Coffee's Uniting Power
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America.
Gizem is a Turkish native, who has always carried a strong passion for her country and its unique cultural footprint. Through a recent adventure in “nation branding” with a mobile Turkish coffee truck, Gizem and her volunteer team took to the streets of a few major Eastern U.S. cities distributing coffee and connecting with Americans. The food truck not only received attention locally, but Gizem said she received phone calls from all over the world from others interested in starting their own projects.
I talked to Gizem more extensively over the phone about her background and experience with the project. Listen here: Turkayfe Food Truck
Photos included were taken by: Jacquelyn Chi, Erdem Tekinel and Mark Simonson. Turkayfe.org is also active on Twitter.
What do you think of the project?
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
Comments (18)
Smart James
08 Nov 2018Coffee is always great to me and I really like it.
reinford kyle
05 Oct 2018Thanks for the post. I really appreciate
fotoeins
15 Jun 2012One of the best coffees I’ve ever had was when one of my friends took me into one of the Turkish neighbourhoods in Köln (Cologne), Germany. At a restaurant well-known to locals and to German Turks, we had an outstanding meal, which was followed by a coffee as the final flourish. Brewed strong with a sugar cube to melt and dissolve, the tiny cup of coffee delivered a deliciously powerful punch that was sweet and almost-spicy. Upon leaving, I said (in German) that was the best coffee I had ever had. The knowing smile in return was all I needed to know.
Nicolette
15 Jun 2012Thank you for sharing! Sounds absolutely delicious! I’m sure your comment was appreciated. I have yet to try Turkish coffee, but am hopeful that I will be able to sometime in the near future.
Barb Drummond
12 Jun 2012MMMM free coffeee…..how much of our time and income goes on this legal drug? but what else would we spend it on?
Nicolette
12 Jun 2012Hi Barb! I don’t dare venture to estimate it….but it is certainly delicious! The mobile coffee truck is not only a tasty venture, but a brilliant initiative to create awareness.
Barb Drummond
12 Jun 2012Most of us drink so much of the stuff we don’t really get adventurous with it. I have one type I stick to at home, partly because of the taste also because the company are good to their staff and farmers.
Nicolette
12 Jun 2012Those seem great reasons to stick to one type, though! Adventures are wonderful, but comfort can be equally gratifying! Where is the coffee you drink from? I personally really enjoy tea, too!
Barb Drummond
12 Jun 2012Taylors of Harrogate – this is in the Uk. they do stuff like Lazy Sunday which is a good mild roast. My favourite tea is Japanese rice tea – hard to find, but Boston Coffee company do a great version, really refreshing and exotic.
Nicolette
12 Jun 2012Delicious! I like milder roasts, too. The Japanese rice tea sounds quite interesting, I’ll have to try it some time!
Barb Drummond
12 Jun 2012I’ve also just discovered Rooibosch with vanilla which is good.
Nicolette
12 Jun 2012Yes! I’ve had it a few times. I wonder if others will follow in the footsteps of the Mobile Coffee Truck cultural project and try it with different unique foods or drinks!
Barb Drummond
12 Jun 2012I think there’s a real interest in starting up small local enterprises, and even growing local stuff, which feeds into having local stalls. I am amazed at what is being grown in the Uk. south coast has chile farms, olives are being grown in Wales and there is an expanding wine industry – the first since the Romans left. so why not tea and coffee or local equivalents? You can even grow saffron – the most expensive thing on earth because of the costs of picking and drying it.
Nicolette
12 Jun 2012Local produce seems to be growing in popularity around here as well. More people visit farmers markets and consider farm shares. It’s really neat to think of chile farms and an expanding wine industry in the UK, because you don’t ‘typically’ associate the UK with that!
Barb Drummond
12 Jun 2012That’s why it’s so impressive. Places like cornwall have palms, even north of Scotland, they have walled gardens where they can produce incredibly varied crops. With the soaring cost of transport, we have to figure out how to produce our own stuff if we want these treats.
susanwbailey
07 Jun 2012What a totally cool idea! I’d love to try that coffee. 🙂
Nicolette
07 Jun 2012Same here! A really neat way to create awareness and share a part of Turkish culture! I think the food truck was a great platform for it!
susanwbailey
07 Jun 2012Food is a great healer.