Smells and Bells

     In Religion in the Kitchen: Cooking, Talking, and Making of Black Atlantic Traditions , Elizabeth Pérez talks about how Afro-Diasporic religious practices are shown in everyday activities like cooking and talking, hence the title of the book.  In chapter 5, Tasting Affliction , Pérez brings up how talking while preparing the food allows people to share their personal stories. I completely agree with this. I feel that when people cook together there's a chance for them to create a special bond. A bond where they can talk and feel safe, especially if cooking with people they know. In chapter 3, Engendering Knowledge , Pérez says, "The kitchen, therefore, is the great sacred laboratory where know-how, faith, respect, and physical beauty meet each other for the enchantment of the divinities." In other words, the kitchen is a very meaningful place where cultural dishes are made, where offerings are prepared, and where they honor the gods.       At...