CULTURAL COMFORT FOODS By Aliyah Kilpatrick
Originally hailing from Lexington, Kentucky and then relocating to Arizona, Henderson understands the strong connection to home and how food can help students feel better at Cornell. “Soul food is the food that I try to recreate on this campus for other people. Whether it’s Korean food, whether it’s soul food, whether it’s carribean food, I just try to provide those things on campus every once in a while for those students that might have those feelings or emotions attached to them.” People came from all over campus to my one dorm in Ujamaa to have William’s carribean food, soul food, and more in order to get a taste of their cultural comfort food. Clubs and organizations would also have William make food for them because they knew he would be able to create a sense of home for other students.
H
ome. Warmth. Family. Culture. The definition of comfort food can change depending on who you ask. Since Cornellians come from all different backgrounds, I wanted explore comfort foods across different cultures and how Cornell students cook their comfort foods for others at Cornell to expose them to their cultures.
“You have to have a little bit of heart, some form or emotion, or feeling connected to that movement,” said Henderson.
As an African-American woman coming from Syracuse, New York, I had a wide range of food options across different cultures, such as fried chicken, collard green, mac and cheese, and candied yams coming from home. In Ithaca, it is hard to find restaurants that serve soul food, my comfort food. It is also difficult to find Caribbean restaurants and African restaurants. As a freshman on campus, I learned how to cook oxtails in my dorm’s kitchen. People came from all over the dorm to the kitchen to tell me how good the food smelled when I was cooking. Food draws people together and oxtails reminded me of home when I was missing family.
“I really see how much people love my food, and I love to feed people. I love seeing the smiles on their faces when they’re enjoying the meal I prepared for them.” Henderson continues to cook, and he showcases his food on his instagram page “@soulofthesouthcooking”.
During my freshman year here at Cornell, I learned quickly that students became their own personal chefs and cooked food themselves. Whether they sold plates of food to other individuals, or they incorporated it into their events, they created their comfort food out of their dorm kitchens to bring people together. William Henderson Cornell ‘22 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences studying International Agriculture and Rural Development, has found a way to create his comfort food at Cornell by cooking it for himself and others. “Invested in my culture is that soul food, where I come from, it’s candied yams, collard greens, mac and cheese, fried chicken, and so many more,” said Henderson. “Everytime I see that food on a plate, instantly it clicks for me. This is home. This is comfort. This is me. This is why I feel that.”
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and PH OTO &C n i o : Rob ert Brooks (food from C
or)
