Until now, I have been writing about cooking, the kitchen, chefs, food and what they have, in my opinion, to do with identity, the arts and culture in general. And up to this point you, the reader, might or might not have agreed with me. But I feel the need to say that this universe is not free of conflict and nostalgia. The kitchen can be as well, a political place where gender tensions grow, where conflict can emerge…

Besides that, I think that in the times we live in, cooking and kitchen came again into the spotlight.  Suddenly we had more time in our hands: the ones that were already cooking, started trying to accomplish complicated processes; the ones who had no time, started experimenting. And there, right there is where conflict could start, with the question of who is entitled to step into this space and who is in control of it.

Yet, to me, food and its preparation allow us to build a space to negotiate, to exchange points of view, to enable dialogues to discuss our differences and our similarities. If you are my guest that means that you are welcome and if I cooked for you, it is a sign of utmost trust. If I am your guest, I feel honored and try to reciprocate the vow of confidence. So that is the best starting point to make an effort and settle any clash or altercation.