Why I Cook The World

As traffic scratched and clawed its way north on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, I studied my fellow travelers and wondered how much this daily experience defines us. Even if our landscape doesn’t completely define us, it shapes us. We take it all in, voluntarily or not. As our immediate world seeps into our consciousness, it becomes part of our makeup, one that we reflect back to the world. Which got me thinking about food.

Under the immense, geographical umbrella called Los Angeles, we are a courageous world bazaar of cuisine. Many current Angelenos have traveled thousands of miles to get here, ready to face any challenge in order to have the possibilities of a better life. These possibilities often include struggles with cruel fortune combined with social and economic deprivation. The unpredictable nature of humans and weather can often be our tormentors here. We are, however, a hardy, hungry, and optimistic bunch.

Belief in these possibilities is served up daily in family-run restaurants across my city. What comes out of these kitchens is a deep spirit of fortitude in the form of some of the world’s most delicious foods. Celebrities and Disneyland aside, our magnificent culinary scene should be the biggest tourist draw to Los Angeles. Crave a different point of view? Just change your cuisine. Check out the Peruvian restaurant, around the corner from the Chilean restaurant, down the street from the Cuban restaurant, just blocks from the Ethiopian restaurant.

I love that, most days, Los Angeles is the successful model of a truly international city.

I wanted to bring even more of the world into my immediate landscape by cooking food from every country and territory on earth. Can I become a better citizen of the world just by creating, eating, and sharing these dishes? I hope so.

If love won’t conquer all, perhaps love of food will.

Denise Fondo

Los Angeles, California

Contact me at icooktheworld@aol.com.