It is said that America has no culture and Americans are described as "bland" outside of the USA, but I beg to differ. Have you ever noticed that you can travel to nearly any country on earth and find millions, probably billions, of people wearing effectively the same pair of blue denim pants? Thanks America. With the holidays just around the corner, I wanted to reflect on all the holidays I came to embrace when I arrived in America. Having come to this country in my teens and being dropped literally into an apartment community where 80% of the residents were not only Indian but also had the same last name as mine, was a cultural shock of another kind. Furthermore, I came from East Africa where my upbringing was diversely influenced by people not only from all over India but also from all over the world. My Indian heritage and culture was already embedded in me by my parents and the community I came from, but the new Indian incomers I lived amongst now had a different li
I have often been asked about my culinary background, to which I jokingly respond that I come from a culture that has been focused on food for the past five thousand years. I am not a professionally trained chef, but that’s one heck of a resume. I am an advocate for eating well but with sensibility. I love to eat but hate to waste food!