“A Seat at My Table” - Catherine Susana Esprit

The immense international spread of the African diaspora produced an explosion of culinary dishes worldwide, all with similar flavor roots. In my 8 years of American public school, I have not had one class or lesson where I acquired significant nutritional knowledge beyond the “food pyramid”. A big percentage of what I know about food and nutrition was taught at home. I was blessed with health-conscious parents and life on islands with abundant agriculture. Unfortunately, not every American has access to nutrient-rich foods or even the awareness of them. Here, this knowledge is suppressed, and the biodiversity is limited. I grew up with fruit trees in my backyard; fresh food is easily accessible and cheaper than processed goods. Some of the foods that I ate regularly are not even available in the United States; their names are not even known. 
 
This piece intends to showcase the beauty in the food of my home, for I have never seen it displayed in this way, and to expose more African-Americans to food items that they might not know of, that they might know under a different name, and that their ancestors surely knew. The Caribbean is rich, and I want to share the wealth with you.