Jade is a Colombian living abroad for more than 20 years. Being white-passing, they often experience othering only once a conversation begins: questions about where they are from “really” can quickly become uncomfortable, crossing boundaries under the guise of curiosity. Their whiteness is often treated as evidence that Colombia could not possibly be their place of origin.
After years of suppressing their longing for home, Jade returns to the dishes they remember from there, prompted by the thought that they might one day no longer have a home to return to. The recent political developments in Colombia create the possibility of their country denying the very existence of Jade, thoughts part of the everyday reality of this longing.
For Food Tuesday, Jade makes arepas: one of the dishes every Colombian knows, an inevitable street-food favourite, and a dish that sparks endless regional debates about what makes the “Colombian-est” recipe.
