Food, Recipes, and Cultural Appreciation | Celeste Noche

Celeste Noche (she/her) is an editorial and documentary photographer based between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, CA. Through her photos of food, travel, and portraits, she advocates for diversity and inclusivity, seeking to share stories of underrepresented communities. In this episode, Celeste and I discuss the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation when it comes to food and recipes. We give examples from her home city of Portland, why working to identify and correct appropriation isn’t just a matter of “political correctness,” and how the centering of western culture through food styling, journalism, and recipe creation is harmful to the very communities we are trying to support through our work. At the end, Celeste shares strategies so that all of us who share food and recipes can be better allies, and better agents of cultural appreciation and exchange. Continue the conversation with me @melissau on Instagram. If you have a question for Dear Melissa or a topic idea for the show, leave me a voicemail at [phone]. Do the Thing is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better.  Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Side Hustle School, and Happier in Hollywood. If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and tell your friends to Do the Thing!Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices