Most of my fondest childhood and adulthood memories have been centered around food
During gatherings such as Christmas, the entire family would come together and celebrate and dine together. These experiences positively influenced me and taught me that food is one of the most endearing ways to unite people. Fast forward to adulthood, with a busy career, moving from one country to another saw me engage with Creditinfo employees on a more personal level over a meal. Be it during a breakfast meeting, a quick bite at lunch or after a busy day of meetings over dinner. This was when I learned more about the different cultures, their food, traditions, and way of life. My journey has been quite the eye-opener of diverse cultures in several aspects.
I usually try and pick up a unique treat from each of the countries I visit – the finest almonds from Morocco, wholesome nuts, Churchhela from Georgia, coffees and teas from Kenya, rich chocolate from Côte d’Ivoire, chocolate covered liquorice from Iceland, mouthwatering spices from Tanzania, the sweetest dates from Oman, the purest of Vodka, of course with Salo, from Ukraine…the list could go on and on. These collections inspire me when I am whipping up a meal in my kitchen. I find myself wandering into my own world when cooking – business ideas just seem to pop up whenever I use an ingredient from a specific country. It is truly a magical experience as I journey through my mind while in my kitchen in France!
So, is food part of a culture? Absolutely! It is an essential part of culture and has a role in cross-cultural interactions. It allows people from different cultures to share recipes and ingredients – as we try to do with our yearly cookbook. Sharing recipes helps us build bridges, allowing us to celebrate similarities and differences even while miles away from each other. I find that this helps us break cultural barriers and foster communication. Food brings unity since we all come together as one through this book.
Are you up for a challenge? Close your eyes, open a page, point to a recipe, and whichever one your finger lands on, try it and see what comes out of it – after all, the only limitation is your mind. You can journey to any destination through this book and get a taste of different cultures.
I hope you find this book both informative and exciting as I invite you to travel with us through our markets!
Paul Randall
CEO Creditinfo Group
Download the whole Creditinfo Cookbook for offline viewing here.
The Creditinfo Chronicle
