TALKS

Around the globe, we share our customs and unique cultures through our cuisine. When thoughtfully prepared, food has the power to transcend borders and unite disparate peoples in a shared experience that breaks down some of the barriers that isolate us from one other. Although the ingredients and preparations are different, the food stories and traditions teach us that we are much more alike than we are different. But our world risks losing some of its distinctive cultural foods and practices. Looking at indigenous cultures whose cuisine was repressed and muted, it’s clear how difficult it is to recreate and revitalize a food language at the brink of extinction. Culinary ambassador Caryn Antonini believes we owe it to our global neighbors and ourselves to both honor the language of food and preserve the critical cultural stories it conveys.