Americans often take pride in the fact that we have a diverse population consisting of different races, religions, and nationalities. One would assume an environment such as this would encourage and celebrate the differences among us. Why then does our multi-cultural society often make us feel ashamed to be different?

Aside from my looks (olive skin, dark hair), much of my ethnicity growing up was defined by the food I ate. As a child in grade school, I remember being singled out and embarrassed by classmates for the lunch my Italian immigrant mother used to pack for me. Crushed meatballs or pepper and onion frittata stuffed into a thick hunk of Italian bread gave a whole new meaning to the brown bag lunch. Once I opened the olive oil stained bag, the smell of garlic and onions permeated the entire lunch room! Inevitably someone would ask me,