Dallas

Food Bringing Our Differences Together

NBC 5 is celebrating the Different Shades of Texas this week, including how food plays a role in racial relations. Undeniably, different ethnic foods help define different cultures.

Jennifer Jensen Wallach, associated professor at the University of North Texas, wrote a book called, How America Eats: A Social History of U.S. Food and Culture. Her research looks into the history of different cultures and cuisines in America.

"Enjoying food created by a particular culture does not necessarily mean accepting people from that culture, unfortunately," Jensen Wallach said.

But sharing a good meal and conversation could help. NBC 5 found one group in Dallas that's proving that one meal at a time.

They are the faces of Texans brought together by a simple meal. They share food and something more.

Sitting at a coffee table on the 19th floor of a Turtle Creek high-rise condo in Dallas, five people from five different backgrounds sat together and shared their story. They began the conversation with an introduction.

"My parents emigrated from India," said Liji Thomas.

"My childhood was spent in Taiwan," said Wei Wei Jeang.

They share their stories to be heard.

"I am Mexican-American," said Peter Aguirre. "Both my parents are from here (United States), but all my grandparents are from Mexico."

"German, Swedish, Finnish, English, Irish," said Chris Koski, who listed her family's ancestral nationalities.

Their conversation was complimented by a meal.

"Food is always a way to get people to relax, and it doesn't matter what the food is," said Koski.

In this case, the food was an assortment of cake, and their conversation was about race in America. The guests inside the condo were members of the Dallas Dinner Table, a non-profit organization focused on improving race relations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"What is arguably the most diverse country on earth, we are so segregated," said Liji Thomas.

"That's in corporate America, that's in our neighborhoods. I think the MLK quote, '11 o'clock on Sunday is the most segregated hour,' I think that is as true today as it was when Martin Luther King said it. You look at our school system, you look at our criminal justice system," Thomas said.

The conversation shifted from current affairs, to moments from the past.

"My parents were both from East Texas," said Beverley Wright, who is black and was born and raised in Dallas. "And so I had some pretty defined ideas about East Texas that weren't that positive, especially about white people from East Texas, because I saw that when we would go back to East Texas with him (dad). I remember one time in particular, we were driving back and he needed to get some gas. So he stopped at this service station, and they would sell him gas but they wouldn't let him use the restroom."

It's personal stories and powerful observations like Wright's shared at the table that can become a hub for breakthroughs to happen.

"Last year at the Dallas Dinner Table, a gentleman made a statement about immigration, and I guess it was one of the questions about immigration that he had," said Koski. "He said, 'Yeah, this is a country of immigrants, but there's a whole class of people that didn't immigrate, we were imported. We were purchased and imported. So we're not immigrants.' And I just thought, 'Oh, my God, he's right.' You know, that was one of those big 'aha' moments."

Those are the moments Dallas Dinner Table strives achieve. Between bites of food, and sips of wine, they hope listening helps lead to a better understanding of those from different backgrounds.

"What I try to do is work on me first," said Wright. "And then try to seek first to understand before being understood."

"You think you know a lot," said Aguirre. "You are exposed to a lot of things growing up. But you don't know what you don't know."

More: Dallas Dinner Table

Copyright, 2013, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (Dustin A. Cable, creator)

Map data by OpenStreetMap, under CC-BY-SA. Image Copyright, 2013, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (Dustin A. Cable, creator)

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