Behind the Aroma Podcast Notes for Season 02 Episode 05: Smuggling of Foods

 

Bibliography:
 
Adekunle B (np).  1999 – 2018 documentation by Bamidele Adekunle.
 
Adekunle, B. (2010). The joint border post at ECOWAS borders. Nigerian Tribune.
 
Adekunle, B. (2010). Towards securing ECOWAS borders. This Day; All Africa.com West Africa: Towards Securing Ecowas Borders - allAfrica.com
 
Adekunle, B and Filson G. (2015). What African countries must do to boost trade among themselves. The conversation. What African countries must do to boost trade among themselves (theconversation.com)
 
Alawode, B. (2020, September 23). How to Pack for your trip to Canada- Food you can and can’t bring into Canada from Africa (2022). Mychopchop. https://www.mychopchop.ca/blogs/my-recipes-tips/how-to-pack-for-your-trip-to-canada-food-you-can-and-can-t-bring-into-canada-from-africa
 
Arise News – Customs Boss Warns Against Smuggling- Bashir Adeniyi. Customs Boss Warns Against Smuggling - Bashir Adeniyi - YouTube
 
Banks (2005) cited under British Illicit Trade with Spanish America
 
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Blakemore, E. (May 9, 2023). America’s First Multimillionaire Got Rich Smuggling Opium. America’s First Multimillionaire Got Rich Smuggling Opium | HISTORY
 
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, September 15). opium trade. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/money/topic/opium-trade

Burgis, T. (2015). The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa's Wealth. United Kingdom: Public Affairs.
 
Chatterton, E. Keble (Edward Keble), 1878-1944. (1912). King's cutters and smugglers 1700-1855 / by E. Keble Chatterton. London : George Allen
 
Eugene R.H. Tesdahl (Nov. 21, 2017) - Smuggling, the American Revolution, and the Riverine Highway. Smuggling, the American Revolution, and the Riverine Highway - Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture (wm.edu)

Gallien M., (2020). “Informal Institutions and the Regulation of Smuggling in North Africa”. Perspectives on Politics, 492-508, 18(2)  https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/informal-institutions-and-the-regulation-of-smuggling-in-north-africa/531F344957F020D2167C990EBAE876A6
 
Government of Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (2023, October 24). Bringing food into Canada for personal use. https://inspection.canada.ca/food-safety-for-consumers/bringing-food-into-canada-for-personal-use/eng/1389630031549/1389630282362
 
Hanna G. M. (2013) Smuggling - Atlantic History - Oxford Bibliographies
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Holpuch, A. (2023, January 25). The Newest Contraband at the Mexican Border: Eggs. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/us/egg-smuggling-mexico.html
 
Janssen, Stephen T. Smuggling laid open in all its Extensive and Destructive Branches. 2nd ed. W. Owen and W. Nicoll, 1767.
 
Jones, E.T. (2001). 'Illicit business: accounting for smuggling in mid-sixteenth century Bristol'. Economic History Review, 54 (2001); E. T. Jones, Inside the Illicit Economy: Reconstructing the Smugglers’ Trade of Sixteenth Century Bristol (Ashgate, June 2012).
 
Kirzner, I. M., (1997). Entrepreneurial Discovery and the Competitive Market Process: An Austrian Approach. Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 35, Issue 1 (Mar, 1997) pp 60 – 85.
 
Koot, J. C. (2016). Smuggling in Early America. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History, January 2016. Retrieved 8 Sep. 2023, from https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-263.
 
Lantican, T. & Ani, P. (2022). “The Philippine fight against agricultural smuggling: review of government Policies and Initiatives”. Food and Fertilizer Technology Center for the Asian and Pacific Region.https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/1867

Limited, B. P. P. C. (n.d.). Pork smuggling into Thailand soars. Bangkok Post. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2612357/pork-smuggling-into-thailand-soars

Mielants, E. (2002). Europe and China compared. Review - Fernand Braudel Center for the Study of Economies, Historical Systems, and Civilizations, 25(4), 401-449.

