I arrived in Toronto on a warm July day in the early 1990s, a single, immigrant mom with two sons, not too much money, but raring to go. Optimism, passion, and faith in the Creator were and remain steadfast companions, not necessarily in that order. They’ve not let me down.
It’s in Canada, in my kitchen initially in downtown Toronto, that I realized first, that I didn’t know a thing about cooking, and second, that it’s never too late to learn. I also realized that where you’re coming from is important, because the present is more joyful when you honour the blessings of your past. My past is shaped by a family that belonged to the city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which was once a part of British India, and then Pakistan. The city has grown from an ancient urban centre where travellers, settlers and local residents have traded, exchanged goods and ideas for centuries, and where a vibrant and distinct South Asian cuisine has evolved. My father’s birthplace, Ahsan Manzil, is now a museum called the Pink Palace, and it was here that many of our paternal family recipes were created, tried and tested. My mother was born in northern Bangladesh, in a once sleepy town called Bogra, but she, too, grew up in Dhaka, in a family estate on the banks of a major river. These two special family threads of tradition and innovation have informed my journey and shaped what I like to call my “Crossroads Kitchen” in Canada.
While Dhaka’s Mughal-Bangladeshi cuisine influences my recipes in distinct ways, I try to incorporate a diversity of styles and ingredients from across Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, as well as South Asian adaptations in Canada and abroad.
I’ve lived in Karachi, Pakistan, worked as a teacher and journalist in the UAE, and travelled extensively. After retiring as a university instructor in Vancouver several years ago, I began collecting and sharing my recipes with my immediate family: my older son, daughter in law and grandson in Vancouver, and my younger son in Toronto. The idea of this blog was launched then, at a delightful and memorable family cook-in on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia (Memories: How it All Began).
Talking of Food is dedicated to sharing recipes, tips, cooking stories — in other words, what has been given to me, and what I have learned over the years. It is dedicated to saying thank you to my Creator for the bounties and blessings of life, including food, and the opportunity to enjoy its many splendours, and share it with others.