私はおばんざい魔女なおばあちゃん、粉もん魔女の母、洋もんお菓子魔女な叔母に育てられました。その他にも中華魔女、広島焼魔女、お茶魔女など、いろんなおばちゃん（関西ではおばちゃんとは基本的に家族でなくても、年上の女の人をおばちゃんといいます。お姉さんと言わなあかんときもありますが(笑)）が周りにいてくれました。大人になってからはいろんな国のおばちゃん達もキムチ魔女、カレー魔女、マレーもん魔女として私の生活の中にいてくれました。

食いしん坊の私にとっては、台所はおいしい味見ができるだけでなく、彼女たちのお母さん、おばあちゃん、おばちゃんたちから習った食べ物の話を聞けるわくわくする場所でした。そして、春夏秋冬で変わる食べ物のことも、薬膳という難しいコンセプトではなく、日々のご飯のなかで学びました。

都会っ子で爪に土がつくのもいや、虫もあかんという私ですが、食べなれたお野菜がすぐ手に入らない場所に長いこと住んでるので、食い意地を満たすため、そして年々ひどくなるアレルギーを減らすため、有機のちいちゃいちいちゃい畑も始めました。

食い意地から始まったお料理、そして畑仕事がやっとなんとかなってきて、この場をお借りして、今までいろんな魔女たちが教えてくれたことを皆さんにお伝えできたらと思っています。特に、おばあちゃんたちから食べ物のお話を聞けなかった人に私が台所魔女たちから学んだことをお伝えできたら。

台所魔女見習いから愛をこめて

I grew up with lot of elders around me; my grandma as a traditional Japanese "Food-Witch", my mom as a "Flour-Witch", my aunt as a Western "Food & Sweets-Witch". I also had a "Chinese-Food-Witch", a "Hiroshima-Pancake-Witch", and a "Tea-Witch" around me. As I got older, "Kimchi-Witch", "Curry-Witch" and "Malay-Dish-Witch" who all blessed me with their presence.  

Not only did I love the food they made, but I loved the stories they shared with me about food their grandmas and aunties taught them whenever I was around with them in the kitchen. I learned what I should cook in specific a season or, when someone has a specific ailment. "Food as Medicine" was a concept that was practiced in daily life, not from textbooks. I thought everyone grew up like this, but then as I got older, I realized that I was blessed with the gift of food wisdom from all elders and their ancestors.

I am an urban born and raised person, I do not like dirt under my nails, or bugs. But as I got older, I dreamed of growing vegetables and herbs (big dream is also raising chicken and eggs). This is mostly due to necessity; I live far from where vegetables and herbs that I crave are available, but I also developed a lot of food and chemical allergy/sensitivity so I started to grow vegetables and herbs at a neighborhood organic community garden.

I always loved food and cooking, but now my love for growing food ingredients are all coming together. I want to share food wisdom I have been blessed from elder Kitchen-Witches. My food and recipes are for everyone, but particularly for those Asians who are in the diaspora, or do not have connections to their communities and feel isolated from food wisdom from your elders.

From a Kitchen-Witch in-training with love. <3