Everyone in this world has their own cultural identity, the culture to which they belong. As a Vietnamese teenager, I have asked myself tons of questions my whole life about my cultural identity and where I really belong. Who am I? Do I really belong to Vietnamese culture since that's where I was born? What constituted my cultural identity? Well, obviously I had a hard time defining my culture. Fortunately, after being inspired by the passage “Ethnic Hash” by Patricia J. Williams, I realized that food is the most important element that most defines me and my culture. The food I eat every day, the meals I have on special occasions, and my eating habits all contribute to making me who I am and all symbolize unique elements in different cultures and not just Vietnamese culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe first and most important food item that affects me is my mother's cooking. Because she is from the central part of Vietnam, she tastes different from other people from other regions. The meals she usually prepares for me are always rich, flavorful yet spicy and contain everything Vietnamese enjoy, including meat, vegetables, rice and soup. Although due to her central kitchen, she tends to use a lot of oil and flour in her dishes, which is not very healthy for my family, but she always fixes it by adding more vegetables to the meal. After my mother's central kitchen are her last and longest traditions. On the last weekend of every month, my family always invites my cousins, my grandparents, and my mother's siblings to come to our house and we will cook our dinner together. We usually prepare traditional Central dishes such as Banh Beo, Banh Bot Loc and Banh Nam, which are made from rice flour and filled with shrimp and pork in the middle. These cakes are part of Central cuisine and also part of my own cultural identity. During the preparation, my mother, my aunts and my grandmother are responsible for cooking the dishes while my father and my uncles are responsible for purchasing the ingredients for cooking and the drinks. Kids like me and my cousins ​​are told to set the table and then go elsewhere so as not to disturb the adults. While we are away, my cousins ​​and I often play games and share our experiences, stories, and school life. Once the meal is over, all my family members will gather in the garden and have dinner together. These days are reunions of my family which create lasting memories for me. Overall, my mother's central kitchen plays an important role in my cultural identity because it constantly reminds me of the time I spend with my family. Another key element that represents my cultural identity is my family's cultural norms around meals. As my father is from northern Vietnam, he is very strict about my eating habits. In my family, children like me and my sister have to reserve the table and there are also many rules for setting the table. Each pair of chopsticks should be equal, no chopsticks on the bowls and the sauce should be served among the meats and rice. Even though these cultural norms seem unnecessary to many people, they play a key role in shaping who I am. In Vietnam, there are many social norms of behavior and unintentional action can easily be considered.