Staying Connected With Cooking and Culture Through Western Union

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Growing up in a multicultural household I was exposed to a variety of foods and cultural traditions. My mother is Ghanaian, my dad is Nigerian, I was born in London England and now I live in Atlanta Georgia, lol. With that much diversity, it would be hard not to become a foodie. My mother always told us girls “You’re not leaving my house not knowing how to cook so that our husband’s mother can curse me” LOL… with that in mind, I learned how to cook a variety of things from an early age. In my African cultures, women are often the ones who stay in the kitchen… because of this we would usually catch up on the latest family news or gossip while cooking lol.

When I found out about Western Union‘s #WUHomedCooked video, I was excited to do this campaign so I could share a bit about my culture and how food has played a role in my life. #WUHomedCooked is a heartwarming storytelling video, that captures the stories of Western Union customer’s who have been surprised with a popup favorite meal from home from their families.

For me food is something that can bring up an emotional experience, take you back to a wonderful memory or just feed every sense of your body. For my birthday last month, my sister sent me a care package of goodies from England and I cried when I ate the chocolate and crisps, potato chips… these foods made me homesick. It is my love of food and cooking that inspired me to write my first cookbook “The Pocket Sous Chef“, it’s my way of spreading foodie love.

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African cuisine is very flavorful and colorful, like all aspects of African culture. When people ask me what my favorite food is, I tend to think “that question isn’t fair” because there are so many kinds of foods in the world… it’s like trying to choose a favorite child lol.

Colore by Jay
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Despite my sentiments, I do happen to have a few comfort foods that I love from each part of my cultural upbringing. I LOVE Ghanaian Fufu, I could eat it with peanut soup or light soup… for breakfast lunch and dinner. When it comes to Nigerian cuisine, my favorite hands down is Yoruba Pounded Yam with Efo which is a spinach stew. And last but not least we cannot forget my English influences, as far as comfort foods go I’m big on Baked Beans on Toast… to me, it’s the English equivalent of PB&Js. And for dinner I enjoy Fish and Chips with VINEGAR or a lovely Shepherd’s Pie… drool!

Pounded Yam and Efo
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We live in a very diverse and culturally rich world, but I’ve found that no matter where people are from you can always connect with them through music or food. Food has a way of comforting the soul and breaking down barriers. As Chef Jamie Oliver once said, “What I’ve enjoyed most, though, is meeting people who have a real interest in food and sharing ideas with them. Good food is a global thing and I find that there is always something new and amazing to learn – I love it!”

With my family living all over the world, I’m quite accustomed to using Western Union. I love that Western Union is aiming is to connect people globally. What better way to do that than with food?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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