Over the past 6 months, I have been working on a research paper tied to Sri Lankan foods and ritual practices. Recently, the paper was published in the American Journal of Student Research, and I have linked the current issue below for anyone who wants to learn more about my topic.
When it came to choosing a topic to focus my research on, at first, I was totally lost and had no idea what direction to take. I knew I was most interested in studying elements of a culture that exist across many, if not all, cultures: for example, holiday traditions, food practices, significant clothing, music, etc. After some thinking, I decided to focus on food and the significance it can carry because within each culture, and even in each household, there are always foods that carry some sort of significance, whether that is they are part of a holiday tradition, or they symbolize something greater.
Then, when it came to deciding which country, culture, or region I wanted to focus on, I decided to look more into my maternal ethnicity and research food practices in Sri Lanka. Learning more about an aspect of my heritage through this research project was so interesting. I learned that some of the things my grandmother cooks have a deeper significance behind them than just that my sister and I like to eat them. I loved learning more about this part of myself, and it was a truly incredible experience.
Below, I have linked the paper. I hope you enjoy reading it and find the information as interesting as I did when I was researching the paper!
Living in Culture 
Leave a comment