The Journey for Cultural Ingredients | Cherish Wanter

Transcript

My name is Cherish Wanter, and my family is from Liberia, which is in West Africa. One of the biggest challenges when it comes to cultural foods is being able to find some of those ingredients that you need to make them. Previously, I used to live in Roseburg, Oregon, and there was not a single African food store or any other store that I could purchase things from. So, I had to drive two hours up to Salem to this one African store to purchase my produce. I would go up, buy as much as I could, and then go back home and try to put it in my freezer. But it was shared space, so I couldn't use all of the space for it. That was a challenge. Now that I'm in Portland, it's much, much easier because there's a majority of different stores nearby, and I'm able to visit them and purchase the ingredients that I need.

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Cherish Wanter takes us on a poignant journey, retracing her steps to find the cultural ingredients of her Liberian homeland in Oregon. Uncover the challenges she overcame and how moving to Portland made a world of difference. Dive into the significance of these cherished foods and the lengths one goes to keep culture alive. Learn more about resources from OSU Extension African Heritage Working Group.

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