Culture Magazine

16 culturecheesemag.com BEGINNINGS 2024 FOR THE CULTURE the counter for my first cheese job, I didn't question the types of cheese we sold. I didn't look any further than what was in front of me. As years progressed, I wondered which other cultures had cheese. Cheese was presented as a food produced by Europe, the United States, and (to a lesser extent) Canada. I knew there was more out there, and I wanted to explore. So, six years ago, I asked a friend for advice on a grant proposal idea. My idea was in its very early stages. I just needed their opinion. I wanted to go to countries in Africa. I thought about countries in the west such as Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana, and eastern nations such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Eritrea. I even considered some Middle Eastern North African countries. My friend told me I would never be considered if I didn't go to Europe. They told me they didn't think "anyone's even making cheese in Africa" and suggested I focus on Spain, and if I wanted to mention Africa, I could talk about the Moors. I still hold that conversation with me, and although it was not their intent, I have allowed that answer to burrow in my heart and keep me from exploring. Enter Natalie Matos (@madcultured). She's a Los Angeles resident, activist, and friend who has been in the industry since 2015. She is also working toward opening her own cheese shop in 2024. In November 2023, she posted a video on TikTok about Waagashi, a West African cow's milk cheese. My heart skipped a beat. I sent her a DM and asked if she could share some of her cheese experience with us here. Exploring Culture CHALLENGING CHEESE'S EUROCENTRIC DOMINANCE written by Agela Abdullah illustrated by Iris Busjahn I n culinary school I learned knife skills; I learned the mother sauces and the sauces they spawned. Everything I learned was rooted in classic French style. Everything I was taught had a focus on European standards. But I wanted to cook like my Big Ma—Southern comfort food— biscuits, greens, and grits. I wanted to cook with foods from Barbados like my great-grandma and my island ancestors. But I knew I had to conform if I wanted to make a career out of cooking. So I did. I want to tell you that I struggled to ignore my cultural curiosity, but I didn't. "I knew there was more out there, and I wanted to explore. So, six years ago, I asked a friend for advice on a grant proposal idea." To anyone who has had to code-switch, or has been called aggressive for asking a question, you know why I didn't fight. You know why I kept my head down and tried not to call "negative" attention to myself. Would I do things differently today? I don't know. I think I would. I want to believe that I'm secure enough in my skills, and my promise to stand up for myself, but confidence and strength are often annihilated by a thousand cuts of micro and macro aggressions, as too many of us know. When I eventually left the professional kitchen and went behind

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