Care Page
Importance of Food for Hmong Elders

Food is a significant issue for Hmong. In Hmong culture, family members show love and care for one another through the provision of food. When a person is offered food, it is considered impolite to refuse even though the person has already eaten. Many family functions usually revolve around food. This concept is especially important to older members of the family. When it is missing from the daily family activities, it is considered a problem, as described by this Hmong person:

“Those who do not want to live with their children are few. What makes some elders choose to live on their own is that when they cook a meal, then their sons and daughters-in-law do not eat with them. The elders may not like the foods that their children make either.”

Preference for traditional foods is an important factor when considering services for elderly Hmong. Many have a hard time straying from their traditional diet of rice at every meal, boiled vegetables with meat, unseasoned vegetable soup, and other very simple foods. Anything too sweet or overly salty is not acceptable. Over the years Hmong who are living in the United States have gotten used to foods such as bread, coffee, and sweets, but their staples remain the same. A person who is unfamiliar with the dietary preferences of a Hmong senior may have a hard time caring for that individual.

Excerpts from and modification of: New Country, New Home: Exploring Housing Preferences of Hmong Seniors, Focus Groups with Hmong Seniors and Adult Children, Aging Initiative, Minnesota Department of Human Services, April 2000. For the original publication, contact the Minnesota Department of Human Services, 444 Lafayette Road North, Saint Paul, MN 55155. Information Desk phone: 651-297-3933. www.dhs.state.mn.us

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