Merging Identities

Gisela Stein Rieger shared her mothers well-loved German cookbook. A beloved kitchen staple for Martha Stein (Gisela's mother) with dog-eared pages, notes in the margin, and recipe clippings.

Gisela shared stories of her mother after moving to Alabama. With broken English, Martha's cooking was central to making connections and friendships with her neighbors and Huntsville community. Gisela recalls that their American neighbors came over to introduce themselves after the Stein's moved to Huntsville. "My mother did not know much English. But the neighbors were so kind and very interested in my mothers cooking. I remember she invited them inside for some snacks."

This situation between Martha Stein and her new neighbors was not an isolated incident, but reflects a gendered experience of immigrations, language, and culture. 

Many of the German Rocket Wives that were members at St. Marks Lutheran church developed a church cookbook that encorporated various recipes, German, American, and a hybrid mix. 

The St. Marks cookbook represents the merging of two identities and cultures. According to Gisela Stein Rieger, many of these Rocket Wives adapted their recipes based on what was available in Huntsville grocerys stores as well as learning the differences in the metric systems. 

The establishment of the St. Marks congregation created an institution to merge these identities and enter into southern American religious culture.