Dear Fatoumata,

Your letter was very relatable. I remember watching the news everyday back in in March and April. I would watch Governor Cuomo speak and I imagined how scary it would be to live in New York during the pandemic. I live in Michigan, and during the lock down I watched a lot of Netflix too! I also missed socialization and my friends. I am so sorry that you did not have a graduation. I know that is something every high schooler looks forward too. It broke my heart when you said someone was making a rude comment to an Asian Women. I think it is so cool you have a cousin that lives in another country!

Thank you for your writing. Good luck in college!

Fatoumata,

This is a very relatable letter. I am from Salt Lake City, UT, where the Coronavirus did not hit as hard as New York. We never had a mandate to stay in doors, but for the months of March, April and May, I can relate to the loneliness you felt. More now than ever before, I appreciate the little things like being able to hug my grandma, going to school with all my friends, or being able to see someones smile. I feel like this virus has changed most people’s perspective on life and will have an affect on how we navigate our future. Hope you are well and that those you love are safe and healthy.

Grace

Fatoumata, not only was this letter very relatable but it also warmed my heart. I do feel for you, hearing that your graduation had to through zoom breaks my heart, this must have been so difficult. I am a senior this year and I am praying for at least a semi-normal graduation. It makes me very sad to hear your anecdotes about the recent stereotyping of Asians, this is awful. I appreciated your openness and honesty about the difficulties of COVID. Hope all is well in your college years!

Dear Fatoumata,
I found your post “A Dish from My Culture” interesting because I enjoyed hearing about how passionate you are about your culture. I think it is important to learn about other people’s cultures because it is a huge part of one’s life. Everyone has different values and learning about their culture can expand your view to respect everyone and acknowledge the diversity around you.

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “In the Bronx, last Eid, my mom and I decided to cook Latchiri Kossan to remember the smell of our country through this traditional dish.” I found this relatable as to when I help my mom cook. I like learning how to make new Mexican dishes because I get to learn more about my culture. I also feel that our dishes make us come closer together especially on holidays because the whole family gathers and works together to make the food.

Thanks for writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because I would like to continue to learn more about your culture.
-Yamile

Dear Fatoumata,
I am very intrigued about your post “A DIsh from My Culture” because hearing how much love you have for your culture is very genuine. I really like learning about new cultures and I felt like your culture seemed so nice the way you all show your love towards the people you care about by making them a dish that takes a long and difficult process. I agree with you that when you make a traditional dish it reminds you of home and makes you happy. When my family makes a traditional Mexican dish it reminds me of my ancestors and makes me happy to have the culture I have.
Hope to hear more about your culture soon!!
-Litzy

This is very interesting Fatoumata. I love how this post relates to your very own culture. This Fulani Tribe dish sounds delicious and now I really want to try it. I love the stories that you share, and remembering the first time your mom made this dish for you. You go into great depth and description of making the dish. I love hearing about new cultures and traditions. My family is Cuban, and my mom always make Cuban dishes and I love to hear the stories and history behind them. It is very interesting and I love learning new things about my culture. I am excited to see what you have to say next because I would love to hear more about you and your culture.

Fatoumata,

I’m very pleased to hear about your traditional dish. I’m also pleased to hear about how this dish reminds you of your home. I also have traditional dishes that allow me to revisit my home without having to actually leave the U.S.
I liked how you connected Latchiri Kossan with dance and music. I believe that food can serve as a representation of things beyond fulfilling hunger. I also like how you compared your dish with Thanksgiving. It allowed readers to better understand how important the dish is in your culture.

Dear Fatoumata,

I really enjoyed reading your post, “A Dish from My Culture,” because I understand the notion of feeling at home when eating a cultural dish. Cultural dishes are extremely important because food is arguably a culture’s best way of conveying what its life is all about. They represent the warmness of culture and the characteristics of its traditions.

One sentence you wrote that really stood out to me was, “The honor of being served this particular dish shows how important you are to the person.” This resonates with me deeply because, like another thing you said, many cultural foods take great effort and long hours to make. There is a lot that can go wrong with a dish that takes a long time to make, so being served a dish like that makes people feel special. Essentially, the idea is you give up time to those you value.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because I love to see people value their culture. I also like to learn about various cultures’ different foods, the Latchiri Kossan looks delicious.  

Sebastian