What was the role of food in your home as a child?   Food was never a central element in my family growing up. My parents actually really didn't like cooking. When I stayed with my mom, she made most dinners from frozen or instant food and when I stayed with my Dad, he knew how to make three things so we had either pasta, hot dogs, or omelets. Ironically, I have found great passion in cooking. I have had to teach myself for the most part, definitely learning the hard way most of the times!

What is your first memory of cooking?   The first thing I can remember making on my own was a basic sugar cookie recipe when I was 13. I modified it, adding lemon and chocolate. I cut them into people and animal shapes and decorated them with melted tootsie rolls. Looking back, I don't think I would ever make that cookie now but it sparked the creative cook in me.

What is one of your fondest food memories?   I think one of my fondest food memories would be eating lunch in Miami with my Mom and brother. I lived in Miami until I was 6. We had a pretty consistent routine, my brother and I would play outside while my Mom made lunch, which usually consisted of a sandwich and chips, and then after lunch we would take a nap. By far my favourite food then was chips. I would always bite the chips into shapes and create little families out of them. I mostly remember how much we would all laugh. I have such happy memories of those lunches.



Do you have any special dietary considerations/restrictions (vegetarianism/veganism, preference for fair-trade/local/organic, food allergies/sensitivities, strong dislikes,...)? How does this affect your everyday food experiences?   
When I was 20 I developed GI issues. At first the doctors thought it was lactose intolerance, then they thought it was a dairy allergy. The doctors actually still do not know what is causing the issues, they even think now it might be gluten and dairy. This has really affected my relationship with food. Everything from my favourite foods to my comfort foods are now 'off limits'. Never feeling good in my body has taken it's toll. I have had to completely readjust my attitude and view around food. Although my GI issues are still not resolved,  font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I feel in a lot of ways it has forced me to be much more health conscious. I eat a much healthier diet now and I am much more aware of what I put in my body.

Recently feminists have begun to 're-appropriate' certain values of domesticity such as baking, knitting and dressing in 'cute' dresses. One could argue that the image of the cupcake has become almost representative of this new brand of what some have deemed 'cupcake feminism'. How does this resonate with your own feminism?   
I have to admit I love to indulge in baking, knitting, and 'cute' dresses. In fact, my friends always try to make me bake them cupcakes! How does this resonate with my own feminism? For me, I believe feminism is about choice. Indulging in domesticity empowers me as a woman. I am choosing to engage in things that make me happy.

Allison