Tastes of Home and Family Memories

I recently received an email saying ” Food unites people” and I immediately found myself nodding my head (not the Sri Lankan head bob either, mind you!) in agreement. Food, like nothing else, can bring back a flood of memories for me and for my recent birthday when my parents asked me what I wanted as a gift I said “nothing, pay for dinner”. To which my mom in true brown style, rolled her eyes and said “yes but you’ll forget what you eat, we should buy you something, no?” My brother and I were quick to respond that I may forget things and presents but I rarely forget the food I’ve eaten and people who I experienced tastes with. From my High Teas in Karachi, to my Mani Pittu and Kottu Roti in Colombo to the Pani Puri from street vendors in Bombay and Shawarmas in Dubai….my memory has captured these and preserved them from my childhood.

Food was what I missed the most when I left my family to head to college in Maine. In fact one of the main reasons for choosing Bates College was because they had a stellar award winning kitchen filled with multicultural cooks! Back in the early 2000s finding ethnic items in the grocery store was never easy and one of my deciding factors to move to Toronto in 2005 was based on the multicultural scene here. I had even heard rumours that one can buy Parathas at the grocery store and traditional spices at corner spice shops! Moving to Toronto with one of my favourite people in the world (the other makes the best scrambled eggs!) , made me a decent cook. I started experimenting with spices, trying out traditional recipes and learning new cuisines that I had sampled during my travels. My roommate at the time was given one task (one that she is tasked with every time we see each other)… make me Tomato Pakoras, which she did for her Ramadan and Eid celebrations.

Disclosure : This is a sponsored post, but as always, opinions are totally mind!

As October rolls in I’m thinking of Turkey and gathering the family around the table for a feast. I’m very fortunate to have my immediate family now in Canada with me and we’ve adopted some local traditions from the hubs’ side (including Boiled Dinner!). Though my mom’s cooking isn’t as good as my Aunt’s or my Grandmother’s, she does put on a great Sri Lankan spread every time we request one. Sure she has some special spices she’s brought over from Sri Lanka, but for the most part she can find her ingredients at the Real Canadian Superstore by her B&B in the Niagara area. I’m not sure if it’s the cold and flu Tylenol or the return of the lady in red after a good while, but this video shared by the Real Canadian Superstore has me in tears as I sat bundled up in my bed this afternoon.  I immediately thought of what my reactions would be if I were to be surprised by my Grandmother who lives in Dubai or my Aunt in Colombo ,tapping me on my shoulder at work. I would most likely freak out on the inside!

This is such a beautiful video that showcases The Real Canadian Superstore’s commitment to their employees and their patrons. They help unite people through all the tastes of home and firmly believe that the secret ingredient to any special meal, is family! Now of course, I’m left wondering how many visas they had to apply for to get these amazing families together! I’m also wondering about those Pakoras! I’m sure as Baby Boy and Little Monkey grow up, they’ll have their own tastes of home…wonder what they’ll be?

What’s your favourite “taste of home”?