Through CookingWithAlia, my beliefs are reflected in my own way… through food. Many viewers sent me messages asking me why I didn’t show support to the people of Gaza. The messages were written in a tone of disappointment as if I was not ‘human’ enough to feel the sorrow of people going through pain. For those who have been following me, it is quiet clear that I am a citizen of the world. My father is from Iraq, my mother is Moroccan, my husband is Indian, I hold a Moroccan and American passport, and I will be getting my Indian residence card soon. So yes…. I believe in openness, tolerance, acceptance of all religions and races. I believe that deep down, we -all human beings- are the same although religious, geographical, and political differences are used to group us in some ‘identity’ pack. We all have dreams of happiness, we all love our families, we all love our children, and we all want to be loved… and it makes me very sad to see that shallow differences create so many barriers between us. Through CookingWithAlia, my beliefs are reflected in my own way… through food. For me food is more than a nourishing substance to sustain life; it is a profound reflection of who we are, both personally and culturally. Food is art, history, and culture all combined together into a unique creation that one can physically experience. Even when geographical, political, or religious divisions may appear insurmountable, a fusion dish proves that harmony is possible. Hence, my many ‘fusion’ dishes and ‘CookingWithAlia International Edition’ where I bring people from all over the world to share with us a dish from their own country…. What keeps me going is imagining a person in Morocco making Mexican Tacos for dinner even if they do not even know where Mexico is… and on the other side, a person in America cooking a Moroccan dish and getting closer to our culture that is unknown to him or her. These two people are going to think about that particular country at every bite of that dish. This for me is powerful, and makes me want to make another cooking video, the following week, even though I am exhausted from my full week of work. So yes… I do care. I do care about the children who died in Gaza. I care about the schoolgirls that were abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria. I care about the children who died in the ferry that sunk in Korea because the Captain was a coward. I do care and it makes me sad… very sad…. but CookingWithAlia is my dream world. It’s the virtual bridge that connects me to all of you; wherever you are… it’s the place where I try to share with you happiness, passion, love, tolerance, and hope…. not post my personal believes about what is going on in the world. Not post dark thoughts to show support about other people’s pain or prove that I care. I do not need to do that to prove that I care… because for me, I have been doing it continuously, for the past years… Through CookingWithAlia, my beliefs are reflected in my own way… through food.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 16:08:43 +0000
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