A Kitchen, and a Table Full of Strangers
By Liesa Witt · Published · Updated
I went to an Afro-Panamanian cooking class and left with a reminder that food is the fastest way to turn a room full of strangers into a community.
Today I spent the day learning Afro-Panamanian cooking with Chef Dave and a wonderful group of people I'd never met before. If you're ever in Panama City, I highly recommend the Afro-Panamanian Cooking Experience—it's worth every minute.
Food as a Doorway
Standing at the counter, prepping food next to complete strangers, I kept thinking about how food has an incredible ability to bring people together. It doesn't ask where you're from, what you do, or how long you're staying. It just makes room for you at the table.
There's something about cooking together that strips away the small talk. You're handed a knife and a job, and within minutes you're laughing about who's chopping too slowly and trading stories over a cutting board. It's a shortcut to connection.
A Table Full of Adventurous People
What I'll remember most aren't the recipes, but the people and their stories. I was happy to see that out of ten people, five of us were adventurous female solo travelers. Each of us was on our own journey of figuring things out, and we all happened to land in the same kitchen on the same day.
That's the thing about traveling solo: you're never really alone for long. The world is full of people doing the same brave, slightly crazy thing you are, and every so often you all end up in the same room, chopping scallions and becoming friends.
What I'm Taking Home
I came to learn how to cook authentic Afro-Panamanian dishes. I left with new friends scattered across the world and a powerful reminder: the best parts of a trip are rarely the ones you can pack in a suitcase.
Here's to great food, meaningful connections, and the adventurous souls you meet along the way.