I’m curating this space to build a community where we can have real conversations about resilience, wellbeing and social justice so I thought it would be good idea to introduce ourselves. I’ll go first!
I’m Yasmin, a writer and human rights activist from London. I love dancing to breakbeat and the smell of fresh mint crushed between my fingers. I love the books of Ryszard Kapuscinski, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Elif Shafak and rolling out my yoga mat to practise yoga nidra. I love the Middle East and the rich heritage, culture and history it has given the world (and its incredible food, obvs). I love activism and feeling part of something bigger than myself. And I especially love getting up really early while everyone else is still asleep, making a cup of tea, taking pen-to-paper and writing.
Now over to you! Tell me who you are, what interests you and what brings you to this space?
And most importantly, what topics would you like me to cover in on this Substack? ✍🏽
Hi Yasmin, have been following you for a while. I'm a food writer/cookbook author living in Italy now for many years, though I have British-Australian/Japanese heritage and grew up in China. I have a background in art restoration and fine arts, love history, writing and food and the way it connects us.
hello! I am a bean to bar craft chocolate maker, and founder of a chocolate school solely dedicated to helping small batch craft chocolate thrive (ok, survive). Before chocolate I was a Grand Canyon river guide for 20 years, law student, and farmer. I hail from Eugene, Oregon but my roots are in North Carolina.
Better late than never or something? Anywho, I'm Joe, a food and travel writer/filmmaker from the States (Cleveland) and currently based in Berlin. Usually, I write for external outlets (BBC, Food52), but YouTube and script writing for videos have been my jam as of late so I can exclusively tell the stories I want to tell. I'm always interested in the history behind dishes/ingredients and the people making those dishes (or evolving them) today, especially as it reflects on their identity. If I get to be the lucky one transmitting those stories, I enjoy doing so with as much care and humor as the job requires. Life's too short to take myself too seriously. So as seriously as I take my work and these topics, I am not at all above a well-timed poop emoji.
Looking forward to reading more from the newsletter!
Hi Yasmin, I feel a bit late to the party with my introduction but better late than never! My name is Becky, I’m a social anthropology graduate and I currently work in local government within the children and families directorate around engagement and participation. As my job and my degree might suggest, I’m really interested in social mobility, identity and activism, especially when this is mediated by food.
I wrote my dissertation on how cookbooks mediate the navigation of a modern feminine identity for Greek and Cypriot migrants. I travelled a lot as a child, and spent a significant portion of my childhood in Greece. Food became a way of grounding my identity when my living situation didn’t always feel stable, and it helped me remember who I was, and who I had been throughout the different stages of my life. I’m really looking forward to having your newsletter pop up in my inbox, as your cookbooks have really resonated with me and my interests, and I love your approach to writing about food!
Hi becky! Sorry for my slow reply and thanks so much for your lovely words :-) Your dissertation sounds fascinating and I know what you mean about food feeling grounding. When I go through periods of stress, I always crave the classic Iranian dishes of my childhood. I hope you enjoy this Substack - thanks for being part of it x
Salam Yasmin joon! Congratulation on this exciting Substack project. I love the multi-facades of it. I really think we need the subject of hope now more than ever, as we're constantly discussing the broken systems.
I'm on Iranian food writer and photographer based in Rome and my first cookbook is being published super soon, and its American edition has your quote on the cover. Yay!
Thank you so much Saghar jan, yes, it felt like I needed a space to bring all the themes I'm interested in together and this seems like the right one. And i'm so excited about your book. It's a beauty!
Hi there - I'm an environmentalist and non-profit leader in Vancouver, Canada. I'm interested in ocean conservation (and conservation writ large) and making environmental justice a core part of the conversation in the environmental movement. I'm passionate about food and cooking, gardening, books (and cookbooks ofcourse) and theatre/the arts. I love how your books meld food, culture and social commentary - all things I'm keenly interested in.
Hi Christianne - welcome! And thanks for those lovely words. I'm hoping this space will be a bridge to all of the things you describe. I hope you enjoy it here
I'm Rob Bartolotta, and I'm a workforce and disability advocate and researcher in the United States. One of my big areas of interest is how intersectional identities, such as being a recent immigrant while also having a disability, impact how an individual interacts with social service systems and society writ large. I first became aware of you, Yasmin, through your cookbooks.
Hi Rob, thanks you much for joining us here. The struggles of facing discrimination from intersectional identities is certainly one I can relate too and I think ableism is definitely an area to dig into. Thanks for sharing.
I am Mandi Baldry and I live in Johannesburg. I also love Elif Shafak, the middle east and South Asia. I am particularly interested in conversations around climate resilience
Hi Mandi, welcome! Elif Shafak's books are the best aren't they. I think climate resilience is a really important topic. I'll definitely dig into into it.
I'm Natascha and I am a political sociologist, researcher and lecturer. I live in Aberdeen in beautiful Scotland. I am keen to talk more about wellbeing and resilience because my social research - mainly alongside people in violence-affected communities and/or contexts of informality - is all about what makes people resilient (though there are lots of problems with this term, of course, and with the ways a discourse of resilience is sometimes used by powerful actors...) and what constitutes wellbeing in different cultural, socio-political and ecological settings.
