I’d like to welcome my dear friend Deepa of Paticheri who is a dedicated follower of Meyers, like some people I know! Deepa has done so much to bring my love of Meyers to life, showing me how to grow Meyers from seed and providing the sprouted seeds for my planting. In addition, I absolutely adore her illustrations.

I first met Deepa ‘virtually’ in 2011, when she commented on my ‘Spiced Pumpkin Churros‘ post.  It turns out she spent many years of her childhood in my very same home country of Nigeria. I was totally bowled over, because not only did she grow up in Nigeria, but also because she wanted to write about one of my favourite ever snacks, puff-puff.

Deepa writes: ‘I chanced on your beautiful site while searching around for any commentaries on puff puffs that might be out there, for a blog I write. I grew up in Kano, and on puff puffs (unbeknownst to my parents, who forbade “outside food” as a matter of course). Just wanted to say here that your post was beautiful, the writing just perfectly sugared and crisp and warm, much like the churros themselves. I’m a repat, too, though not to Kano, but to India. It’s lovely to see narratives like yours out there, in parallel to the ones I’m living and trying to write about. Anyway, I look forward to staying in touch.

After reading Deepa’s puff-puff post, I was struck by how incisive, instructive, engaging, humourous and emotive her writing is. It took one post for me to feel like I had found a sister. And the die for this friendship, this sisterhood was cast. 

And then she showed herself true in loving Meyers as much as I do.

Deepa’s blog, Paticheri is a wonderful showcase of her many parts - cultural anthropologist, college professor, mother, wife, writer and totally wonderful illustrator/graphic designer!  

Her hope for ‘Pâticheri…… that it becomes a site for such narration, a celebration of food in all its messy, difficult, gastronomical ethno.graphic richness‘ is lived out every time she writes a post. 

Thank you Deepa, for agreeing to share not only Indian culture with us, but a view of the Meyer as a cure-all, not only mentally with its heady scents, but also flavourfully!

—–00000—–

When Ozoz asked me to come up with a guest post on Meyer lemons, I thought to myself: sure, that’s easy. There’s nothing easier than writing passionately about the things one loves the most in life, and Meyers fall easily into that category. Right?

Think again.

Trouble is, I’m hardly alone in my expression of unabashed devotion to Meyers. To have swooned at their sweet fragrance and delighted in their generous juiciness. To have marvelled at the way they’d all turn from green to luminous yellow after the first Houston frost–like globular lights turning on, signalling southern Christmastime. Read more…