Where you live affecting your cooking?

[DIna00]

I don't know if anyone will be able to relate to this, but I have lived in 5 different cities, all the way for the top of North America to the South. Everywhere I have lived, my style of cooking changes, and my regular everyday dishes change too.

I think it is partly because of the types of ingredients available, but also a lot to do with the culture of the area I am in. I'm inspired in different ways depending on where I am, and when I am no longer in a certain city, I actually can't even remember or recreate the type of dishes I always made there. You'd think I'd have a great repertoire, but I don't, because I always feel bound by the area I am in, and feel stuck in the certain dishes that are easy to make there. Is that weird?!

 

[ChanellG]

I have experienced that; I don't think it's weird at all. I grew up in the south and when I lived on the west coast seafood was more expensive. I was much younger and not doing the shopping and less cooking, but it impacted my family. I am back home now and there is a lot of diversity that has influenced what is available in the stores, even down to the fresh produce.

 

[Pat]

Not only do you have different stores with different items available they have different names. On the east coast it is Hellmans mayo on the west coast it is Best mayo. I was also surprised that the west coast did not have the same fish that we had on the east coast. I did like the spanish foods we introduced to on the west coast.

 

[winterybella]

I have only lived one place and that's right here in the Caribbean. Yet I have traveled from time to time and whenever I am called upon to cook, I feel completely foreign. You get so used to your style, your kitchen and then your ingredients. The few times I have done it I've had to adjust and it never quite feels the same even when you are fortunate enough to find the same ingredients and spices.

Even with living one place all your life, I don't get too expected about a recipe anymore. I have to check first to see if the ingredients are easily available in my country. It's also tricky to go buy a product just for one meal you might not try again. These days when I buy something foreign to me I make sure it can be used for multiple dishes.

 

[Berties]

In the uk what you cook can be effected by where you shop ,I love farmers markets and local farm shops,if not you are left with vast supermarkets,some people grow veggies and the crop you grow gets effected by local climates,if you are close to water fish tends to be more available,the other factor is inspiration of the cook ,I am always looking for new ideas ,ingredients ,techniques,blends

 

[missbishi]

THe UK is just a small island really so the majority of foodstuffs we have are available countrywide. Of course, most areas have their own specialties but these can generally be obtained by anyone anywhere. The only influences I see on foodstores and shopping are the migrant communities. I live on the outskirts of a Polish community so there are a lot of Eastern European food stores close to me. I've given many of the traditional Polish foods a try now, because they are easily available.

 

[Arch]

Most cities in the UK now have good sources of our more traditional immigrant foods (Indian, Chinese, West Indian), along with the new wave of Eastern European foods. I love living in a country were you can shop round the world if you know where to go.

The city I grew up in, Leicester, mainly had immigrants from the Indian Subcontinent (many via Uganda), and in the main Asian area there is every kind of Asian food (as well as amazing saris and jewellery). Leicester's main fruit and veg market had every vegetable I could name and many I couldn't!

Now, I'm in Manchester, most famous for it's Chinatown. And happen to have married a Chinese man so we often take his parents down tot he Chinese supermarket, where, once again, I'm not always sure what some of the stuff is!

Despite these influences, my predominant style of cooking is probably Italian...

 

[Lullabelle]

Most cities in the UK now have good sources of our more traditional immigrant foods (Indian, Chinese, West Indian), along with the new wave of Eastern European foods. I love living in a country were you can shop round the world if you know where to go.

The city I grew up in, Leicester, mainly had immigrants from the Indian Subcontinent (many via Uganda), and in the main Asian area there is every kind of Asian food (as well as amazing saris and jewellery). Leicester's main fruit and veg market had every vegetable I could name and many I couldn't!

Now, I'm in Manchester, most famous for it's Chinatown. And happen to have married a Chinese man so we often take his parents down tot he Chinese supermarket, where, once again, I'm not always sure what some of the stuff is!

Despite these influences, my predominant style of cooking is probably Italian...

I am a Leicester girl born and bred .We are multi cultural and the supermarkets cater for the locals in the area, we have a lot of Chinese/Cantonese students so our local Morrisons which sits right amongst the student area caters heavily for their needs whereas our local Sainsburys the other end of the city only sells a limited range.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I've grown up in many different areas but they have all had one thing in common; they have all been multiracial and that means I can usually obtain ingredients from anywhere and everywhere and there are restaurants that cater to for all....

in addition my Grannie was deeply traditional with her cookery, so I had a healthy dose of British (or Welsh) cookery to add to my Scots background... add that to my love of exploring new foods and trying out new things and the end result is that I can eat from Indian, to Ethiopian to Moroccan to 'British' all within a week!

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

Yes it is true that where you live affects your cooking. If you live in a country that is different where you live before you have to follow the style of cooking in their culture. And I had experienced that already.