Cooking in Colombia
My journey cooking in another country
16 days before my 23rd birthday, I packed up the life that I knew and moved to Medellin, Colombia to live with my boyfriend. I was born and raised in the beautiful state of Georgia and so this change was drastic for me. One of the things that I found difficult, was how different cooking was.
I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t have a small breakdown a few days after my arrive due to the overwhelming change. My entire world was flipped on its head and cooking, the one thing that was a comfort for me, wasn’t even possible in the way that I was accustomed to. This was a huge challenge for me but it pushed me to learn new ways to cook.
You might be thinking, “how could it be so different? Cooking is cooking”, and while that is true, I was taken by surprise by how difficult these changes were for me! One change that I had to adapt to was that the apartment I moved into didn’t have an oven. Growing up in Georgia, normal cooking includes biscuits, cornbread, and casseroles. Some of my favorite meals are made in an oven! However, I am an optimist and I chose to look at this in a different light. This pushed me to get creative and inspired my post, 10 No-Bake Desserts.
This may sound silly, but I had never used a pressure cooker prior to living in Colombia! In Georgia, I had canned beans and grains at every grocery store, and I used a crockpot to cook tough meats. This being said, I had actually never used a pressure cooker. So when I moved to Colombia, my wonderful boyfriend had to teach me how to use one safely. Now I use one regularly for shredded beef and beans.
While I don’t have every appliance that I would like (like an oven) I am not entirely without. I do have almost all of my preferred essentials, such as the ones listed in Budget Friendly Essentials for Every Kitchen. Unfortunately, I do not have the exact same items that I had when I was in Georgia, but I do have many of the items that cooking and baking comfortable for me.
Cooking and baking are a source of comfort and relaxation for me. I like to play classical music, and tune out the world while I create art in my kitchen. While things are different here, I am incredibly blessed to have this opportunity to learn new skills and push myself to be more creative in this new space.
Thank you for reading and I hope that you stick around and continue to support my journey while I learn new skills and grow in my craft. Sign up today to continue getting my favorite recipes because there’s something for everyone in Emy’s Kitchen.