Otuh, P. I., Ogunro, B., & Etim, E. (2013). Formaldehyde Levels in Imported Frozen Poultry Meat in Ibadan, Nigeria: Its Public Health Implications. 

Rosenberger, Bree (2020). "The British Smuggling Dilemma: 1698-1784," International ResearchScape Journal: Vol. 7, Article 5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25035/irj.07.01.05 Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/irj/vol7/iss1/5

Youngman, A. (1908). The Fortune of John Jacob Astor. Journal of Political Economy, 16(6), 345–368. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1820664

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Behind the Aroma Podcast Notes for Season 02 Episode 04: Technology and Food

 

Bibliography:

 

Adekunle, B. (2018a, June 7). Digital payment, ethnocultural food and alternative agriculture. https://evcontario2011.blogspot.com/2018/06/digital-payment-ethnocultural-food-and.html

Adekunle, B. (2018, July 7). Autonomous vehicles and Agri-Food value chain. https://evcontario2011.blogspot.com/2018/07/autonomous-vehicles-and-agri-food-value.html

Adekunle, B. (2019, June 23). The logic. ECVOntario. https://evcontario2011.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-logic.html

Adekunle, & Kajumba. (2020). The Nexus between Instagram and Digital Entrepreneurship. Journal of African Development, 21(1), 14–40. https://doi.org/10.5325/jafrideve.21.1.0014

“A top the Baobab Tree.” The-Cook-A-Long, Patrick Seleka, Jr.; Wesley Masilo Makgamatha; season 01, episode 01, N.A., 2022. Netflix, https://www.netflix.com/title/81651694

Chou, G. (2023, April 5). China’s race to become global AI superpower. Le Monde Diplomatique. https://mondediplo.com/2023/04/05china-ai#:~:text=China%20wants%20to%20be%20world,it%20won't%20be%20easy.

Clark, A., & Chalmers, D. (1998). The Extended Mind. Analysis, 58(1), 7–19. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3328150

CP24. (2023, July 2). Canada considering eliminating ‘best-before dates’ [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-FD6AN-w8Q

Cumming, C. (2018, October 3). Zaï/Tassa irrigation method. Tandem. https://cutandem.wordpress.com/2018/10/03/zai-tassa-irrigation-method/

Firstpost. (2023, May 16). Food Expiry Dates Are Not What You Think | Vantage with Palki Sharma [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Pj2iNi6mY

Gilder, G. (2018). Life after Google: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy. Simon and Schuster.

Gilder, G. F., Rukeyser, W. A., & Kiser, A. L. (1990). Life After Television: The coming transformation of media and American life. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1894062M/Life_after_television

Harari, Y. N. (2014). Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Random House.

Korzun, M., Adekunle, B., & Filson, G. C. (2014). Innovation and agricultural exports: the case of sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/20421338.2014.976970

Lansing, J. S. (2009). Priests and programmers: technologies of power in the engineered landscape of Bali. Princeton University Press.

Leib, E. B., Rice, C., Neff, R., Spiker, M., Schklair, A., & Greenberg, S. (2016). Consumer perceptions of date labels: National survey. safety, 23(54), 19.

Odularu, & Adekunle. (2020). Understanding digitalization in the African context. Journal of African Development, 21(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.5325/jafrideve.21.1.0001

TED. (2016, September 16). How the blockchain is changing money and business | Don Tapscott [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl8OlkkwRpc

TED. (2017, October 31). How Africa can use its traditional knowledge to make progress | Chika Ezeanya-Esiobu [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28sa2zGgmwE

TED-Ed. (2023, June 6). Food expiration dates don’t mean what you think - Carolyn Beans [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDg8DQl7ZeQ

The Economist. (2015, October 29). The great chain of being sure about things. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/briefing/2015/10/31/the-great-chain-of-being-sure-about-things

The Economist. (2023a, March 23). How TikTok broke social media. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/business/2023/03/21/how-tiktok-broke-social-media