Hi Yasmin, I rented your book Zaitoun and wanted to thank you for the introduction to Palestinian flavors! I even found a place where I live that has za'atar pizza and now I know how that is supposed to taste. It's sad that I just now found this beautiful book and I can look at the news and see the names of the chapters.
Hi Yasmin! So excited to finally be here. Reading the article 'Seeds of Change' which you wrote for Conde Nast Traveller India changed my life in a way. It inspired me to chase my dreams and get out of my comfort zone. Today, I am a trainee journalist pursuing MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. I never realised my love for food and the power it has in bringing communities together, until I read your article and started thinking about it more. Somehow I felt like this is something I should be writing about. In a world polarised by ideologies and beliefs, if words can reflect the very comfort and happiness that a hot meal can give you, maybe we are not too far from healing after all? Looking forward to learn more from you and, thank you.
Hi Yasmin, I bought all 3 of your books in quick succession a couple months ago and have been methodically cooking my way through them. My favorite recipe thusfar is Mushroom & Eggplant Tahcheen.
I'm a writer and musician of 3 decades who is slogging through writing a memoir largely about my 12 years managing, producing and performing around the world with the late Clarence Reid aka Blowfly, a Funk music legend. There was a half assed documentary about us that came out in 2011. Hopefully my book will make up a full moon.
Hi Yasmin:-) I'm Rashmi. I live in Mumbai. I'm someone who's finding her footing in the kitchen since becoming a mom and have been loving it. I was a public health researcher and after navigating a life threatening pregnancy and a difficult post-partum period I decided to take a step back from my career and reassessed how I wanted to live. Now I mostly paint while also mothering my toddler. Came across your substack from Farrah Storr's interview of you. Loved it. Happy to be here :-)
Hi Yasmin, I just heard your incredibly inspiring chat with Lois Pryce on R4 One to One about acceptance - it really resonated with where I’m at with my recovery from long covid. I’d love to hear about how you live a full and politically/culturally/socially/creatively engaged life while looking after your well-being and protecting your energy 💛💛
Hi Yasmin! I am a poet yogini motorcycle rider who loves food and cooking and activism… I have been dabbling in writing here on Substack, enjoying the communities that are starting to grow from it, and am planning to launch my “real” newsletter soon on wielding power and doing inner work [at work].
Hi Yasmin, have been following you for a while. I'm a food writer/cookbook author living in Italy now for many years, though I have British-Australian/Japanese heritage and grew up in China. I have a background in art restoration and fine arts, love history, writing and food and the way it connects us.
Hi Emiko! thanks so much for introducing yourself. Lovely to have you here. I feel like we have lots we could talk about navigating mixed heritages! x
hello! I am a bean to bar craft chocolate maker, and founder of a chocolate school solely dedicated to helping small batch craft chocolate thrive (ok, survive). Before chocolate I was a Grand Canyon river guide for 20 years, law student, and farmer. I hail from Eugene, Oregon but my roots are in North Carolina.
Hi Mackenzie, thanks so much for joining me in this space. Your work sounds amazing and very inspiring!
Better late than never or something? Anywho, I'm Joe, a food and travel writer/filmmaker from the States (Cleveland) and currently based in Berlin. Usually, I write for external outlets (BBC, Food52), but YouTube and script writing for videos have been my jam as of late so I can exclusively tell the stories I want to tell. I'm always interested in the history behind dishes/ingredients and the people making those dishes (or evolving them) today, especially as it reflects on their identity. If I get to be the lucky one transmitting those stories, I enjoy doing so with as much care and humor as the job requires. Life's too short to take myself too seriously. So as seriously as I take my work and these topics, I am not at all above a well-timed poop emoji.
Looking forward to reading more from the newsletter!
Hi Joe, sorry for my later reply! thanks so much for joining me on here :-) I think how identity and food relate is always so fascinating.
No worries! Thrilled as always to read your work.
Hi Yasmin, I feel a bit late to the party with my introduction but better late than never! My name is Becky, I’m a social anthropology graduate and I currently work in local government within the children and families directorate around engagement and participation. As my job and my degree might suggest, I’m really interested in social mobility, identity and activism, especially when this is mediated by food.
I wrote my dissertation on how cookbooks mediate the navigation of a modern feminine identity for Greek and Cypriot migrants. I travelled a lot as a child, and spent a significant portion of my childhood in Greece. Food became a way of grounding my identity when my living situation didn’t always feel stable, and it helped me remember who I was, and who I had been throughout the different stages of my life. I’m really looking forward to having your newsletter pop up in my inbox, as your cookbooks have really resonated with me and my interests, and I love your approach to writing about food!
Hi becky! Sorry for my slow reply and thanks so much for your lovely words :-) Your dissertation sounds fascinating and I know what you mean about food feeling grounding. When I go through periods of stress, I always crave the classic Iranian dishes of my childhood. I hope you enjoy this Substack - thanks for being part of it x
Salam Yasmin joon! Congratulation on this exciting Substack project. I love the multi-facades of it. I really think we need the subject of hope now more than ever, as we're constantly discussing the broken systems.
