Since you’ve already met the meat, I thought it might be about time you meet the maker- the person behind The Fourth Place.
My name is Kathryn, I’m a Melbourne based speech pathologist who has been working with and supporting people with dysphagia for over 7 years in a bunch of different contexts- hospital, rehab, community- and for a range of different reasons- stroke, Parkinson’s, cancer, aging, congenital disabilities.
Over the last few years, I’ve noticed a pattern amongst the people I worked with, that their weekly meals declined in variety and intrigue, and their interest in food took a tumble. As someone sitting on the other side of the table, so to speak, I couldn’t understand why these people were missing out on their favourite meals, flavours and losing the variety they typically had on their weekly menu.
Understanding that this perspective came from the privilege of being in good health where I was not limited by safe swallowing needs, I also come from a family and from cultures where food is front and centre at all times. I am fortunate enough to also have a curious mother who taught herself about nutrition in order to raise a healthy brood of rascals.
I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t in the kitchen either with mum, my aunties, my siblings and cousins or my grandmother.. Or all of us at once (yes, it was a big kitchen). The fruit and vegetables were straight from the garden or from a friend’s orchard and they changed with the seasons. The menu changed with the traditions or festivities we celebrated - Good Friday, Easter, birthdays, baptisms, Christmas- there was (and still is) an endless variety of flavours, textures, colours and smells. Mum marked our birthdays with “what do you want for your birthday dinner?” which for me is still crumbed veal cotollete (cutlets) with creamy mashed potato and peas in tomato sauce. To this day, when I am in my home town I still drift between my mum’s, aunties’ and grandmother’s kitchen to learn their take on a traditional recipe, and swiping my weekly serve of veggies from the garden on my way out 😎
Underneath it all, food has never just been merely a means for survival; it’s been a way to carry on culture, to connect with others, to demonstrate and receive affection and love, a kind of therapy and a joy, a way to nourish and nurture, and a life long, ever evolving skill. In this way, it is about more than sustenance in the form of nutrition and energy which, although important, only scratches the surface. It is also about sustenance of family, community and connections 💞
As I grew older, I also realised how fortunate I was to be raised this way and that it is not a way of life that everyone is familiar with. Let alone that when someone is going through significant life changes, with health or otherwise, it doesn’t leave a lot of mental space or energy for creativity, curiosity or thinking outside the box. A mere substitution of an ingredient or cooking hack can be a huge barrier, and let’s be honest, not everyone enjoys cooking or has spent their free time up-skilling in the kitchen. So it can be a bit like adding another chore to the list.
Everyone’s relationship to food is unique and often stems from a long and complex history from childhood. I was inspired to build The Fourth Place as a means to explore different perspectives and relationships related to food be they cultural, political, social or laborial, as I’ve seen so many different kinds over the years, but also to highlight how these relationships do and don’t change when living with dysphagia.
Can we still carry on culture through modified meals? Can we still make a political statement with a minced diet? Can we still socialise on soft and bite sized? Can smooth puree be a labour of love?
At the end of the day, every person is going to have a different answer but it might be interesting to hear about them in the meantime 🙃
Comments