Sometimes in making sure DD doesn’t miss out on her Indian heritage, I think I forget I have my own rich heritage that should be passed on to her as well. Or maybe it just seems less important because it’s not front and center anymore. But it’s not less important. I was reminded of this all in the same week by someone asking me about Oktoberfest (they didn’t know what it was, which I couldn’t believe was possible in this city!), and then reading about it on a blog Jassi suggested (white couple in India went to Oktoberfest at the U.S. Embassy).

My mom’s side of the family has been in America so long we’re not sure when and who originally immigrated (or where from). However, my dad’s side is primarily German and was a dominate presence in my upbringing. I was shocked if I ever attended a wedding where a polka wasn’t played. I thought every family ate sauerkraut, potato pancakes, spätzle (spaetzle), and dumplings. Our dogs obeyed commands given in German. I was quite old before I realized most people said “Bless you,” instead of “Gesundheit,” when someone sneezed. We held our own sauerkraut-fest each year, growing our own cabbage and spending all day outside making and canning the kraut. Then all the extended family would divide it all up and we’d have kraut for the whole year.

When my family moved away and I was a young adult living on my own, most of this German influence just faded away. But as I’ve grown older and started a family of my own, so many good memories keep coming back to me. I want my daughter to know this part of her heritage, too. I don’t know how much of what we did is common in today’s German culture since this all came from turn of the century immigrants, but it was my family’s traditions and I don’t want it to be lost entirely.

I’ve been thinking of ways to get back into my German roots, but make it part of our family traditions, too. Luckily, we live in a predominately German-influenced city. Most of the old architecture is German and I’d estimate the largest part of the population is of German heritage. Oktoberfest is huge in our city – an easy thing to make a tradition for our family. We have quite a few German restaurants, some of them very traditional. I think going out to eat a few times per year for German food would be a fun experience as well. Our church is a predominately German church, so we get some of it there – German bands, Totenfest, etc.

I remember when I was growing up how my dad’s aunts and uncles would all have German flash cards lying around their houses so they didn’t forget their parents’ language. I’m thinking I might institute something like that as well. They would just pick one up when they were in a room just to practice. My dad already teaches DD some German words. When he’s around she crows, “lecht stuff” (I have no idea how it’s spelled in German) for things she likes or thinks taste good.

And I’m going to start cooking a few of my favorite dishes from growing up. My grandmother is coming from Atlanta to stay with us for most of the month of December. She knows all the traditional recipes, so I’m going to have her show me some of her best German dishes. I promised Saresh I wouldn’t make him eat the sauerkraut though – more for me!

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