We are all connected by a universal language; despite our cultures or backgrounds, there is a powerful tongue that transcends all linguistic barriers: food. A medium for bonding, a symbol of tradition, and a celebration of identity, food surpasses its role as just simply sustenance. It is deeply enmeshed in many traditional festivals and customs passed down for generations, an heirloom of cultural beliefs and values.    Like most heirlooms, food is profoundly intertwined with

According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison (n.d.), cultural appreciation is when an individual’s goal is to understand, learn, and honour a culture without any self benefit; contrastingly, cultural appropriation is the act of adopting certain elements from another culture without understanding and permission for use (Young Women’s Christian Association, 2023), often benefitting the individual socially or financially. In short, appropriation harms marginalised communitie