I published a 3-page comic in the September 2022 Anthology from WINC International titled “Meeting My Grandmother” as part of the Fall Equinox Edition: Food. Their manifesto supporting Black women and Women of Color in the Comic Industry facilitated a space to share my stories for three consecutive editions.

The theme “Food” resonates for me. Scents and tastes etched the memories in my heart. The smell of freshly made blueberry muffins made 5:30 in the morning, the taste of passion fruit seeds eaten fresh from the vine, and feeling glorious as I licked the sticky Christmas cake batter from the bowl. Food and by extension, the kitchen seemed to be the center of the family. By the time I began living on my own, food became the avenue for traveling to different countries through the spices from around the world, anchoring my identity and exploring my heritage. I am relatively confident in my heritage as an American and as a Jamaican however, my Indian heritage feels only skin deep. I am a third culture entity that discomforts people because there is no set box to place me in. By 2009, I tried to reconnect through dance, jewelry, and makeup, but it did not seem to stick. In mid-2013, I got the urge to cook when I had time between teaching in Iraq and consoling myself for feeling lost. It then became the opportunity to learn about my heritage through cuisine. On May 31st, 2013 from my old blog, I wrote about the first time I finally learned about Garam Masala and the reason why the word curry exists today. Fast forward to this comic, I reflected on my paternal grandmother who struggled to care for seven children in a land that consistently disrespected her. I reflect on my father, ostracized for being East Indian in Jamaica to the point where he cut that part of his cultural identity away. And me, at the crossroads of who I am, decided to have a visual conversation with different generations through food.

Using A4 Japanese comic paper, pencil crayons, nib pens, inks, and alcohol markers I made peace with the connections of my paternal family’s heritage through food. My preliminary sketches and scripts were done on 7.2″x 10.1″ sketching paper with pencils and inks.

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