For many, food is the rushed breakfast between waking up and walking to school. It’s the greasy pizza we eat for lunch. It’s the meal we make ourselves for dinner.  But food can mean a lot more. It can be an opportunity to preserve our memories and connect us with family and friends. It triggers some of our strongest, happiest memories.

Something as simple as  warm chocolate chip cookies and milk remind many of us of when we were younger. Chocolate chip cookies can be important.

Preparing meals can be a way to demonstrate what life is like in another country.

“Food has taught me a lot about my Italian roots,” says Josh Gregory, a Lincoln freshman. A traditional meal (think Thanksgiving) can symbolize what a country values, and is considered one of the best ways to teach younger family members about their roots. Food connects people.

“My grandmother showed me how to make meat balls the way she had when she was in Italy. It has always given us a way to connect,” says Gregory. Meals are a chance to be together, relate and build relationships.

Sometimes, we treat eating and cooking as a chore. But through food, we connect to a world and a culture of which we are a part of.