Ivory Seeds of Nostalgia: Rice As Cultural Memory
A Personal Journey Through Food and Memory
A bowl of rice becomes more than just food when home is an ocean away. This reflection reveals how the ivory grains that once seemed ordinary transformed into treasured seeds of cultural memory. Through the steam rising from a simple pot of rice, discover how familiar flavors can anchor us when everything else feels foreign.
On a chilly night, the aroma of white rice simmering in a giant pot was what made me feel there was still a part of me that hadn’t completely disappeared just yet. Moving across the globe to a different country in the middle of the school year was bad enough but then came the process of acculturation. The fragrance of rice being cooked was a symbol of peace. It meant dinner would be ready and a part of me would once again become whole. In 2000, when I had moved to the United States from South Asia at the tender age of eight, my world was topsy-turvy. Except one important fact: My family still ate traditional South Asian cuisine.
After long days at work and school rice is what brought my family together as it’s the heart of South Asian food. A reminder to us, that despite feeling like outsiders all day, we had something in common. School seemed to be the only indication life was moving forward though I felt like stepping back in time. Bubbles of joy would emanate from my body when anyone asked about my home and lifestyle that I had left behind. Imagine my shock when people around me told me they had never eaten rice or tried it at all. How was this possible? Something that I’d eaten since the day of my birth was almost to the point of non-existent to some people. One of the first moments of cultural shock was this. Vivid memories of watching various family members preparing to cook rice came back to me.
Frothy water rushed through the peepholes of the strainer. The grainy hard texture pressing hard against bare skin. Sweet aftertaste of consuming without the flavor of any other dishes.
There were frequent flashes of identity crisis. I was neither here nor there. Eating food from back home was how I got the sense of still being tethered to my roots. As Vietnamese-American writer Monique Truong accurately sums it up in her essay American Like Me (2006), “remote or faraway, may have been an even better word to describe me ” (para. 2). Rice is an integral part of South Asian people’s life. If you are in a detrimental financial situation and somehow money is acquired, the first food item you will buy is rice. It is a staple diet that represents the people’s livelihood.
These days my hunger for rice still hasn’t gone away. Besides being a daily part of my diet, rice represents my past and forms part of my cultural identity. Even now when I order rice at a restaurant a pleasant tingling sensation goes down my spine upon getting my first glimpse of this delicious food when it is first served. However, this also leads to jovial mockery from mostly my South Asian friends and colleagues. Somehow, I just can’t seem to ever get enough.
Story Behind the Story
Ivory Seeds of Nostalgia (ISON) was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2023 Tulsa City-County Library Adult Creative Writing Contest in the short informal essay category. The essay was officially published on the TCCL website as part of their annual celebration of local writers.
What makes this recognition particularly meaningful is that I originally wrote this piece over a decade ago during my first year of university in an English composition class. The essay was submitted to the contest in its original form, without edits or changes—a testament to how our earliest reflections on cultural identity can remain relevant throughout our lives.
Rice in South Asian Culture Context: Symbolism and Tradition
In many South Asian households, rice is more than just food—it’s the foundation of cultural continuity. The phrase “rice is life” isn’t metaphorical but literal in many communities across Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and beyond. For immigrants from these regions, preparing and sharing rice dishes becomes a daily ritual of remembrance and belonging.
The title “Ivory Seeds of Nostalgia” refers to the visual appearance of uncooked basmati and other Asian rice varieties, which often have a pearly, ivory-like sheen before cooking—a visual metaphor for the precious memories they contain for those far from home.
© 2010-2026 Aanika I. All Rights Reserved.
Literary Reference / Reading Connections
Truong, Monique, American Like Me August 2006, Gourmet, Reading Supplement
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