The Economist. (2023b, April 24). ChatGPT could replace telemarketers, teachers and traders. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/04/14/chatgpt-could-replace-telemarketers-teachers-and-traders

The Economist. (2023c, May 29). What does a leaked Google memo reveal about the future of AI? The Economist. https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/05/11/what-does-a-leaked-google-memo-reveal-about-the-future-of-ai

The Economist. (2023d, June 10). Yuval Noah Harari argues that AI has hacked the operating system of human civilisation. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/by-invitation/2023/04/28/yuval-noah-harari-argues-that-ai-has-hacked-the-operating-system-of-human-civilisation?utm_content=section_content&gclid=CjwKCAjwtuOlBhBREiwA7agf1usocZaGKl_qnyebremfRo3gf69kjz4QB3c1VEOxPEFq-6-O3Ros2RoCMEMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

The Extended Mind - Annie Murphy Paul. (2021, October 18). Annie Murphy Paul. https://anniemurphypaul.com/books/the-extended-mind/

The Tesla Competitor Dominating China’s EV Market | WSJ U.S. vs. China. (2023, February 16). YouTube. https://youtube.com/watch?v=6bTMAkd-EJc&feature=shares

Tsiros, M., & Heilman, C. M. (2005). The effect of expiration dates and perceived risk on purchasing behavior in grocery store perishable categories. Journal of Marketing, 69(2), 114–129. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.69.2.114.60762

Verploegen, E. (2021, April 9). Clay Pot Coolers: Keep produce fresh without. . . Engineering For Change. https://www.engineeringforchange.org/news/clay-pot-coolers-keep-produce-fresh-without-electricity/

WeChat Palm Payment Is Finally Coming, Leave Your Phone At Home! (2023, March 30). Weixin Official Accounts Platform. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzkwMzQ0OTg2NA==&mid=2247615168&idx=1&sn=576deb4d7ff09b581911c1adce2e4fca&source=41#wechat_redirect

 

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Understanding the Consumption of Tea: Black, White, Green or Oolong?

 

Different types of teas

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is a beverage loved by people all over the world, though at different levels of affinity. I believe my love for tea started as a toddler who will wake up at the middle of the night to impress it on my aunties to make tea for me. Later in life, tea became something I drink only for breakfast. As I became a traveler, researcher and global learner, tea became part of my staple including the influence of my colleagues in the graduate school who always enjoy tea at any time of the day. On one fateful day during grad school, I remember ordering chai tea latte and Makau Nzuma informed me that the meaning of chai is tea so chai tea is a tautology (repetition). Moreover, in one of my essays, I alluded to the fact that we consume the same thing even though preparation and name my differ. Whether it is chai (e.g. Indians, Arabs, and East Africans), cha (e.g. Bangladeshis and Chinese), chay (Russians and Ukrainians), te (e.g. Italians, and Spanish), the (French) tsaa (Filipinos), these different ethnocultural groups are referring to the same beverage that is highly desirable to their gastronomy. To the specialty cafés and food franchises, chai tea latte is a blend of black tea and spices.

The story of tea started from China and has migrated to other parts of the world. The popularity started with matcha thus strengthening the Chinese tea culture. It was during the 9^th century that a Japanese monk, from China, started growing the plant in Japan and a unique ritual was developed around the consumption of tea. Dutch traders were the first set of people to import tea to Europe in the 17^th century. Tea was a major trade commodity during this period, thus leading to intense competition among the western countries to outcompete China. The competition was so stiff that Britain suggested a trade based on barter to exchange opium for tea, an arrangement that led to public health problems in China. To curtail the challenges associated with the consumption of opium, a cargo of opium was destroyed at the port of China and this led to the opium war. This war weakened China’s global power for more than a century. To further reduce the Chinese monopoly power, tea plants and experienced tea growers were smuggled out of China to Darjeeling, India under the British control (via The British East Indian Company). This spread of tea plantation continued across borders. In fact, an emeritus professor from Chennai, told me it was the British who moved a huge number of Tamils from Tamil Nādu to work on tea plantations in Sri Lanka.

