My name is Marvin D Wilson, and I’m a Renaissance Man, with a wide and varied background. From college thespian and music major, to rock and roll traveling musician, to Zen Buddhist student, to carpenter, to small business owner, to skilled trades instructor, to network marketer, to sales and recruiting coach, to public motivational speaker, to blogging mogul, to published author, to professional editor, to semi-retired traveler, I’ve done a lot of things and been even more places.
And everywhere I go, I am drawn to the culture’s cuisine.
Just love me some ethnic foods, yesseree Bob.
It started with my first wife. I’m a Caucasian, born and raised in a lily white small Northern Michigan town, who, until I went off to college, had only tasted basic, classic American fare. When I fell in love and married, it was to an African American gal who was a true “Soul-Sistah” and she introduced me to Southern Soul Food. Fried chicken with hot sauce, cow tongue, deep fried breaded pork chops, mustard greens, ham hocks, mac and cheese, sweet potato pie, fried berry pies, garlic mashed potatoes, wow! My taste buds lit up, and I began to wonder what all I had been missing at the dinner table the first 26 years of my life?
That marriage lasted long enough to have and raise three great children, and during our wedlock we tried together all kinds of ethnic foods, learning how to prepare them as well. I won’t labor you with the dire details of the demise of that union, but I can say we parted ways amicably and are still good friends today.
Also, contributing to my flare for the unusual, as a Zen Student I trained for three years under a Korean Zen Master, and as a temple resident I was served nothing but Asian meals. Heavy on Korean, some Japanese, some Chinese, and occasionally Vietnamese and Thai dishes. By the time I was in my mid-thirties, I was well versed in Asian, Southern American, Italian, French, German, and Mexican cuisine, having tasted and learned how to prepare traditional dishes from those cultures.
Just a few years ago, during one of my travels, I met a gorgeous young lady from Ghana, Africa. We dated, became engaged and, in the summer of 2014, we tied the knot.
And man oh man, can this woman cook!
I tasted, and was taught by her how to cook, dishes like Banku with Grilled Tilapia and Peppers Stew, Fufu with Groundnut Soup, Kenkey, Joloff Rice and Chicken, and more. So now I have added Ghanaian cuisine to my list of know-about-and-how-to’s, and I am currently exploring other African cultural foods, from countries like Nigeria, Liberia, Sudan, Egypt, etc.
So there you have it, my adventurous eating story in a coconut shell, here in Marvin’s Sphere. I hope you enjoy coming here often, and join me on the continuing journey of exploring all the world has to offer in this fabulous banquet of life.
My Best Always, Your Friend,
Marvin D Wilson (aka “The Old Silly”)
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email: [email protected]
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