A food tale

A very interesting thing happened last Friday when I joined a group of volunteers to prepare the food for a community dinner sponsored by the nonprofit where I work parttime. The helpers were all different backgrounds and profiles; we were like a microcosm of the world with someone from Egypt, Jamaica, Fiji, Turkey and Hong Kong. The chef was from Fiji. The coordinator of the whole event (I'm guessing) is from Eastern Europe. And of course there was me.

One of the helpers apparently worked as a professional cook, and changed into her chef's whites before we started. I was making small talk and espying some fresh ginger that we were supposed to grate down, I quipped, "In my country we boil that up and make a tea that's excellent for sore throats and coughs."

She replies, as though as I were an immigrant fresh off the boat: "Out here we just go to the doctor and ask for some pills. Why bother making tea?"

Clearly she had never heard of how traditional folk medicine, practiced even in developed countries, uses natural ingredients for common ailments. So, undeterred, I shot back and explained that it's actually pretty common practice in many cultures, and quite effective too.

Later on (because I am too sociable and conversational for my own good) I happened to ask if she was making mint jelly to go with the roast lamb she had offered to prepare. Her reply: "No mint jelly. You only get that in four star restaurants".

Well excuuuuuuuse me! Home cooks prepare mint jelly in a flash -- I've not made it myself but that's only because we don't eat lamb at home, but look it up on the Web and you'll see that even beginner cooks can whip it up.

I may be wrong but Ms Cook clearly had a chip on her shoulder as she reacted so negatively to nearly every overture. Patricia says maybe she had something against Southeast Asian women. H thinks she may not have been very educated and might have thought I was being "posh" -- that she probably had five kids to feed and a hard life and there I was swanning in and talking about mint jellies. I had to roar with laughter at this, as it was so ABSURD. I've been lucky in having the opportunity to experience different cuisines and cultures but I certainly wasn't being "posh". Just goes to show that you can't please everybody! Everyone else was friendly.

On the bright side, assisting and watching the Fijian chef prepare chicken curry was an informative experience and one of these days I will try out his recipe!