The vulnerability of cooking for others

Lemonade in Mason Jar (Photo by Cynthia Nelson)

Hi Everyone, bearing your soul. Letting down your guard. Inviting someone into an intimate space. Being vulnerable. This is what you do when you make a decision to cook for others. The pressure is more intense when the invitation is to dine at the table in your home.

Food as many of us know is not just food; it is a metaphor for a lot of things in life. Food can be a metaphor for femininity or masculinity. Food can be a metaphor for nationality. Food can be a metaphor for ethnicity. Food can be a metaphor for class. What you cook, how you cook and how you serve it are all areas upon which one can be judged. Often what we cook or if we cook, are used by others to determine if we are woman enough, Guyanese enough, Caribbean enough or Indian, African,