Image Credit: Kamloops Food Policy Council

By Neha Raj Singh, Kamloops Food Policy Council Board Director

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Belonging — one potluck at a time

Jul 13, 2024 | 6:00 AM

FOR AN IMMIGRANT arriving in a new country, meeting new people can be an exciting and daunting experience, as it was for me. When I arrived in Tkʼemlúps in September of 2022, the air was cool. Beautiful yellow, orange, red and green autumn leaves enveloped the city.

It was as if the land I came to live on held a promise of transitions and new beginnings. But at the same time, the semi-arid mountains with scattered sagebrush on the dry land of Tkʼemlúps, and its people, felt unfamiliar and distant. The landscape was a stark contrast to my home in Assam – a province tucked in the northeast corner of India where the land is lush with paddy fields, rainforests and tea estates. There, vibrant shades of green are one’s constant companion.

Despite my uncertainties, I was eager to belong — to become a part of the Tkʼemlúps community. The only way I knew how to connect with people and the land was through food.

In India, communities express their relationships through food. Festivals and celebrations revolve around food; sweet and savoury culinary delights are exchanged amongst families, neighbours and entire communities. When communities gather, people bring their family’s signature dishes, their comfort foods, or their grandchild’s favourite sweets to share with each other. This practice of celebrating life through food is shared by communities around the world. Food is political, social, philosophical, aesthetic, relational and connects us all.

According to Dawn Morrison of the Secwepemc Nation and Founder of the Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty (WGIFS), food is a sacred expression that is perceived in interactions with land, animals, water and people which builds a community and wellbeing. We must remember that food in itself is a web of relationships. From seed to plate and back to the Earth, food interweaves our realities of ourselves, others, our land, our histories and our environment. In celebrating our food identity and cultures, we protect our food systems, our knowledge systems and our interconnectedness to each other and the land. Keeping the value of food, its delights and its relational attributes in mind and heart, I searched for a similar celebration of food in Tkʼemlúps. And within one week of my arrival here, I discovered the Kamloops Farmers’ Market and the Kamloops Food Policy Council.

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My first visit to the Kamloops Farmers’ Market did not disappoint. The locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables displayed in all their diverse glory overjoyed me. The smell of grilling smokies, freshly baked bread and bannock, and the spread of pastries and Langoše (European fried bread) transported me to a food paradise. In those moments, as I walked through the market, talking to people, eating and buying locally grown and cooked food, I felt at home. Moreover, I witnessed the deep link between farmers, food and people, and I was brought closer to the land and community that had initially felt distant to me.

During the course of the 2022 market season, I was introduced to the Kamloops Food Policy Council’s potluck and network meetings. It didn’t take long to convince myself to participate in one, because who can say no to the joys of food? I remember attending my first potluck in the winter of 2022. I was terribly nervous about the dish I was bringing, although, in hindsight, it helped me ignore the gnawing cold as I made my way to the potluck! It was a simple potato dish — aloo pitika (mashed potatoes) — that is eaten in Assam. I was excited to share a dish that is familiar across continents — one that is similar but different. A part of me was apprehensive that it would be rejected for its pronounced flavours, pungent taste of garlic and mustard oil – not to mention the heat from a single chilli. However, to my absolute delight, people unknown to me asked about the recipe. While we’ve all eaten mashed potatoes, we each make them differently.

No dish, homemade or not, was too small of a contribution for the potluck. During the potluck’s discussion around family recipes, it became clear that the importance of food in our own homes was a shared experience, much like the festivals and celebrations many of us experience in our homelands. I, too, tasted different and delicious dishes that excited my senses and piqued my curiosity. Through the food we all shared and ate together, our conversations turned to our cultures and stories. The aloo pitika I brought was an extension of myself — it was my food story. As my dish and I were welcomed by the community with warmth and openness, I realized that the potluck had brought me new friendships, meaning and belonging, and these events continue to do so.

Sharing food and living food stories in Tkʼemlúps has been one of my first steps in my journey towards connecting to this land. What was once starkly different is now familiar. One can be from any part of the world, we may feel and look different from each other, but at the heart of our existence, food is the thread that links us all together and strengthens our relationships. Most importantly, food connects us to the land we exist and work in tandem with to live our lives.

If there is anyone out there like me, looking to belong, and find a home, come and share your food and your story with us at the fun and wonderful potlucks organized by the Kamloops Food Policy Council network held on the first Wednesday of every month at The Stir.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.