Food As A Common Language

Whether you've done some international traveling or not, I think most people would agree that "taking a spin" around the globe--go ahead; spin your globe a few times and see which countries pop up in front of you--attunes each of us highly to the vast differences that exist between countries, regions, and even neighboring towns.  Both psychologists and my personal experiences suggest that we each naturally tend towards "like" and feel somewhat uncomfortable when surrounded by the unfamiliar.  For example, how many times have you heard a travel story that goes something like, "I was in Dubai and met this awesome couple from--believe it or not!--the town next to mine; we spent my entire trip together."?

While I definitely do not discount the value of seeking comfort in things we know, I think the challenge of finding something we can all relate to is both fascinating and necessary as sometimes the only familiarity you will have with your surroundings are those new and different things you've taken notice of.

Somewhere between the crocodiles coming out of the Chao Praya River and crossing the street in  Bangkok, Thailand; chatting with bearded, wool-wearing fisherman-artists in Alaska; cleaning window glass out of the car, along with the "soccer ball turnip" some kids had been kicking around in Sevilla, Spain; and "investing" in individual squares of toilet paper in post-Communism Lithuania in the public restrooms, I became desperate to find some commonality with the rest of the world.  Though seemingly complicated, the answer was actually right in front of me, or rather, on the plate in front of me: FOOD.

Once the concept of food as a common language among all people became evident, the utility of it in connecting with others quickly became a part of my every day life.  Nevertheless, it is also clear that many people speak a completely different "food dialect" than I do.  For instance, last Fall, I was at a farmers' market downtown, merrily shopping my way through piles of deliciousness, when a woman come up to me and offered me $30 worth of vouchers for produce because she could not find anything she liked.  While I accepted the vouchers, I was dumbfounded at how, among piles of leeks, squash, peppers, apples, and the like, she could not find *anything* to buy.  This experience truly puzzled me and got me thinking about how differently it could have played out if someone had been available to walk through the market with this woman and talk with her about the produce, how to use it, etc.

For the past few months, I have been contemplating this concept and researching what kinds of programs, if any, are available to teach the food shopping masses about what is available, including both the familiar and the unfamiliar.  My findings were clear: there is nothing.

Accordingly, with the arrival of Spring--unless you live somewhere unfortunate that is still freezing cold--and the promise of fresh fruits and vegetables that are soon to come, I decided to seek out volunteer opportunities that would combine the four things I adore: food; cooking; public health; and teaching.  

As it turns out, I am just one of many who are excited about these things.  Indeed, to my surprise and pleasure, there are actually entire organizations interested in pursuing efforts at the intersection of food, education, and health.  With that discovery and a few ongoing conversations, I have been given the challenge of coming up with two cooking-related programs by two very different organizations.  One program will be designed to become a part of a diabetes management program at a local clinic that caters primarily to the Hispanic community, with the goal being to translate all of the nutrition information patients are receiving in their program classes into healthy cooking practices.  The other program will consist of multiple cooking demonstrations at a local farmers' market--I am striving to become the next Top [farmers' market] Chef--that caters primarily to the local urban black community.  In both cases, the objective will be to teach people from very different backgrounds, with unique palates, and differing cooking skill levels why cooking with fresh produce is both beneficial and a tasty idea, as well as how to cook.

For me, this is a really exciting challenge to undertake.  Although food may be something we all have in common, it is no surprise that what we eat, when we eat, how much we eat, and who prepares what we eat is different for each person and household.  Figuring out how to effectively communicate the benefits of eating healthy, assuage fears regarding fruits and vegetables many people will have never seen, and teach people how to be confident in the kitchen even when working in unfamiliar culinary territory are my objectives.

I hope you will join me over the coming months while I work hard to put together these "Cooking 101" programs and try them out.  I look forward to sharing my experiences and all of the new recipes I come up with both with these two communities and with you.