Your say / Bristol Food Connections
‘The power of food in connecting communities’
I spent a lot of my early life in Montpelier where I was always in and out of our neighbours’ houses. If I’m honest, I often used to pick whose house I would visit based around the food that I knew I would get.
Not only did joy lie in the act of simply being fed, but as I grew up I realised it mostly lay in the simultaneous learning about many different cultures. What we cook is so tied up in our culture, our memories and our life experience, so to share that with someone else is a beautiful thing.
I have always lived in strong communities in Bristol, and although the world has changed, I’m still proud to live in a strong community now, where we share food with each other.
is needed now More than ever
Our fantastic community spirit, coupled with the fact that we are home to so many people from different cultures who help our culture evolve, is what makes Bristol such a great city.
Can you imagine a Bristol without all the falafel houses, the smell of jerk chicken as you walk through Stokes Croft or St Paul’s, or a Stapleton Road without the shops selling fruit and vegetables from across the world?
This fact that many different communities have helped create our fantastic food scene will be showcased beautifully at this year’s Bristol Food Connections, the citywide celebration of Bristol’s food from June 11 to 17.
From an Indian brunch at Hart’s Bakery, to an open community Iftar, a celebration of beer and bread, and a Cretan food event, you’ll be able to sample food from so many different countries and cultures.
Bristol Food Connections will give people who have lived in the city their whole life to visit somewhere new, such as Buzz Lockleaze
The citywide celebration thing is key; not many food festivals engage such a wide range of people and communities.
Generally, Bristol’s food festivals are around for a day or two and force everyone into a group of tents in one place – usually the city centre.
However, Food Connections will see events happening all over Bristol, providing opportunities for Bristolians to visit places where they wouldn’t usually go, meet people they wouldn’t usually meet and try food they wouldn’t usually eat.
Despite the richness of Bristol’s diverse communities and neighbourhoods, there are many areas people haven’t been to, but through Food Connections there is a chance to put that right.
It is so important to get to know people who do not live in your personal bubble. I still live in my hometown – Bristol – and have lived in many different areas of it, but will often discover another part of the city which makes me fall in love with it all over again.
And you’ll undoubtedly find that you will too during this year’s Bristol Food Connections.
Marti Burgess is a board member of Bristol Food Connections, the citywide celebration of food taking place from June 11-17. For more information, visit www.bristolfoodconnections.com
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