I'm on Iranian food writer and photographer based in Rome and my first cookbook is being published super soon, and its American edition has your quote on the cover. Yay!
Thank you so much Saghar jan, yes, it felt like I needed a space to bring all the themes I'm interested in together and this seems like the right one. And i'm so excited about your book. It's a beauty!
<3
My name is Meta, living in The Netherlands. Bought my IP a few weeks ago and hope to learn a lot.
Hi there - I'm an environmentalist and non-profit leader in Vancouver, Canada. I'm interested in ocean conservation (and conservation writ large) and making environmental justice a core part of the conversation in the environmental movement. I'm passionate about food and cooking, gardening, books (and cookbooks ofcourse) and theatre/the arts. I love how your books meld food, culture and social commentary - all things I'm keenly interested in.
Hi Christianne - welcome! And thanks for those lovely words. I'm hoping this space will be a bridge to all of the things you describe. I hope you enjoy it here
I'm Rob Bartolotta, and I'm a workforce and disability advocate and researcher in the United States. One of my big areas of interest is how intersectional identities, such as being a recent immigrant while also having a disability, impact how an individual interacts with social service systems and society writ large. I first became aware of you, Yasmin, through your cookbooks.
Hi Rob, thanks you much for joining us here. The struggles of facing discrimination from intersectional identities is certainly one I can relate too and I think ableism is definitely an area to dig into. Thanks for sharing.
I am Hanadi El Diri from Lebanon.
A reporter in Annahar newspaper for the past 28 years. I cover the Arts and Culture scene.
Am launching my blog
A dreamer in Beirut
next week.
Am interested in everything that is beautiful.
We are living in Hell in Lebanon and i do my best to highlight all that is hopeful in this world.
Ahla w sahla Hanadi! I look forward to checking out your blog. Solidarity with you all in Lebanon for navigating these tough times.
I am Mandi Baldry and I live in Johannesburg. I also love Elif Shafak, the middle east and South Asia. I am particularly interested in conversations around climate resilience
Hi Mandi, welcome! Elif Shafak's books are the best aren't they. I think climate resilience is a really important topic. I'll definitely dig into into it.
You forgot to mention pomegranats! LOL! ;)
I'm Natascha and I am a political sociologist, researcher and lecturer. I live in Aberdeen in beautiful Scotland. I am keen to talk more about wellbeing and resilience because my social research - mainly alongside people in violence-affected communities and/or contexts of informality - is all about what makes people resilient (though there are lots of problems with this term, of course, and with the ways a discourse of resilience is sometimes used by powerful actors...) and what constitutes wellbeing in different cultural, socio-political and ecological settings.
Thanks so much! This fascinating and I agree so many of these terms can feel co-opted or compromised. I look forward to digging into it
Hi Yasmin, I rented your book Zaitoun and wanted to thank you for the introduction to Palestinian flavors! I even found a place where I live that has za'atar pizza and now I know how that is supposed to taste. It's sad that I just now found this beautiful book and I can look at the news and see the names of the chapters.
Hi Yasmin! So excited to finally be here. Reading the article 'Seeds of Change' which you wrote for Conde Nast Traveller India changed my life in a way. It inspired me to chase my dreams and get out of my comfort zone. Today, I am a trainee journalist pursuing MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. I never realised my love for food and the power it has in bringing communities together, until I read your article and started thinking about it more. Somehow I felt like this is something I should be writing about. In a world polarised by ideologies and beliefs, if words can reflect the very comfort and happiness that a hot meal can give you, maybe we are not too far from healing after all? Looking forward to learn more from you and, thank you.
Hi Yasmin, I bought all 3 of your books in quick succession a couple months ago and have been methodically cooking my way through them. My favorite recipe thusfar is Mushroom & Eggplant Tahcheen.
I'm a writer and musician of 3 decades who is slogging through writing a memoir largely about my 12 years managing, producing and performing around the world with the late Clarence Reid aka Blowfly, a Funk music legend. There was a half assed documentary about us that came out in 2011. Hopefully my book will make up a full moon.
Hi Yasmin:-) I'm Rashmi. I live in Mumbai. I'm someone who's finding her footing in the kitchen since becoming a mom and have been loving it. I was a public health researcher and after navigating a life threatening pregnancy and a difficult post-partum period I decided to take a step back from my career and reassessed how I wanted to live. Now I mostly paint while also mothering my toddler. Came across your substack from Farrah Storr's interview of you. Loved it. Happy to be here :-)
Hi Yasmin, I just heard your incredibly inspiring chat with Lois Pryce on R4 One to One about acceptance - it really resonated with where I’m at with my recovery from long covid. I’d love to hear about how you live a full and politically/culturally/socially/creatively engaged life while looking after your well-being and protecting your energy 💛💛
Hi Yasmin! I am a poet yogini motorcycle rider who loves food and cooking and activism… I have been dabbling in writing here on Substack, enjoying the communities that are starting to grow from it, and am planning to launch my “real” newsletter soon on wielding power and doing inner work [at work].