Fahmida

As a second-generation British-Bangladeshi, cooking with my mother has always been a way to connect with the rich culture that she and her peers have fought to preserve. During lockdown, I spent many evenings learning recipes from my mother, which provided a space for her to share long-untold stories and for me to reconnect with a culture I had previously rejected as a young person. The Tiffinwalli project resonates with my interest in food as a form of cultural expression accessible to all, which played a significant role in the migration history of my family and many others. Unfortunately, the stories of ordinary people are often lost in history, which is usually told from the perspective of the powerful. Tiffinwalli's mission to document the lives of South Asian women, who are often backgrounded in migration histories, will significantly enrich the story of Newham, and I am proud to be a part of it.