Dolorosa the Cinnamon

Welcome to my blog, my name is LJ,


In this unit of “Food for thought,” it was called “Life”, we’ve been looking at the journey of food and specifically an ingredient that is dear to us. From parts of Sri Lanka to the countryside of Tennesse. I conducted several interviews with many of my family members to see who would cook what in our family. We even read a book called "Empires of food". We started the term off by researching points of origin for food and early civilizations. Starting off, we were tasked with creating a “food family tree” I reached out to my great aunt Lucille R. who lives in Bolivar, TN. She told me that her favorite recipe to cook would’ve been this dish called Butterroll (keep that name in mind). She told me that this recipe has been passed down, from six generations. From my 6x Great-Grandmother P. Williams. We started to dig deeper into the meaning of pronouns, and the meaning of where our food comes from.

Here is my script:

Hi! My name is Dolorosa, or how you may know me as... Cinnamon.

Starting off my long and treacherous journey, let us start in a place you know as Sri Lanka. I grew and grew, and I was even harvested by the locals to put into teas, meals, and sometimes even ate whole! Many people traded with me on, this route many called "The Silk Road". In about the late 1600s, a group of ships was moored on the coast of Sri Lanka. These people were different; they didn't look like the people I was used to. They brought strange items with them. They told the people they were there to help with their crops, I was one of them. They cut me down, placed me into barrels, and shipped me over to a place called Madagascar and Nigeria, before eventually spreading to places called China, and their homeland of the Netherlands.

Next, I hitched a ride with British conquistadors to the United States around 1700s during the colonization. I took well to the climate of the south of what was soon to be America. I eventually was used as an important spice to trade with throughout the middle east, south Asia, and parts of Europe. Many great leaders, used me in their dishes. I remember being in Queen Victoria's rice cakes and in Emporer Napoléon's teas.

Lastly, I was spread over the US where I'm still being sourced from my home in South Asia of Sri Lanka. I arrived in Virginia and was traded with many of my cousins, like Nutmeg, around the various states. I was shipped down the coastline, to New Orleans, and then onto Tennesse. Where I was taken in by the "Washington/Green" family, who opted to use me instead of sugar. I've been used in a rare surprise dish on holidays for many years. I told you to remember butterroll. Time after time, I always look forward to attending there oh so amazing family gatherings. I've watched many a child, grow old and go on and show their children the many recipes with me in it. I've been in so many cabinets watched many come and go, and id do it all again... just to see those smiles again.

In conclusion, I've learned so much from this project. I had no idea there were this many things and so much history behind, so many different ingredients. This course has given me a chance to reflect on so many things. I got to talk to some family members, I hadn't gotten to speak to in a while. I also got to know about some of the family members I never got to meet.

I hope this has inspired you, to want to dig deeper into your family history. Thank you for reading,

Sincerely, 

L.G.J

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Work cited: 

Frazier, Evan G., and Andrew Rimas. Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations. Counterpoint, 2012. 

“Cinnamon.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/plant/cinnamon. 

Spiegel, Alison. “Do You Even Know What Cinnamon Comes from?” HuffPost, HuffPost, 30 Sept. 2021, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cinnamon-comes-from_n_4963435. 

“Cinnamon.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnamon.