So why kitchen culture? You might ask...

I discovered blogs quite recently and had a blast reading some of them. So much fun and so much interesting stuff actually that I quickly became a “regular-blog-reader”. I wonder if there’s a word for blog readers by the way??? I feel comfortable sharing bits of my life through a cooking blog. I cook everyday, so a blog seems a perfect medium for a cooking journal. At least I think it'll be... Let's live dangerously ! The first time I read about the expression "kitchen culture" was in Mendleson's book "Home Comforts". She used the word "culture" mostly to refer to "microbes" or "germs" (it's a homekeeping book, a very thourough, excellent one by the way in my opinion). But Mendelson also refered to it to culture as in the sociological sense of the word. Very often in the chapter dedicated to kitchen, she dots her writing with her personal story or different ways of doing things depending on her own family back-ground, american history or geographics. I feel a sudden urge to re-assure you ! No, you won't hear so much of microbes and germs in my blog. You'll hear about the 3 different cultures I've been exposed to from living in 3 different continents : North-Africa, Europe and North-America. That's what you'll hear about and most of it through cooking. Hence, Kitchen Culture. I am a married mother of 3 boys. The most defining trait of my personality is the fact I am tri-cultural. French: I grew up in France and left Paris 11 years ago. Needless to say french culture is very much sticking to my bones. Wine, cheese, croissants and baguettes, among other Champagne and "trou normand" are the most obvious of my french adult livelyhood. But there's so much more to French kitchen culture... Moroccan: I was born in Morocco and my parents, my whole family actually is moroccan. I ended up in France when I was 2 months old. But in France, we lived "à la marocaine" at home. My parents are overly social persons and 30 guests during the week-end wasn't at all unusual. We had a permanent "open house" during week-ends when we grew up. Add to that a month or two vacationing in Morocco every summer, during which we were guests in hundreds of rich, poor, peasant or utterly snob homes. Canadian: I left France 11 years ago and I married a "100% pure-whool" quebecer. Well... not that much 100% quebecer actually as he was born in Ontario. Of course, in respect of my very manic behavious regarding cooking, as soon as I step foot on Canadian soil, I looked closely at the food culture here. I had the idea I'd die of boredom with north american cuisine. Oh Boy, was I ever wrong ! Someday I'll tell you why I was expecting a bland, greasy, overly sweet and flavour-less cuisine upon arriving in Canada. For now, suffice to say I changed my mind quite rapidely. Today I'm preparing Harira, that delicious hearty moroccan soup, stapple of the Ramadan month. While preparing the ingredients for harira, it occured to me I could "talk" about what I call my "kitchen culture" in a blog. After all, I'm a very decent cook and one infused with 3 rich cultures. Plus, I've been told endless times I could use some writing in my life.Sooooo…… Blog world ! Here I come with my pots, pans, travel stories and everyday adventures of a Stay-At-Home-Mom !