what’s i was cooking about?
i was cooking is a passion project in flux, but currently i am writing about my two eternal loves: food and travel and the broad culture surrounding these two behemoth topics. you can expect posts that detail a recipe that excites me, writing about working in the food service industry, and critical essays about travel and tourism and the places that broke my heart.
i’m Lala, and i’ve been cooking since i was five years old. “sorry, i was cooking” is a common response you’ll get from me for not texting you back sooner. i’m iraqi-armenian and i live in boston now. i’ve travelled to 34 countries, lived in five of them, and speak around five languages on a good day.
i care deeply about what we eat and the people who grow and prepare our food, and some of my pieces explore labor and equity in the food service industry.
in 2023, i travelled to eight countries (five of which i visited solo over the course of a two month trip), and a lot of my posts in 2024 will be about these places and how they changed me.
i am neither a recipe developer nor am i interested in matching a developer’s output. i am, however, interested in helping you cook better, so sometimes i will share a recipe that excites me, favorite pantry items that help me make great meals, and cookbooks that widen my palate.
my aim with i was cooking is to write about food, travel, and culture in ways that interest me, and hope that they interest you too. i would love to have you along for the ride:
in a given month, i might write about:
an original recipe that excites me
a thoughtful, critical travel essay about a place i’ve visited
a cookbook that i think might help you cook better
a peak into my pantry
working in the food service industry
collaboration + contact
I’m always looking to collaborate with other writers and creators, on and off Substack! I’m available to write about (and photograph!) food, restaurants, recipes, cookbooks, and the restaurant industry as a whole. You can contact me at lalathad@substack.com
