International Lan uage BRUCE D. FRIEDMAN SPECIAL TO THE APPLETREE Families share the recipes behind some of their favorite TH A s a social work educator, I constantly struggle with how to take complex con- cepts that relate to techni- cal aspects of the field and translate them into common language. Usual- ly, the simplest way to explain these is by using food analogies. - Food is a universal. Everyone has to eat to survive. Therefore, food becomes a uni- versal language that everyone understands. Even people who- do not know how to cook can understand basic components of a recipe and how they are interrelated. Food analogies have become important tools for me not only in explaining complex issues of social work, but human interac- tions. Cultural diversity has become a buzzword in social work. It basically means that we live in a society comprising a multitude of cultures. It is im- portant for us to accept the differences of other cultures, but to be able to do so we must first accept our own. Keep in mind that diversity is far-reaching. There is no majority culture in the United States, but a society that consists of a magnitude of minority groups and cultures. We may try to generalize some of these into large groups, but then we are not doing justice to the uniqueness of each minori- tY. It's noteworthy that a tremendous number of similarities exist between the cultures. Rather than focusing on the differences, it is more important to focus on the similarities. In this manner, we can move more quickly to intergroup acceptance. Cooking and baking work the same. When you cook, you borrow skills, techniques or a combination of ingredients from various cultures, then adapt it for your own. It is a disservice to generalize everything as the same. For example, not all bread is the same. It may be the same recipe, but it will come out different depending on how it is shaped or baked. 111 BRUCE D. FRIEDMAN, Ph.D., is an associate professor with the Wayne State University School of So- 30 cial Work Frittata, or talian Omelet Bruce Friedman Ingredients: 2-3 small red potatoes I medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced I /2 red bell pepper; chopped 1 / 2 green bell pepper; chopped 8 eggs 4 oz. Feta cheese 3 Tbsp. margarine or olive oil 2 Tbsp. cilantro salt and pepper to taste Thinly slice the red potatoes and cook in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. While potatoes are boiling, saute chopped onions and garlic in margarine or olive oil at medium fire in a 10-inch skillet. Chop peppers and add to the onion-garlic mixture. Add drained potato slices to the onion-garlic-pepper mixture and saute until vegetables are soft. Beat eggs and add crumbled Feta cheese, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour egg- cheese-cilantro mixture over vegetables. Turn fire to low and cover skillet. Cook until eggs are firm, about 10 minutes. Invert frittata onto serving plate and cut into wedges. Serve hot or at room temperature. Serves 6-8. DO YOU HAVE A RECIPE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH READERS OF THE APPLETREE? If so, please send us a copy. If we like it, we might use it in the section!