This poem was specially written for the Prue Leith Culinary Institute re-launch event held on 12 February 2020. It brings to life the storytelling artistry of food. This is where word porn meets food porn!
We imagine narratives in our sleep
We tell tales on turning tables as we dish up experiences that will show you the world
Have your eyes popping
your mouth watering
and your Instagram followers pepper green with envy
We are storytellers
We are writers of history
And creators of our destiny
The kitchen is our studio
The plate is our canvas
Your palate is our census
Feel free to dig in and taste the narrative
Our dishes don’t stand for censorship
So anyone is welcome to enjoy it,
If you wish, feel free to add to it
We are storytellers
We use different colours and textures
to capture the vanilla essence of our architecture on a human level
Then throw in a bit of cumin so your taste buds can revel
We use shapes and sizes to chronical the lives we have lived in the past
The lives we are living in the present
And the lives we will be living in the future
We are creators
We are comfort makers
We are the softness of forgiveness
We are the melts in your mouth tenderness of love
We are the mix masala of a potjie
The homeliness of a chicken briyani
We are the friendliness of jollof rice
We are the safety of a homemade stew
The universality of a plate of fries
We are the blood passion of red wine
We are advocates of dinning fine
Enjoying time with friends, family and making new connections
We are the enthusiasm of a Saturday afternoon braai
And the hungover brunch that comes with it on Sunday morning
We are storytellers
We are the truth of segregation
And the hope of liberation
The community of globalisation
The melting 3-foot pot of culture and life
We are the one love of dinner parties between friends, family and strangers
We are Christmas, thanksgiving, Shabbat, traditional ceremonies and so much more
We are tears, laughter, joy and sadness
We are time spent apart
And moments together shared
We are breaking bread
We are the thread that binds society
The spread of cultural communality
We are a waterfall of adventures
A tornado of tales
Told on the turning tables of our gas cookers, pots, pans and woks
We are storytellers
The kitchen is our studio
The plate is our canvas
Your palate is our census
Please feel free to dig in and taste the narrative