A. Ragnauth: Expanding the Frame

One thing about me, is that whenever I go somewhere 9 times out of 10, I can tell when someone is cooking curry. You see, there are certain foods, you can tell what they are without even seeing it. Recently, I went on a work trip to Philly and let’s just say I definitely searched on google for caribbean food. (Spoiler Alert: There was none 😦 )

For this week in Rooted in Culture, I focused on food and identity through dishes like 7 curry, chicken curry, dhal and rice, and even swets like mithai, and coconut drops. I photographed both savory foods and traditional sweets, but I wasn’t satisfied simply showing the food. I wanted someone outside of the culture to understand why these foods matter too if they came across my page.

Researching food, identity, and migration in Indo-Caribbean culture helped me look deeper into how recipes travel and change. Indo-Caribbean food reflects generations of migration and adaptation, while still maintaining connections to the traditions they came from. That pushed me to revise my educational post several times. My first version talked broadly about food representing memory, family, and culture, but it felt too generic. I needed to focus more on the actual foods, ingredients, and where those traditions came from.

Working on this story made me realize that documenting culture sometimes means paying closer attention to things that feel ordinary to us. A plate of dhal and rice might just feel like dinner when you grow up with it, but it can also hold memories and traditions that go far beyond our years.