Processed tea leaves

As my curiosity for consumption of desirable tea develops, I kept looking for teas that are sustainable for both the environment and the farmers cultivating the land. Based on my inclination and convictions, I made sure I buy and drink teas that are ethically produced, organic and artisanal. But the challenge is that it is difficult to monitor what operates along the value chain and certification is not necessarily a panacea. In other words, opacity and food authenticity are inversely related. Based on these challenges I decided to explore a sustainable tea farm, Renegade farm, in Imereti, Georgia as a plot adopter. This arrangement allows me to support sustainable production of tea, share the risk involved in tea production with the growers, contribute to biodiversity, and get a box of four types of teas at the end of the year. This is a variation of community shared agriculture on a global scale.

The Renegade Tea Estate was established in 2017 with the idea to build a platform where customers will drink tea that they were involved in the production. They have made adopters like myself to have an idea of the processes involved in growing our tea even though the farm is more than 8900 kilometers away. In five years, 2022, the farm has grown to 1500 families who have chosen to adopt their tea gardens. Adoption varies from more than 20 years to one season. The philosophy behind their activities is transparency, small production instead of mass production of food, and the practice of alternative agriculture.

Adopted tea plot: Renegade Farms

My box is packed with well processed, chemical free and handpicked tea from my plot as designated by the tea farm. I have these four teas in my subscription: [1]

1. Prodigy Mesame: oolong tea – floral, fresh and fruity.

2. Sunset Garden: green tea - mellow, fresh and intense (slightly bitter) taste as you swallow.

3. Georgian Breakfast: black tea – brisk, full bodied and

4. Imereti Summer: white tea – light, mild, fresh, and not strong.

I like the tea from Renegade because they have their specific taste and batches taste slightly different. What a privilege to be able to participate in this initiative. It is all about experimentation which is a very important concept in this century with respect to gastronomy. Furthermore, there is emphasis on no pesticides, herbicides and non-organic fertilizers.

I will continue to improve my tea consumption in a sustainable way by exploring specialty cafes and hanging with people from different parts of the world. As I mentioned earlier, people’s consumption of tea varies as a result of their culture, education, class, background and travel experiences. My observation in South West Nigeria is that consumption of tea is not that popular except among the elites. The general population prefer hot drinks from local grains like corn (maize), millet, or guinea corn. But the situation is different in East and Southern Africa where people consume several cups of tea in a day. This was based on my personal experiences in Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Moshi, Mombasa, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. In fact, during my stay in Arusha in 2008 teaching graduate students in economics from more than 10 African universities, I started drinking tea more than five times a day with hot milk (not water!).  As stated in the essay “A Somali Breakfast’ preferences for tea is a reflection of the influence of the colonization for most cultures and people.

If you ask for my preference, I will say I have acquired a taste for black tea, I tolerate white tea easily, I forget oolong is caffeinated and I still struggle to appreciate green tea.

 

Bamidele Adekunle|IRG & ECVOntario|SEDRD|University of Guelph.

 

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[1] All the teas have smoky aroma. 

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Behind the Aroma Podcast Notes for Season 02 Episode 03: Opacity and Food Authenticity

Bibliography

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Adekunle, B., & Filson, G. (2020). Understanding halal food market: Resolving asymmetric information. Food Ethics, 5(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41055-020-00072-7

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Hanner, R. University of Guelph study: 14% of sausages contain unlabelled meats. Guelph Mercury. Sunday, Feb 17, 2019. Updated Mar 25, 2023. U of Guelph study: 14% of sausages contain unlabelled meats (guelphmercury.com) 

Jahn, G., Schramm, M., & Spiller, A. (2005). The Reliability of Certification: Quality Labels as a Consumer Policy Tool. Journal of Consumer Policy, 28(1), 53–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-004-7298-6

Professor Adekunle’s communications with the research team (2018 - 2022).

Regenstein J. M., Chaudry M. M., and Regenstein C. E. (2003). The Kosher and Halal Food Laws. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 2:111-127.

