ubuntu
FOOD AS COMMUNITY
FOOD IS CENTRAL TO COMMUNAL IDENTITY AND COLLECTIVE WELL-BEING
'Ubuntu', this felicitous term was close to the heart of Nelson Mandela. Via food / eating together, the universal bond of sharing that connects us all, comes to the fore.
My several-sided passion, over many years: connecting people via food - nature - stories - music - travel, in varied cultures - cuisines - arts and crafts contexts: is admirably expressed by this 'ubuntu' expression. A dining experience, celebrating the qualities of togetherness, sharing and community.
food is our common ground, a universal experience.
James Beard
the 31days dinner
31DAYS WAS AN INTENSIVE CREATIVE SOCIAL COLLABORATION THAT TOOK PLACE IN 2016, INVOLVING MORE THAN 100 CREATIVES – CHEFS, FOODIES, WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, POETS, SCIENTISTS, ARTISTS, TREND ANA- LYSTS, PHILOSOPHERS AND VEGAN ROOKIES. A COLLABORATIVE CREATIVE RESPONSE TO AN EMERGING GLOBAL IMPERATIVE TO RE- THINK WHAT WE PUT ON OUR PLATES.
– A PERFECT PROJECT FOR THE HOLISTIC CHEF TO TAKE PART IN!
The series of events were assembled into an anecdotal vegan cookbook, based on the 31 dinners during the 31 days in January, a celebration of– and a conversation about veganism; told, cooked, photographed, impro- vised, drawn and mused over. Chapters by people completely new to the idea, rubbing shoulders with chapters by profiled writers whose unique perspectives offers a varied set of entry points to the subject matter.
Having personally realised the benefits of a plant based diet coming from a meat eating background (both eating and cooking) 31days seemed like a perfect concept/vision to be a part of. The conversation is all about swapping your point of view, embracing a different diet, even if just for the month of January.
I wanted to help instill that seed of thought that you don’t need meat to be strong. To have some conversations about the benefits of plant based eating.
Eating isn’t just about food. The social and cultural experience around it is not to be underestimated. The sensory aspects, sound, smell, visual ... All of the above are ingredients that are essential to how I approach to working with food. As the nature of 31days was also designed for com- munity based eating, it made sense to involve my community. And so it became a collaborative initiative, with a friend providing her home to host the dinner. Her ties to Morocco inspired the menu and authentic spices from Marrakesh made it come to life.
The social get together for eating, and even cooking together as a social occasion, is fundamental to how I am.
To find out more about this creative social collaboration please visit 31days.no
