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Nutrition: Food & Culture

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you all to the exceptional Jackie.

I’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I am a self-proclaimed global butterfly. As a child I often dreamed of traveling. My favorite Sunday show, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, vicariously transported to me rainforests, jungles, and other fascinating foreign lands. As Daddy’s girl, and Mommy’s first love I am filled with confidence, love, and the unstoppable belief that I have a right to receive all the good in the world and the responsibility to lavishly return it to others. Travel is the most meaningful gift I bestow unto myself; the fruit of my journeys is infused in how I interact in and with the world.

What a beautiful introduction! Just as you were transported watching Wild Kingdom, I’ve been transported via the details you’ve shared of your travels. You have acted as a travel surrogate for me at times. How many countries have you visited and how many continents?

I’ve visited more than 30 countries and each of the seven continents. Specifically – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Curaçao, US Virgin Islands, Argentina, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Sudan, Tanzania, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Fiji, and Antarctica. I moved abroad in the summer of 2014 and repatriated in the fall of 2021.

Impressive! How do you feel being a Black female world traveler traveling solo? Did you see this as a possibility for you?

As a Black female world traveler, I have traveled solo to many of the places I’ve visited. Being the first-born child, the ability to go first and alone has become a normal expectation that I initially did not enjoy as a young child but since my teen years to now fully embrace. While I’ve enjoyed every place I’ve visited with no direct incidents of racism, sexism, or violence toward me, I am not naive to the dangers and prejudices experienced by African American women, especially the more melanated of our demographic. Even with my own family I have witnessed less respectful treatment according to our varying degree of melanin; we each agreed to never return to a certain country because of this. Our melanin has also served as an advantage. Once I treated my daughters to a celebratory girls’ trip to a country where they obviously were not accustomed to seeing African American women travelers. Our every whim was catered to as if we were celebrities during our stay in a newly opened five-star hotel.

All of these experiences are possible for me because of the freedoms I experienced first in my thinking. The desire to travel started a mindset instilled with books, educational travel shows, and an older cousin I admired who spoke of his adventures of living abroad when I was a young girl.

Are you ever nervous to try the cultural/local food when you are in a new country?

After enduring what the expat community calls Delhi Belly after a weekend visit to Mumbai (India), I became more thoughtful about what I consume when traveling. A go-to rule is to eat with the locals, but remember you’re a visitor – e.g., consume only bottled drinks, thoroughly wash off food containers, brush teeth with boiled or bottled water, don’t put straight tap water in your mouth, don’t request or accept ice in drinks, and don’t eat salads because they were washed in tap water. 

When planning a trip to Japan, I put all culinary caution aside and decided beforehand to try the poisonous puffer fish. Locally known as fugu, this dish is at the top of any list of most deadly foods. I selected the Tokyo-area restaurant by observing the busyness of the establishment, in addition to the cleanliness and high restaurant score which was posted outside the business. My rationale was that no one was keeled over & everyone was hunched over their plates enjoying their meal (the observed postural norm while dining), so if the food is good enough for the locals it will be good enough for me. I ordered a full plate of sashimi and sushi that included fugu along with other delicacies from the sea.

It was absolutely a good sign to not see anyone keeled over. [laughs] So at times you may have been nervous, but you managed to push that aside. I remember the videos you’ve sent and talks we had about the kangaroo meat in Australia, reindeer meat in Sweden, and minced raw lamb in Beirut. We’ve shared many laughs about the shock and the bravery you exhibited trying local delicacies. [laughs] Please share the top three to five cultural dishes you’ve had and their main ingredients with my readers.

Kontomire stew is my #1  favorite international dish. I enjoyed during my travels to Ghana, both in restaurants and prepared by extended family members of a good friend. Also known as palava sauce, this stew is made with cassava leaves, egusi (crushed melon seeds), palm oil, tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, turkey berries, pepper and salt to taste, and optional additions of smoked salmon and momoni. Whatever you cannot find in your local market can likely be found in an international market, African market, Asian market, or farmer’s market. Nowadays with the meal delivery options, I discovered this dish is available from African restaurants in many major US cities.

Any dish with fresh curry leaves is an automatic palate pleaser! Indian coconut rice is a plate of sweet, savory, crunchy flavor complements. The ingredients are basmati rice, fresh grated coconut, salt, green Indian chilies, dried whole chilies, oil or ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, chana dal, urad dal, fresh ginger, cashew wholes or halves, and golden raisins. When you select the fresh curry leaves, if they are bright green and tender make sure to chop or break them up. The key to the savory goodness is to temper the seasonings first.

Not all lentils are equal. The easiest yet satisfying meal to prepare is daal fry. Also called daal fry and tadka dal, this one-pot North Indian dish is made with different varieties of dal (lentil) depending on the recipe. The recipe I usually follow requires toor dal, turmeric powder, ghee or oil, cumin seeds, Indian red chilies, grated garlic, grated ginger, sliced Indian green chilies, onions, tomatoes, red chili powder, garam masala powder, dried fenugreek leaves ,hing, curry & coriander leaves, and salt to taste. All of these herbs and spices give this dish layers of flavor. The key to maximizing the flavors is to temper the spices with the ghee and to follow the steps in a recipe. No matter the variety or preparation of dal, I usually enjoy this dish alone or with fresh paratha.

I love any dish that includes pandan leaf. Its flavor is akin to a delicate mixture of vanilla, rose, almond and coconut; its aroma is sweet and soft. Pandan rice became a favorite dish of mine while living in Brunei Darussalam. Though there are several recipe variations, It is generally prepared with rice, coconut milk, water, salt to taste, and fresh pandan leaves.

We both have a great appreciation for authentic Indian food and their use of herbs and spices. I think eating at Indian restaurants in the UAE was one of our favorite pastimes. [laughs] Maybe not, but it was a close second. [laughs] What is the most exotic food(s) you have eaten on your travels?

Among the most exotic foods I’ve tried are raw sea urchin (Brunei Darussalam), emu tartare (Australia), cane rat stew a.k.a. grasscutter light soup (Ghana), cow lungs a.k.a. hati buyah (Brunei Darussalam). Butod (sago worms) is the only food I’ve eaten alive, grilled, and sauteed. Brunei Darussalam is my favorite country for its culinary uniqueness; it has locally grown fruits you cannot find anywhere else in the world, and they are indescribably delicious!

I will never forget the video of you eating the live worms. Whew chile! How would you describe the importance of food and culture based on your experience as a world traveler?

Food serves as a cultural connector and gateway to acceptance.  I either worked with, lived among, or in some way engaged in meaningful interaction with the locals in many of the countries visited. When I accepted an invitation to dine on local cuisine with local people, I became more accepted in social and professional settings. The conversations and sharing that happened while eating could never have happened by social invitations I may have initiated.  I was undeniably acculturating, and that led to being continually invited to partake in experiences that helped to develop into solid acquaintanceships and a few eventual friendships. Not being seen as the typical American who only wants fast foods and turns up his/her nose to unfamiliar foods was important to me in these places where I represented the cultural minority. In the Middle East, I joined my local colleagues for a cup of tea and quick bites on the majlis in our office. I dined on camel hump at weddings, ate biryani that was cooked while buried in sand, enjoyed durian fritters and freshly picked breakfast from the trees outside with colleagues while in Brunei Darussalam, and dined on pani puri with my colleague served to us from a street vendor in India.  These experiences  fostered opportunities for extended dialogue and exchange of mutual understanding that I doubt could have occurred otherwise.

That is amazing. I can relate due to having similar experiences. I’ve been able to make natural connections and nurture relationships because I was able to partake in others’ culture, respectfully. Once I returned to the States, I had a sort of unconscious assimilation of cultural encounters much like my experiences abroad. I believe that is due to me having genuine interest and fondness of exploring diverse cultures.

Have you learned anything about the preparation of food in various cultures on your travels that you now practice?