Seto Chris - Guelph Mercury. Do you know what you’re eating? Guelph researcher leads talk on food fraud. Do you know what you're eating? Guelph researcher leads talk on food fraud (guelphmercury.com). Published Monday, Feb 24, 2020.

Singh, M. (n.d.). Sweet little lies: Maple syrup fraud undermines the authenticity of Canada’s ‘liquid gold.’ The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/sweet-little-lies-maple-syrup-fraud-undermines-the-authenticity-of-canadas-liquid-gold-201343

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Taleb, N. N. (2018). Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life. New York: Allen Lane.

Uganda. (n.d.). Report on International Religious Freedom: Uganda. United States Department of State. Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/uganda/

University of Guelph. (2019, February 14). Researcher Finds 14% of Canadian Sausages Mislabelled, Down from Last U of G Study. U Of G News. https://news.uoguelph.ca/2019/02/researcher-finds-14-of-sausages-mislabelled-in-canada-down-from-last-u-of-g-study/

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Behind the Aroma Podcast Notes for Season 02 Episode 02: Capitalism and our Food System

 

Bibliography

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Ddamulira, G., Ramathani, I., Sebikejje, T., Naluyimba, R., Otim, A., Pariyo, A., & Maphosa, M. (2019). Mango Yield Performance in Lake Victoria Cresent Region of Uganda. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 10, 1141–1153. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2019.107082

Egan, E. (2020, November 5). Timing, Patience and Wisdom Are the Secrets to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Success. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/05/books/review/robin-wall-kimmerer-braiding-sweetgrass.html

Jones, H. D. (2003). Genetic modification | Transformation, General Principles. In B. Thomas (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences (pp. 377–382). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-227050-9/00197-6

Malet, J.-B. (2017, June 12). China’s tomato paste colonialism. Le Monde Diplomatique. https://mondediplo.com/2017/06/12Tomatoes

Maria Pla and Jose Luis La Paz (2012). Insert Stability and Transgenic Plant Risk. Encyclopedia of Biotechnology in Agriculture and Food

Mbando, D. (2020, February 6). How the world’s largest companies can help Africa’s farmers. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/03/how-the-worlds-largest-companies-can-help-africas-farmers/

McCabe, M. S., Mohapatra, U. B., Debnath, S. C., Brian Power, J., & Davey, M. R. (1999). Integration, expression and inheritance of two linked T-DNA marker genes in transgenic lettuce. Molecular Breeding, 5(4), 329–344. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009681615365

Ngo, L. (2022, February 1). How the Pandemic Affected Restaurants and Cafes. https://evcontario2011.blogspot.com/2022/02/how-pandemic-affected-restaurants-and.html

The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi: 9780807056431 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books. (2001, March 28). PenguinRandomhouse.com. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/206182/the-great-transformation-by-karl-polanyi/

The Omnivore’s Dilemma - Michael Pollan. (2021, May 1). Michael Pollan. https://michaelpollan.com/books/the-omnivores-dilemma/

Winson, A. (2022, July 26). The Industrial Diet. University of Chicago Press. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/I/bo70049278.html

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Behind the Aroma Podcast Notes for Season 02 Episode 01: Geographical Indications

 

Bibliography

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Geographical Indications: An Introduction, 2nd edition. (n.d.). www.wipo.int. https://doi.org/10.34667/tind.44179

Idapuzone. (2022, March 25). 21/03/2022-Recognition of Penja Pepper as a PGI in the European Union - oriGIn | Organization for an. oriGIn | Organization for an International Geographical Indications Network. https://www.origin-gi.com/recognition-of-penja-pepper-as-a-pgi-in-the-european-union/

Information by Country: Nigeria. (n.d.). https://www.wipo.int/directory/en/details.jsp?country_code=NG

Interactive, E. (2020, August 20). Guji Uraga Natural Special Prep - Ally Coffee | Green Coffee. Ally Coffee. https://www.allycoffee.com/coffees/guji-uraga-natural/

