I’m not really sure where I first heard about Local Welcome, but have been on their email list for quite a while. Their mission is: “In a divided world, we use the magic of food to bring communities together.” Unfortunately our diaries always seemed to have something to prevent us from going to one of their events. Thankfully the timing finally worked out so and off I went with my husband to find out what the Local Welcome organisation is all about. We didn’t have any particular expectations, but we thought the concept of bonding over food with people who live in locally was a great idea.
The world can be a scary place these days. The day of the event, I’d woken up to the news that the Israelis had uncovered the bodies of six more of the hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October last year. As someone brought up in a fairly typical post-war Jewish family, I yearn for peace, not just in the Middle East, but everywhere. I simply don’t understand why people want to destroy the world, especially at a time where combatting climate change is so vital to save us from an existential threat. That’s what made the Local Welcome emails so appealing. Surely there must be a way we can all live together peacefully.
With Local Welcome, different worlds meet
The event was at a local church hall in Birmingham, although the events run throughout the country. Even though it was in a church hall, I was very thankful that it wasn’t remotely religious. On arrival, we were made welcome and after some brief introductions were put to work, chopping, mixing and serving. Then, of course, eating the delicious food that we made together. Flatbreads, tabbouleh, carrot salad and a bean stew were on the menu. It made sense for it to be vegan as it’s easier to store vegetables and follow hygiene standards. It also avoids the problem of having different dishes to meet the needs of those who are vegan or vegetarian, and of meat not authorised by the right Imam or Rabbi etc.
Around twenty turned up for lunch, some born locally. Some, like us, were originally from other parts of the UK and a few were from different parts of the world, including one of the organizers, who happened to be Canadian. Amongst those present were three people who had come to the UK to seek refuge. The mere mention of Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan made me shiver at what they must have been through and what life must be like for their families. It also sadly reminded me of the parallels of my own family history when the pogroms in Russia meant my ancestors were displaced and came to the UK. I couldn’t help wondering what sort of welcome they received, nor how they would feel about Russia’s latest behaviour.
Rather than dwell on so much negativity, we discussed food, languages and football, not my specialist subject, but I tried my best but I felt much happier talking about the different ways you can cook eggs than the intricacies of the offside rule!
Broadening our world view
As we ate and talked, it became clear how incredibly lucky we were all able to be sat together at the same table. There we were in amongst people with whom we had very little in common, the table abounded with differing beliefs and traditions. I was heartened to hear that the refugees seemed to be happy where they were and seemingly looked after by the authorities. Of course, it’s a huge shame that their parts of the world aren’t peaceful and they had to flee without their families. I can’t start to imagine what it must have been like to get here, especially at the age of 20 as was the case for one of them. I’m glad they made it here safely, hopefully seeing the world can be a better, more diverse and inclusive place.
I’m probably on my own when I told one of our new friends that I didn’t believe in borders. Surely people should live where they feel comfortable. I accept it’s a rather odd and perhaps impractical viewpoint – for the wealthiest in the world, however, that’s how it works. But of course, they’re called ‘expats’ rather than refugees or asylum seekers, and in the case of so many expats, simply move for tax purposes.
Should we have asked our neighbours?
After the event, it occurred to me it was a shame we didn’t invite some of our neighbours to join us. In theory, we shouldn’t get on with them; we have quite different political views but in fact we’re actually very close. They don’t mind at all when I joke that there are cheaper and more comfortable ways of buying toilet paper than buying a Daily Mail! Their views on migration are quite different to ours, but perhaps that’s because they haven’t met anyone who has been displaced by conflict and just believe what they read. Thankfully the Daily Mail hasn’t stopped them from being close to us, a same sex couple, despite its history of homophobic editorials. We’ll be sure to invite them along next time.
Breaking out of the bubble
I’m digressing. The great thing about Local Welcome is that it gives an opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds – by their very nature, most other get-togethers just put you bang slap in the middle of your own bubble and echo chamber. This was somehow different, widening our boundaries and letting us learn about the world.
One group that would definitely benefit from going to a Local Welcome event would be the perpetrators of the recent riots. Local Welcome seems well-placed to bring communities together and I very much hope the organisation can play its part in engendering community cohesion. Maybe by facing their fears and meeting people from different backgrounds, it might just be possible for everyone to begin to understand each other and hopefully live more peacefully together.
Unfortunately, our diaries don’t allow us to go next month’s Local Welcome event, but we’ll definitely try to go the following month and who knows, our neighbours might even come along too. Their website has more information, and a visit might encourage you to go to an event too.