While living in India I learned the importance of tempering spices, the importance of quality fresh herbs and spices. I learned the difference in the quality of curry leaves. In Ghana and Hong Kong through my observation that eggs were located on store shelves and never refrigerated, I learned that eggs are not naturally in need of refrigeration. I learned the difference in egg quality while living in UAE; fresh and high-quality eggs have firm yet gelatinous orange/yellow yolk and a distinctly pleasant aroma. I learned the key to making a great pot of karak chai (milk tea) is to follow the directions. [laughs] Finally, the most important food preparation key learned, after a few bouts of food poisoning, is to use boiled or bottled water to rinse off any fresh fruit or vegetable I plan to eat uncooked. While living abroad during the pandemic, I learned to prepare certain foods with the help of a colleague who would show the food preparation steps via a video call. I also watched lots of YouTube videos to learn how to cook some of my favorite Indian dishes: palak paneer, saag paneer, paratha, samosas and mango chutney, daal fry, coconut rice. I once prepared sambal (South Indian soup) and one of my children said it was the best she had ever tasted! (Yes, my children are also world travelers and exploratory with cuisines)

Can you share with my readers what sets eating authentic cultural cuisine when dining out apart from eating fast food in America?

The answer to this question comes in layers. [laughs] Have you ever heard of Biryani Pot, or Jollibee?

You know I have. If no one else has heard of Biryani Pot, I have. [laughs]

These two fast-food restaurants overseas prepare foods that taste at least as good as its restaurant-quality food counterparts stateside. Herbs and spices are noticeable flavors in authentic cultural cuisine, whereas in fast food-franchises the flavor profile is limited to salt, pepper, condiments, sugar, and oil. I don’t eat fast foods stateside.

Even grocery store food counters overseas with prepared dishes and meals are better. Fast food from Biryani Pot in the UAE is as good as, or better than, authentic cultural cuisine from an Indian restaurant in the USA. You can tell quality ingredients were used in preparation even though it is considered a fast-food restaurant. Prepared foods in grocery stores may be considered fast food, yet these same foods in some countries are of restaurant quality. Fried chicken from the fast-food chain Jollibee anywhere overseas or even the grocery stores in UAE and some Asian countries is as good as, or better than, fried chicken in Red Rooster or Melba’s in Harlem.

Based on my opinion and observation, it’s a common practice for stateside restaurants boasting to prepare “authentic cultural cuisine” to serve Americanized versions of authentic dishes. I’ve been told that Americans can’t handle the spices, prefer sweet tastes, and want bigger portions. Just last year during a dining experience I inquired about a missing spice in my dish and the restaurateur lamented with shrugged shoulders, “Americans don’t like.” 

Wow!

Yeah, and Stateside there are many restaurants that boast to prepare authentic cultural cuisine. When considering whether to dine in these establishments, I observe to see the clientele: are people of that culture the majority of the diners?

I see. You prefer to ensure the authenticity of the cultural dishes by making sure they at least include the original herbs and spices. Many cultural dishes have health-promoting properties because of the herbs and spices used as opposed to fast food in which quality of food/nutrients do not seem to be a factor. And we simply do not have enough time to discuss overuse of sugar in the States. [laughs]

Let’s talk about food in America – what do you love? What do you not love?

I looooooooove [sic] bean pies! Thanks to the accessibility to businesses via social media, I recently ordered vegan bean pies from MJs Pies and Chais and they were a perfect balance of creamy sweetness with a perfect flaky crust!  I also love the myriad of culinary options in NYC; on any given day I can transport back to previously traveled destinations, and destinations not yet visited, through food. Ube puff pastry from a bakery in Koreatown (NYC) – Peking Jackfruit at Planta restaurant – injera and vegetables – baba ganoush – the best pizza in the world – falafel platter – and corner markets selling foods & preparing from all around the world. 

What I don’t love is the low quality of grocery items. Because of my busy schedule, I rely on delivery for grocery selection and delivery. Four times out of ten, I receive at least one spoiled, expired, or otherwise inedible product in my order.

Would you say it’s been easy to readjust to American cuisine after having tried so many other cuisines. If not, what are some of the biggest adjustments you’ve had to make?

The hardest adjustment I’ve had to make is needing to read the ingredients of every food and beverage item before purchasing. One of the easiest adjustments has been to be able to trust the source and quality of the water served to me.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me about this topic.

It was my pleasure.

Photo credit: Benigno Hoyuela via Unsplash

I chose this image because it reminded me of the time my daughter and I were in Jackie’s flat. She showed my then three-year-old a globe and told her to give it a spin. She said to her, “Wherever it stops, point and you can go there.”