A design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018) was adopted. Quantitative data (surveys, wellbeing scales) and qualitative data (video diaries, interviews) were collected simultaneously, analyzed separately, and then merged in a joint display for interpretation.

Food studies have long emphasized the memory‑making capacity of shared meals (Haley, 2001). The concept of “food memory” denotes the mnemonic associations evoked by taste, smell, and preparation rituals (Katz, 2014). In diaspora settings, these memories become sites of negotiation between heritage and host culture (Rath, 2017).

That night, alone in her cabin, Liz opened the oldest letter—the one she’d never read, dated the week she left. Inside was a single index card. Her mother’s handwriting, shaky but certain: