Over the next few weeks I will be dipping in and out of one of my Grandmother’s cookbooks examining the literature and format of some of them in contrast to my knowledge and research on contemporary literature of food, as well as talking to my family members about their memories of the foods Granny used to cook and attempting to recreate some traditional dishes, specifically the dishes that my family and I grew up with. My overall goal is to "travel" through a selection of varied recipes and memories, and examine the ways in which my family engage with dishes native to their ethnic routes.
Ethnic cuisine was immensly popular in the twentieth century but prior to this varied dishes were included on the menus of cafes and taverns. In contemporary society Asian food in particular has been on the rise with a multitude of sushi cafes popping up and online dining becoming more popular and readily available. We have a fascination and fear of the exotic that was initially described in Orientalism (1978) by Edward Said that I have found to be relevant to food, and it is with this fascination and fear that I have found myself wanting to venture outside of common meals and everyday fruit and veg and try something different.
I come from a mixed background (my mother is from the Philippines and my father is also mixed with roots going back to India as well as being part English and Irish) and I have been fortunate enough to taste a variety of different foods from around the world, yet up till now I feel I have neglected the knowledge of 'exotic' cooking and the secrets that lie amongst these discoloured pages.
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| Common curry spices |
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| Filipino cuisine |
Lebanese cuisine
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| Chicken Adobo (Classic Filipino dish) |
