Title: “Culture Chats: Around the Table”
Sonya:
Hey everyone, welcome back to Culture Chats: Around the Table! I’m Sonya.
Palak:
I’m Palak!
Riley:
And I’m Riley! Today we’re talking about our cultures, traditions, foods, languages, and how
growing up in different households shaped us into who we are today.
Sonya:
And this is definitely going to be more of a relaxed conversation. We just want to share stories
and learn more about each other.
Palak:
Exactly. I feel like people don’t realize how different everyone’s experiences can be, even when
we all grew up in New York.
Riley:
Yeah, like we all probably grew up only an hour apart from each other but had completely
different traditions at home.
Sonya:
Which is honestly really cool.
Palak:
Okay wait before we start, how are we all doing today?
Riley:
Honestly exhausted.
Sonya:
Same. Nursing school is slowly destroying me.
Palak:
Literally. I feel like every week there’s another exam.
Riley:
And somehow every professor decides the same exact week is perfect for giving assignments.
Sonya:
No seriously. But honestly working on this project was kind of nice because it gave us a chance
to talk about something more personal.

Palak:
I agree. I actually learned so much from both of you.
Riley:
Same. Okay wait, let’s all introduce ourselves first.
Sonya:
Okay, I’ll go first. Hi everyone, I’m Sonya and I’m a nursing major here at Adelphi. I was born in
New York City, but my family is originally from Russia. Russian was actually my first language,
and I didn’t really learn English until I started school at around five years old.
Riley:
Which honestly is so impressive to me because I can barely speak one language correctly.
Palak:
Same honestly.
Sonya:
No literally there are still times where I accidentally mix words together.
Palak:
Wait do your parents mostly speak Russian at home?
Sonya:
Yeah, especially my grandparents. So growing up I spoke Russian all the time at home and
English at school.
Riley:
Did that ever confuse you as a kid?
Sonya:
A little. I remember when I first started school I was honestly scared because everyone was
speaking English and I barely understood anything.
Palak:
That must’ve been really overwhelming.
Sonya:
Yeah but kids adapt quickly, so eventually I got used to it.
Riley:
I honestly think it’s really cool though because being bilingual connects you to your culture
more.

Sonya:
Definitely. I’m really grateful my family taught me Russian because now I can communicate with
older family members and understand more about my background.
Palak:
I relate to that a lot actually.
Riley:
Wait yeah Palak, tell us about your background.
Palak:
Okay so I’m Palak and I’m also a nursing major. I was born and raised in Queens, but I moved
to Long Island during high school. My family is from Punjab, India.
Sonya:
Queens honestly feels like the cultural capital of New York.
Palak:
It really is. Everywhere you go there are different languages, foods, and traditions.
Riley:
That’s honestly one of my favorite things about New York in general.
Palak:
Same. English was my first language, but I learned Punjabi from my family and relatives as I got
older.
Sonya:
Do you speak it fluently?
Palak:
I understand it better than I speak it honestly.
Riley:
I feel like that’s common though.
Palak:
Yeah. But even hearing Punjabi at family gatherings makes me feel connected to my culture.
Sonya:
I totally get that. Language honestly carries so much emotion and history.
Riley:
That sounded poetic.
Sonya:
Thank you.

Palak:
Wait Riley, your turn now.
Riley:
Okay. I’m Riley, and I’m a math education major with a minor in psychology. I was born and
raised on Long Island, and my family is Italian, specifically Sicilian.
Sonya:
I feel like every Italian family has amazing food.
Palak:
And they’re all loud.
Riley:
That stereotype is actually true.
Sonya:
I knew it.
Riley:
Family dinners in my house are honestly chaos. Everyone talks over each other and somehow it
still works.
Palak:
That honestly sounds fun though.
Riley:
It is. Especially during holidays when all my extended family comes over.
Sonya:
Okay speaking of holidays, I feel like holidays are such a huge part of culture.
Palak:
Definitely.
Riley:
Agreed.
Sonya:
In my house we actually celebrate a mix of holidays because my stepmom is Christian and my
dad’s side is Jewish. So we celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah.
Palak:
I honestly love that.
Riley:
That sounds like the best of both worlds.

Sonya:
It kind of is. We get a giant family dinner for basically every holiday.
Palak:
As it should be.
Sonya:
My favorite holiday is probably Thanksgiving though because everyone comes over and my
stepmom and I spend the whole day cooking together.
Riley:
What do you usually make?
Sonya:
A mix of everything honestly. Traditional Thanksgiving food plus Russian dishes.
Palak:
That actually sounds amazing.
Riley:
I would absolutely destroy that food.
Sonya:
Honestly same.
Palak:
For my culture, one of the biggest holidays is Diwali, which is the Festival of Lights.
Riley:
I’ve seen pictures of that and it looks beautiful.
Palak:
It really is. Everyone dresses up, lights candles, decorates, and celebrates together.
Sonya:
I love holidays that bring communities together.
Palak:
Same. Another really fun holiday is Holi.
Riley:
The one with all the colored powder?
Palak:
Yes! Everyone throws colors at each other and celebrates happiness and positivity.

