The Gregarious Bounty
The Gregarious Bounty ? Why mixing the name of a chocolate bar to a gregarious idea in order to describe a dish that has the rhythm of the Indian Ocean and Africa ?
The Gregarious Bounty is the story of my childhood. I first arrived in France at the age of 12 and people used to call me “Bounty”. I would not understand at first, it is only after a while I realized I was compared to the chocolate bar: dark on the outside and white on the inside. I found it very sad even hurtful.
The more I was moving in this new life, the more I realized that there were very specific codes about being black. You had to correspond to a certain way to be considered a black person. You had a certain criteria among black people and white people, there was a certain criteria from society and vice versa.
What is the best position to adopt ?
I did not know which way to go as I was only dreaming about one thing, being myself. No more, no less. I realized growing up how hard that task/my real nature could be an elephant in the room. Once, I have made the decision to become vegetarian, it has been another issue. I was considered to be rejecting my culture ? How could I be black and not eat at KFC ? I was considered as a strange breed and not being like other black people ?
I do not understand ? Do you understand ?
Food liberates and brings knowledge
I have to admit, I really was not expecting these comments getting into my adult life, yet I had to accept it is a reality but I chose not to make it my truth.
The Gregarious bounty as a dish was born thanks to my life, it is an anthem to diversity and the freedom of being oneself. Thanks to this dish I am making peace, it is vegetarian, it is not the most healthy and maybe not the most respectful of our planet but I still love it.
Why ?
When I eat it, I remember who I was, what I am going to become and who I am. I remember my childhood spent on the Indian Ocean thanks to the “tomato rougail”, I Remember my teen years which was very difficult and is being represented by the unctuosity of the palmnut sauce and I feel light when I drink the hibiscus and ginger drink.
One of the Patchwork mission is to bring conscience to what we eat, it is not only about diet or products we choose. It is about how they make us feel, it is a matter of traveling inside to bring lifetime emotions to the surface: it is a very serious yet playful affair.
Today, I am still a Bounty, I accept, I am dark on the outside but filled with a heavy white light inside that I am very happy to share with you every week ! :p
The Patchwork Life 