M, R. (2022). European market: Penja pepper becomes the 1st OAPI product registered as a Protected Indication. ÔCamer.com. https://ocamer.com/en/news/marche-europeen-le-poivre-de-penja-devient-le-1er-produit-de-loapi-enregistre-comme-indication-protege-2/7639

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To listen to this episode: https://radiopublic.com/behind-the-aroma-6Lzn0Q/s1!057d5

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Pleasure and Hospitality: Attributes of Culturally Appropriate Foods

 

Milk Tea: A popular beverage in Bangladesh

I wrote this piece on a snowy late afternoon while sipping a hot cup of coffee. Outside my window, I can see how the streets were blanketed in an enchanting layer of white snowflakes. The snow fall reminds me of those rainy days back home in Bangladesh where people often enjoy the melody of rain by sharing stories, munching on warm, crispy pakoras (fritters made with vegetables, gram flour, spices, and herbs). The taste of good food, the sound of rain, spending time with loved ones create moments of sitting back, with joy, and contentment. It is always memorable to observe Adda.

“Adda” is a Bangla term used to refer a casual get-together with acquaintances. Adda is one of the most popular social gatherings to unwind and unite with loved ones. They are often organized at someone's home, where friends and family gather to catch up and chat over a steaming cup of cha (tea) and snacks. The snacks served can include samosas (a triangular-shaped deep-fried, crispy pastry filled with spiced potatoes, peas, meat, or other vegetables), or Jhal Muri (puffed rice, mixed with different spices, herbs, diced onion, tomato, chili peppers, lime zest). Cha is a popular beverage, and its consumption is woven into the frame of everyday life. Furthermore, it is an expression of hospitality and warmth. There are two popular forms of Cha in the Bengali culture: milk tea and masala tea. Milk tea is made with black tea leaves, sugar, and milk. On the other hand, Masala tea (spiced tea) is a more flavorful version of tea that is made with a blend of spices and herbs. The common spices used in masala tea include ginger, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon.

 

Jhal Muri: Spicy Puffed Rice

Nowadays, having quick and lonely meal- time has become the norm due to my hectic schedule and limited social connections. I long for the sound of laughter, banter, and warmth of our family kitchen, where the aroma of my mother's cooking would fill the air. Bengali cuisine reflects the harmonious balance of flavors, and diversity inherent in the culture of Bangladesh. One of the key elements that make it so unique and flavorful is the use of a variety of spices, such as chilies, garlic, cumin, turmeric, ginger, coriander, mustard seeds, bay leaves and cardamom. Additionally, geographical location, history, and climate greatly influence Bengali cuisine.

 

The factors listed above affected the type and way our vegetables are prepared. A variety of vegetables (leafy greens, potatoes, squash, radish, carrots, okra, cucumber, eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) hold a prominent place in Bengali meals and are used to create different nutritious and flavorful dishes. From curries to stir-fries, vegetable dishes are a hearty way to incorporate fresh ingredients into a meal. The fresh vegetable markets offer consumers a variety of options for purchasing locally grown vegetables that are in season. In addition to vegetable markets, vegetable carts are also popular which offer a convenient way for consumers to buy fresh produce on the go. These mobile vendors travel through neighborhoods, sell a variety of fresh vegetables to customers who may not have the time to travel to a marketplace.

Vegetable Market: Dhaka City

Food is deeply connected to my feelings and memories of Bengali culture. The process of organizing and cooking traditional dishes is also a way to express love and care for others. For instance, certain dishes may be associated with a specific person, and time and can take you back to a feeling of nostalgia. Sometimes, grandparents pass down recipes and cooking procedures to their grandchildren. Cooking certain dishes builds bridges among multiple generations. These meals are a way of celebrating our ancestors, who lived before us. The significant aspect of food is not limited to nourishing but is deeply rooted in traditions and emotions. Food serves as a symbol of unity, celebration, hospitality, generosity, and expression of cultural identity.

 

Mahbuba Airin | Graduate Student, CDE | ECVOntario

SEDRD | University of Guelph.

 

 

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