Talking about our food heritage in the Midlands

Open Minds Birmingham Group - Feb 24

This month, our Birmingham Group met on a weekend, hoping to make it easier for some folks to get there and to cultivate those weekend vibes. We chose the topic of food and eating, a significant aspect of our South Asian heritage. One of the group members brought samosas and pakoras and we all probably ate more than we had planned to!

Our discussion was about the significance of food, especially how it can help with bonding and strengthening relationships. We delved into the tradition of passing down ccooking practices through generations, recognizing the gendered dynamics at play. We talked about how there are different expectations for women and men when it comes to being in the kitchen and being able to cook and people still try to shame women who cannot cook.

Cooking food that we can share with others is also a way to show care and love and we talked about how some of our favourite memories are of being cooked for by people that we care about.

Our relationship with food is more than about getting energy or nutrition; it symbolizes celebration, community, and heritage. Lots of families have signature dishes, and these dishes can become how we remember good times with our families and friends.

After our group discussion, some of us had the opportunity to join the Yarana gathering at Birmingham LGBT where we had a lot of fun learning about online safety and making towers out of marshmellow and spaghetti!

Feedback from our session was very positive and people really enjoyed the chat, food and chance to meet new people.

If you're interested in learning more about our Birmingham, London, or online meetups, feel free to get in touch. We usually meet towards the end of each month, with more details available on our Eventbrite page.

We’re next planning to meet in London in April 2024.

With warm wishes,

The Open Minds Project ­

We usually meet on the last Wednesday of each month and if you want to join us at an Open Minds Meeting, please visit the Events page on our website.