Celebrating Family in the Kitchen

One of the most rewarding things about being part of a large, dynamic, immigrant family is our deep connection to our cultural heritage, albeit with an American twist. As first generation Americans, my cousins and I have been treated to a uniquely rich upbringing and the Capital Region has been especially important in fostering our ability to retain old traditions and integrate decidedly American customs.

My family immigrated to little Ballston Spa back in the 60s. As I have been told, my Dutch-Indonesian family was met with a healthy dose of curiosity, and what I imagine must have been a bit of friendly skepticism.

The VanDeinse family before moving to Canada and then America

Here was this new family, with a seemingly unpronounceable last name, VanDeinse (van DAIN-suh), moving into a fairly homogeneous community. My gramma, grandfather, mother, aunts and uncles don’t look incredibly different from anyone else. However, in terms of customs, they were. Their food was different – rice-based and full of exotic flavors. Holidays were different – Dutch Sinterklaas in addition to the religious observance of Christmas and NO Thanksgiving. Even my uncle, who became one of the area’s best and most prominent martial arts teachers, taught Pencak Silat, an ancient Indonesian fighting style.

Uncle Ringo demonstrating a high kick

My family was different in a wonderful way, something that was discovered very early on by many people throughout the Capital Region. All were welcome in my gramma’s kitchen, from my uncle’s students to friends and neighbors. I can’t tell you how many folks still rave about my gramma’s cooking from a meal they had thirty to forty years ago.

And while we did adopt American customs, like Thanksgiving and Andy Williams Christmas music, our experience in the country was enriched by great Indonesian dishes like Sajur or Semur, our traditional Dutch breakfast of Gouda cheese and ham on buttered bread, stollen with more butter (notice a pattern here), and hot chocolate on Christmas morning, our obsession with the Dutch National Football Team and the countless stories my gramma used to share with me at the kitchen table about her life in Indonesia and Holland.

Andy Williams at the Palace Theatre

I imagine that this is not an unfamiliar occurrence for families throughout the region. As families become more diverse, we are all faced by a need to maintain old traditions while embracing new ones. This couldn’t be more apparent around the holidays. Somewhere in Albany, Schenectady, Troy or even Saratoga, latkes are being fried, the aroma of cookies fill a home, someone is starting to plan for the Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes and, as you’ll see in the video, a family joins to preserve a tradition by having a spekkoek bakeoff. It’s evident in each of our kitchens; our cultures create unique ways for each of us to celebrate family and the holidays.

Just like spekkoek, a traditional Indonesian New Year’s cake of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom, the American experience is a culmination of the patient layering of various traditions and cultural histories in to something wonderful.

May God continue to bless you and your family this Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 

*Video courtesy of my brother, David. Thank you.

Spekkoek Recipe

Butter (500 grams, 20 ounces or 1 pound)

Sugar (420 grams, 16.8 ounces, 1 pound or 2 cups)

10 Eggs

Flour (200 grams, 8 ounces or 1 cup)

Vanilla (to your preference)

4 teaspoons Cinnamon

3 teaspoons Ground Clove

1 teaspoon Ground Cardamom

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 340^o_.

Cream butter and sugar.

Mix eggs into the butter and sugar mixture, one or two at a time. Continue to mix until well blended, with no lumps of butter.

Slowly add flour to mixture to make a smooth batter. Add vanilla.

Divide batter into two. Add the spices to one half of the batter.

Spread a thin layer of white batter into pan. Bake until set.

Set oven to broil.

Following the first white layer, add a layer of the spice batter. The heat will melt the batter a little, which will allow you to spread it in the pan by tilting it around.

Broil till set. Continue with the rest of batter, alternating between dark and light.

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