Spicing Up Shared Spaces: Embracing Culinary Diversity in Multicultural Living

Managers of apartment and condominium buildings have many aspects of their resident's lives to consider and accommodate. With most communities become more multicultural, this diversity makes shared living communities more interesting and vibrant. However, sometimes it can also lead to increased concerns from residents as they adjust to customs and cultures they may not be as familiar with.

Culinary smells are one topic that managers of apartments and condos find themselves dealing with. Many cultures cook with an array of delicious spices and ingredients that are not as common in Western style cooking. The smells produced may therefore be less familiar to some residents as they waft down the hallways.

Learning to adjust to different culinary smells is just one way of gaining deeper intercultural competence. By learning to live in diverse spaces and adopt a culture of inclusivity, all residents must learn to understand and accept all differences including varying culinary smells.

Some ways that shared living communities can become more tolerant of different styles of cooking, and even learn to enjoy them include:

• Hosting monthly potlucks where residents bring a food from their culture.

  • Sharing food together is a great way for residents to meet new people, learn about different backgrounds, try new delicious foods and understand the types of ingredients that contribute to the different smells.

• Share resources on intercultural competency.

  • Becoming more interculturally competent is key for living in increasingly multicultural communities. By ensuring that residents of a community are more interculturally competent, there will naturally be less concerns arising about things that are "out of the ordinary" as all residents will be better informed and sensitive to the ways diversity is expressed in their shared living spaces.

The important thing to remember is that culture is reflected through so many different things: art, music, dress, values and cuisine! By understanding that cuisine is just one way through which people express themselves, residents can become more open to different smells as they work to make all members of a community feel welcome! Who knows, by opening your mind to being more interculturally competent you may also be able to open your mouth for some delicious eats!