As this is my first post on You Are What You Eat, I was struggling what to write about while being creative, witty and thoughtful. Then I saw an article in the NY Times this morning entitled “In Epicurean New York, the Challenge of Africa.” This article pretty much summarizes my feeling of NY and Africa (which I am moving to in seven days, Kenya that is) and the idea of food and its pleasures.
First, the title of the article says so much. Africa is huge. Made up of over 50 countries with many cultures, traditions, and diverse food choices. When we think about Thai and Japanese and Chinese food, do we lump them into the same category calling them “food of Asia”? I think people have yet to discover the diversity of foods in the many different countries of Africa with the exception of Ethiopian and Moroccan food. And if you just think of those two countries alone, doro wat is just a little different than your lemony chicken tajine. And Africa as a challenge? Of course its a challenge. We are talking about AFRICA and importing years of tradition and culture around food. Many know very little so let’s just tag it as a “challenge.”
Second, epicurean. The dictionary provides this definition: fond of or adapted to luxury or indulgence in sensual pleasures; having luxurious tastes or habits, esp. in eating and drinking. Some just feel that Africa is not “there” yet. And of course this goes beyond food. Back to that word “challenge.” In order to experience African food, it has to wrapped in a Marcus Samuelsson bow or be south of 14th Street? Marcus, an Ethiopian, has done much to introduce the new york mzungu to a gourmet and luxurious gastronomic experience of african-like foods but other than that, African restaurants aren’t taking up too much real estate in NY’s scene.
Third, the sensual pleasures of food. This is truly a luxury for some. Right now, many communities living in countries in sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to get enough food to make ends meet. Food insecurity runs rampant particularly with the high cost of food grains and oils right now. Interesting that here in New York, in which some of the wealthiest people reside, we complain about how African food just hasn’t really satisfied our picky palate with its “tough meat” when people there are struggling to survive.
As Africa embarks on its own African Green Revolution, and as more people travel to the continent, and experience what its 53 very diverse countries have to offer, Africa’s time will come. If that time means Africa has to come to us – having African foods on Whole Foods market shelves, or dining on cuisine of Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, or Mauritania, in the west village, then maybe Africa won’t be considered such a challenge anymore.