Sonya:
I’ve always wanted to experience that.
Riley:
Same. It looks so fun.
Palak:
It is fun, but it’s also chaotic.
Sonya:
Honestly the best events usually are.
Riley:
True.
Palak:
Another important celebration is Guru Nanak Gurpurab, where families go to temples and pray
together. There’s also something called Langar, where everyone shares food together
regardless of background.
Sonya:
I actually love that because it emphasizes equality and community.
Riley:
Yeah that’s really meaningful.
Riley:
For my family, we celebrate holidays like Easter and Christmas. Easter is probably my favorite
because of all the traditions we do.
Sonya:
Like Easter bread right?
Riley:
Yes! My family makes Easter bread together every year.
Palak:
I looked it up after your presentation and it actually looks so good.
Riley:
It is. Honestly half of Italian traditions revolve around food.
Sonya:
Honestly same with Russian culture.
Palak:
And Indian culture too.

Riley:
See, food really connects everybody.
Sonya:
Okay wait let’s actually talk about foods because this might be my favorite topic.
Palak:
Same.
Riley:
Absolutely.
Sonya:
Some foods from my culture are kotleti, which are kind of like Russian meatballs, pelmeni
dumplings, olivye salad, syrniki, and borscht.
Riley:
Okay wait syrniki looked SO good in your slides.
Palak:
Yeah what even is that?
Sonya:
They’re basically farmer’s cheese pancakes and they’re amazing.
Palak:
That sounds incredible.
Riley:
I feel like every culture has one comfort food that immediately reminds you of home.
Sonya:
Definitely. For me it’s pelmeni.
Palak:
For me it’s probably samosas.
Riley:
Mine is probably pasta alla norma or arancini.
Sonya:
Arancini are actually elite.
Palak:
I agree.

Riley:
Thank you guys for appreciating Italian cuisine.
Palak:
Of course.
Palak:
For my culture, some foods are pani puri, samosas, choola puri, butter chicken, gulab jamun,
and jalebi.
Sonya:
Butter chicken is genuinely one of my favorite foods ever.
Riley:
Same honestly.
Palak:
I feel like butter chicken is everyone’s gateway into Indian food.
Sonya:
Probably.
Riley:
Wait what’s your favorite out of all of those?
Palak:
Probably pani puri honestly.
Sonya:
I still need to try that.
Palak:
You do. It’s so good.
Riley:
Okay but gulab jamun also looked amazing.
Palak:
It’s super sweet but really good.
Sonya:
Now I’m hungry.
Riley:
Same and we’re literally recording a podcast about food while starving.

Palak:
Terrible planning honestly.
Riley:
For my culture, some foods are Easter bread, pasta alla norma, arancini, cannolis, and Sicilian
pizza.
Sonya:
Cannolis deserve all the hype they get.
Palak:
Agreed.
Riley:
Exactly. Finally people with taste.
Sonya:
I also think it’s interesting how all our cultures use food as a way to bring families together.
Palak:
Definitely. Food is such a big part of celebrations.
Riley:
And memories too.
Sonya:
Yeah. Certain smells literally remind me of being a kid at family parties.
Palak:
Same honestly.
Riley:
I think culture also shapes personality a lot too.
Sonya:
Definitely.
Palak:
Like growing up in a strong family-centered culture affects how you treat people and
relationships.
Riley:
I agree. I feel like my culture taught me the importance of family traditions and staying close with
relatives.
Sonya:
Same. Even when life gets busy, family still stays important.

Palak:
And honestly hearing about both of your cultures made me realize how similar we all are despite
our differences.
Riley:
Exactly. Different foods and traditions, but similar values.
Sonya:
I think learning about other cultures also makes people more open-minded.
Palak:
Definitely. Especially now because people make assumptions without actually understanding
cultures.
Riley:
Which is why conversations like this are important.
Sonya:
Agreed.
Palak:
I also think being around different cultures helps people appreciate diversity more.
Riley:
Especially in college.
Sonya:
Yeah because you meet people from so many different backgrounds.
Palak:
And honestly I think that’s one of the best parts about college.
Riley:
Same.
Sonya:
Okay before we end, I think we should each say one thing we appreciate about each other’s
cultures.
Palak:
I’ll start. What I love about Sonya’s culture is how welcoming it feels and how her family
celebrates multiple traditions together.
Sonya:
Aw thank you.

Palak:
And what I love about Riley’s culture is how strong the family traditions are and how food brings
everyone together.
Riley:
That’s so sweet.
Sonya:
What I love about Palak’s culture is how community-focused it is. I also love how joyful and
colorful the celebrations are.
Palak:
Thank you.
Sonya:
And what I love about Riley’s culture is how family-centered it feels and how traditions are
passed down through generations.
Riley:
Okay now I’m emotional.
Palak:
Literally same.
Riley:
What I love about Sonya’s culture is how blended and welcoming it is, especially how different
traditions come together. And what I love about Palak’s culture is how joyful and
community-centered it feels.
Sonya:
Aww.
Palak:
This got wholesome really fast.
Riley:
It did.
Sonya:
Okay guys, I think that wraps up today’s episode of Culture Chats: Around the Table.
Palak:
Thank you guys for listening and learning more about our cultures and experiences.

Riley:
And remember, even though cultures can be different, they can also connect people together in
really meaningful ways.
Sonya:
Bye everyone!
Palak:
Bye!
Riley:
See you next time!