Learn how to make Ms. Luci’s Lemon Chicken, Enchiladas with homemade flour tortillas and Mexican Sopa de Fideo. (as featured in Welcome to Shelbyville)
“Oftentimes, when you tell your Iranian host that you don’t eat meat, they’ll respond happily with something like: ‘Oh, don’t worry, this only has chicken in it!’”
“I usually see my parents only a few times a year but my sister and I never miss a Christmas or Thanksgiving… this past year -for the first time- there was no turkey…”
Do you have special dish you think is especially good at bringing people together, and would you like for us to include it here? We’d love to add it! What we’ll need:
1) A list of ingredients and detailed instructions for preparing the dish
2) A short story that describes the cultural significance of this meal (where it comes from, etc.) and why it is special to you (250 words max)
3) A high-resolution image to accompany the recipe (ideally of you with the dish!)
4) Your email or contact information (including your city and state)
That’s all! Then you can send all of the above materials to sahar@activevoice.net or click here to submit online, and we’ll post some of the best recipes we receive. Thanks in advance for the inspiration!
Breaking the Ice by Breaking Bread
Sometimes the way to a community’s heart is through its stomach.
Whether it is a simple potluck or even a meet-and-greet at a local ethnic restaurant, breaking bread is a great way to break the ice. Various scenes in the module “Hawo’s Dinner Party: The New Face of Southern Hospitality” feature community members coming together around food. For example, a welcoming Thanksgiving at Ms. Luci’s and Hawo’s dinner-discussion-dance party both demonstrate how Shelbyville residents were able to foster deeper trust and understanding between newcomers and long-term residents through sharing a meal. These scenes can provide the context you need to host a gathering of your own. The recipes on this page are here to help get you started.
Whatever you decide to do, check out our “Hawo’s Dinner Party” Event Toolkit and Facilitation Guide to make sure you’ve thought of everything. And visit the Welcoming Gatherings page for more tips.
