the tasty other

I am Amaryllis- Amaryllis Aphrodite to be exact. Amaryllis, after my parents’ extensive search to find names (for my twin sister and me) that had ‘A’ and ‘L’ in them. Don’t ask. Aphrodite, after my maternal grandma, which is why I love it so.

My grandma was a terrible, terrible cook. An avid reader, traveler and proud feminist, she spent her time immensely dedicated to various types of charity, consciously leaving any kind of house chore to my grandfather (together, they made one of the most beautiful couples I’ve ever seen), the people that were helping around the house and, eventually, my mom, the eldest of four.

Not surprisingly, my mother is an excellent cook. Absolutely self- taught, absolutely creative, absolutely indifferent towards food trends, over-complicated techniques or fussy food. She usually cooks without following recipes, with a heavy hand on the spices, always using seasonal products and never letting anything go to waste. I ‘d like to think that I cook the same way: using what I have in the fridge and pantry, taking advantage of what each season and place has to offer, quickly and without making a mess, using few ingredients and highlighting them as much as possible.

This blog is about food, in London (and often other places as well). It is observations on the city’s various populations and cultures, one dish and ingredient at a time. It is an attempt to keep my love affair with London alive, through cooking and talking to people about food. It is the aftermath of hours spent discovering markets, shopping for ingredients, preparing meals and eating with friends. It is about honouring memories and making sense of the present; celebrating my own and others’ backgrounds and traditions, while making way for everything new that the city has to offer.