Two South African's in Detroit
“To live would be an awfully big adventure.” A quote I came across almost five years ago now, when I decided there was more to life and the world. I wanted to experience it! So I put on my ‘big-girl’ pants and stepped into the unknown, traveling through Europe and Britain with the little bit of cash I had managed to scrape together the previous three years. My eyes had been peeled open and my mind had been blown. It was an exquisite attack upon my naivety and childlike innocence to see the world and experience its many diverse cultures. A fire within me was ignited.
So I followed my dream the only way I knew how and became a chef. Like language and culture, food is universal, a way to communicate; a gift that needs no words. It is an all encompassing, sensual experience – one that might inspire a feeling or a long forgotten memory. This is my passion.
I have been fortunate enough to travel more since those seemingly distant words crossed my path. It is with eagerness that I delve straight into each country I visit. I will try and taste everything just to create these moments like pockets of seeds that I may sew along this journey, which is life.
So the journey continues, I have traveled on my own and come out better for it, but I have also traveled with the one I love and have come out much richer for it. We now find ourselves clawing at the edge of a cliff trying to come to terms with living in a new country. Each day we manage to dig our heels in a little deeper, and find a better footing as we figure out this new territory which is Detroit, America.
A land so dissimilar from our laid back home town in South Africa, everything is an adventure and a constant reminder how much there is to learn. Each day comes with new experiences, some we love, and some we just don’t understand. Like many cities, Detroit is still haunted by its past, but it is becoming what it once was – a city filled with hope and opportunity.
The best part of Detroit is that it has a rapidly expanding food industry; it is something I really want to be a part of. I look forward to learning more about American culture, and experiencing its many different flavors. Where will this odyssey take us?
