A Home-Cooked Tradition

I believe in the time-honored tradition of cooking at home every Sunday.

I grew up in a semi-religious household, so I know why this has been a tradition for so long. It has been a tradition for so long because in any black household after you come home from church, you always eat afterwards. Sometimes I would help in the kitchen with cutting the vegetables or cooking the meat. For as long as I can remember, my mom or dad has always cooked on Sunday. Not because it was the religious thing to do, but because it always reminded us that we are all apart of one family.

Monday through Saturday are days devoted to work, sports practices, games and other activities that require us to be out of the house. When we are not cooking during the week, we eat McDonalds, White Castle or more commonly at a Chinese takeout restaurant.

When we do cook at home I am the one person who does the dishes. People think that because I am the one person in the house who does the dishes, I would especially hate doing them on Sunday, but I do not. Sunday is a time to join with family, and discuss current events that are going on in our lives. Sunday dinner is the biggest event in our house. There is always fried chicken, mashed potatoes, greens, macaroni, cornbread and of course Kool-Aid.

I believe in cooking on Sunday because it brings the whole family together. It is a time to plan future family outings, and a chance to gossip with one another. This is a strong-held tradition that I am going to one day pass on to my children.

It not just about cooking for the sake of cooking: we cook on Sunday because it shows how artistic we can be with just rigatoni noodles and white Parmesan sauce. I do not help cook on Sunday because some of my relatives are coming over. I cook to be creative; I like making new foods and trying new things. In a way, I cook to take risks.

Yes, I hate doing dishes and yes, I could complain about what is being cooked, but it is all worth it. Sunday is about coming together as a whole and honoring the family. I believe that all families need to time to themselves — to share, to grow and to keep pursuing their dreams.