Cultural Identity Essay About Myself

Cultural identity is the idea of belonging to a group and is part of someone’s identity.  Everyone’s culture is unique in its own ways.   Many cultures involve nationality, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, and music to define their culture.  My culture consists of the foods I eat, my religion, as well as my family.  These three aspects define my cultural identity the most.

A substantial part of my cultural identity is the foods I eat.  Food has always been a big part of my life.  Growing up, I have been in the kitchen with my grandma cooking up a storm, which has made me have pride for southern cooking.  Foods that I eat include, green beans, mashed potatoes, okra, barbeque, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken and drinking sweet tea and coffee also show my southern culture.  These foods and drinks are a shared part of our culture with me, my family, and others in the south.

Religion is another big part of my culture.  I am a Christian and have been going to church my whole life. Christianity has molded me in different ways, especially how my family are so close they are always teaching me and teaching each other about God and the Bible.  Christianity also has made me want to dedicate my life to God and to fulfill my life as best as I can.  I have felt happier and more positive overall after I became a Christian.  Christianity is the dominant religion in this area and in the south in general.  

Family along with religion is one of the most valuable things to me. My family and I are very close, we always are doing things with each other.  We all enjoy the outdoors and we like to grill, go fishing, and hiking.  My family and I love cooking with each other. I enjoy spending time with them and a fun way to is cooking.  My family celebrates the holidays most Americans do such as Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  It sounds like we are an average family, but we are anything but average.

My cultural identity revolves around food, my religion, and my family.  These three things define my cultural identity just like language might define another culture.  Everyone’s cultural identity will have similarities and differences but that is what makes us unique. The outside appearance won’t always define who we really are.