Audio Essay: The Kitchen Is Home

I’m a writer, not a cook. I’m much more like to whip up a captivating plot than a mouth-watering meal. I’ve always been told “write what you know,” and while I don’t tend to follow that advice, my first foray into audio storytelling left me reaching for anything familiar. When assigned to tell a “wordless story,” I knew the best place to start would be the kitchen. I have spent my 21 years of life watching women cook—my mother, grandmothers, aunts—but my own culinary skills are lacking, to say the least. Even still, I knew that I could hone the sounds of my mother’s kitchen into a story. I could hear it before I’d even set up my microphone for the first time. When it came time to combine all of the skills I’d learned in Intro to Audio Storytelling, of course I wanted to expand upon that moment in the kitchen. This interview with my mother and grandmother explores the relationship that the women in my family have with the food they cook. The common thread, it seems is joy. Sharing the food that you make gives joy to those who eat it, and hopefully to the cook, as well. By sharing this work, the words of my Mom and Gheebee, and the sounds of their kitchens, with you, maybe I can share a little joy, as well.

Bon appetite!