in HER words
The Quarantine Kitchen BY TIAN N A SPEARS
E
veryone knows that if you give a man a fish, you’ll feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, you’ll feed him for a lifetime. But what happens when you prefer avocado toast with an iced coffee? I’m a millennial, after all, which means I obviously spend all of my money on these stereotypical hallmarks of my generation. Not exactly. At the start of quarantine, I craved my favorites – Goorsha, Brigs at the Park, Pizzeria Toro, Cosmic Cantina and Elmo’s Diner. I missed my friends and family and dreamt of drinking a coffee from the couch in the corner at Cocoa Cinnamon or perusing the deals at Letters Bookshop. I missed talking with Kelli Cotter when I placed my order at Toast and sharing a bite of patacon pisao with my friend at Luna Rotisserie & Empanadas. My nights out on the town were put on pause. Again, if you’re reading this, you know how the story goes. Once the pandemic became reality, grocery stores were crowded and without toilet paper. Boneless chicken thighs and Eggo waffles were hard to find. I’m not sure if I learned how to cook out of pure boredom or necessity, to be honest, but I would like to thank the internet for providing cooking videos, recipe blogs and overall support. My relationship with food as an adult is quite different from what it was during my childhood. As a child, cooking was something that was more for others – it was a rushed service, a full day of sweating in someone’s
O RI G I N A L LY FR OM LO S A N G E L E S,
T H E AUT H O R WAS
RA I S E D I N D U R HAM. S H E H A S WRI TTEN F O R A M E R ICA N DIPLO M ACY ,
LO S A NGE L E S
T IM E S, M ATA DOR N E T WO RK A ND PO L IT ICO, A N D
WA S F E AT URED O N A B C N E WS,
B US I N E S S I N SI DER , C N N , N P R, P RI ’ S
T H E WO RL D A ND
I N T H E NE W YO R K T IM E S. T I A N NA I S
T H E F O UN D E R OF A STO RY T E L L I NG CO L L E CT I V E
WE B S I T E CA L LED
T I A N N A’ S C RE ATI VE A N D C RE ATO R OF
T H E B LO G “ WHAT’ S UP WI T H T I A N NA.”
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durhammag.com
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SEPTEMBER 2021
kitchen, a sink full of dishes as a reward. It felt like hard work that was and is, in my opinion, still highly gendered. I am grateful that we built community with our family and friends over food, but as a young woman growing up in North Carolina, I never knew any older men who cooked. I remember one Thanksgiving when I was watching basketball with the men in my family and someone ushered me back to the kitchen where the women were preparing the meal. The message was clear to me: You learn how to cook only for someone else. There is so much power in reclaiming something as your own, as I discovered after being inside for the last year and a half. It presented me with time to redefine my relationship with food and cooking. I found a new routine. I sit down with pen and paper on Sunday mornings and consider what meals I would like to eat for the week. I ask myself: “What makes me feel refreshed? What food makes me feel nourished and gives me energy?” I practice body-positive affirmations within my routine. I love my body, because it is my home. There is no good or bad food, there is only food, and I eat to take care of myself. I rest when I am tired. As I continue to grow as a young woman, my body will continue to change, because I am human. I love my body as it is and as it will be, in whatever shape or form, and I know all bodies are beautiful. External pressure from society does not make this easy, but the result has been amazing. The idea that I can take a few ingredients, add seasoning and prepare a meal in less than an hour is mind-blowing. I discovered that pie crust is easier to buy frozen, blackberries have the nerve to expire as soon as possible, pink Himalayan salt makes me feel fancy, and any crockpot recipe is a blessing. I’ve watched YouTube videos on how to fan an avocado and fold a half-moon dumpling, fallen in love with a recipe for a Korean bulgogi bowl with spicy peanut sauce and made chimichurri sauce. I went vegan for a week after discovering a $25 grocery shopping list. I learned that the secret