Class Diary #3

The other day my husband and his friend were doing something in the kitchen and they began to talk about their childhood experiences.  As the conversation progressed they began to compare notes on how poor their families were.  Ken, my husband’s friend, said that his family used to have farmers stew which was French fries, meat, and macaroni and cheese all mixed together and that would be dinner.  Toward the end of the conversation my husband stated, “When I was growing up we could not afford Ziplock.”

The theme of this conversation was one I could have chimed in on but instead I sat back and thought about what their conversation represented.  Through their words Ken and Justin were recreating class in an atmosphere that was surrounded by food and material goods.  Neither of them lacked family love or support and neither seemed worse for the wear but each recognized that they had made something of themselves since their no Ziplock days.

Each week we talk a lot about what makes class.  Is it where we come from? Is it what we do? Is it how we eat? I do not think there is a distinct answer but I do think that Ken and Justin would say it has a lot to do money.  It is my assumption that Ken’s family would not have invented such meals if they had other options.  It is also my assumption that Justin’s family did not buy Ziplock because they could not afford it, not because they liked the store brands better. 

As I prepare to go to the market today I am thinking about the items that I need.  In order to prepare my son’s food I need Ziplock freezer bags and store brand snack bags.  Does this mean that I have a confused sense of class identity? Does the fact that I make Jacob’s food make me uppity or money conscious? In class we have discovered there are no easy ways to answer these questions.  And, through my observations of this particular conversation between my husband and his friend I am reminded that if you asked 20 people you would probably get 15 different answers. 

So for now, I will be happy with the knowledge that I am doing what is best for my family with hopes that someday Jacob will say “When I was growing up my mother bought store brand baggies” (not out of a sense of entitlement but from a sense of accomplishment as I hope he does better than my husband and I).