Intro

di-as-por-a: 1) people settled far from their ancestral homelands 2) the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland (Merriam-Webster definition)

jas-por-a: Haitians who live outside of Haiti (common Haitian knowledge)

I am a jaspora.

Jaspora Diaries is a blog where I discuss any and everything, mainly with food as the focus of topic.

I am a Haitian-American who loves to eat and cook good food. I also love to learn and share my knowledge and experiences. I just want to give my perspective on life and food and the best way to do so is in this blog.

Since I’m a jaspora, my cooking skills rest heavily on Haitian cuisine — this is what I first learned how to cook. However, I love cooking different cuisines, as well. Best part: I am still learning many new things in the kitchen. I want to share with other Haitian jaspora who want to learn how to make their favorite dishes or show anyone — jaspora or not — how to make larb gai or a chocolate cake. I love learning and I love sharing what I’ve learned.

I also like to ruminate on various things that strike my mood. Sometimes, those moments are excursions into something I’ve always wondered about and end up sharing. Many times, these ruminations merge with food — a recipe accompanied by a back story or origination story, for example.

Among other things, you’ll get to learn how clumsy I am (I have cut the same finger in the same place three times) and random facts you can steal for trivia night. This blog will be peppered with accidental findings from internet search rabbit holes.

As much as I love learning and sharing, there may be times where I don’t get something right or do it as most others do. If I share a dish I’ve made or a recipe, I will explicitly state if it’s inspired (not the traditional or exact recipe) or where I got the recipe from (the person who taught it to me or where I learned about the recipe).

Jaspora Diaries is my way to share my mind and kitchen with readers.