same way,” she said. We have opportunities to share flavors and memories, and in doing so, we share a little bit about ourselves and we share a little bit about the ways we might connect with someone.”

As America celebrates its 250th year, the recipes may change, but new traditions will emerge and communities will continue to grow. In Charlotte, for example, Stokes notes how residents can taste how southern cuisine in the city is changing through dishes like Chinese fried okra, torta sandwiches in the back of the Sav-Way market on Central Avenue, or even chiles rellenos stuffed with pimiento cheese. But gathering around the table to share food, or a World Cup visitor posting on social media about taking a bottle of ranch through security on the way back home to their home country, stories and shared time with one another through food experiences remain a tradition worth carrying into the next 250.

Written by: Jason Vaughan