087 Djiboutian Food at the Crossroads of Culture and Religion with Rachel Pieh Jones

I’m so excited to introduce you today to author Rachel Pieh Jones today. Rachel was introduced to me by one of my listeners named Judith. Judith forwarded me an essay Rachel wrote titled Bread Baked in the Heat of Hell and said she’d love to hear more from Rachel here on the podcast.

The piece was beautifully written and truly transported me to a moment when the Djiboutian food, community, and religion intersected for Rachel in Djibouti, Africa, which has been her home for almost 20 years.

In Djibouti, Rachel has raised 3 children in a cross-cultural setting that really couldn’t be more different than how she was raised in a small, insulated Midwestern town. As Rachel sought community in Djibouti, she began to question every premise of her own religion, Christianity, and the prevailing values of American culture, as she engaged with her Muslim friends and neighbors.

Rachel has recently discussed these experiences openly and at length in her latest book Pillars: How My Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus. I read the book after our interview and filled my phone with screenshots (the modern version of highlighting, haha).

In my opinion, Rachel’s experiences, along with her unflinching introspection and raw honestly, highly qualify her to give me advice on how to lovingly and effectively engage with friends, neighbors, and acquaintances of other cultures and belief systems.

I’m so thankful she’s here today to share more of her experiences and particularly what they can teach us about relating with our neighbors. Specifically, Rachel shares 3 key words to keep in mind as we consider how to improve cross-cultural communication.

Highlights

120 and so dry skin can crack
Where is Djibouti in Africa
Camel trains carrying bricks of salt to barter with Ethiopians
Sounds – the call to prayer, wild green parrots, fresh baguettes
9 military bases in one small country
The Do Good Better Project – the inherent problems in humanitarian and faith-based work, especially cross-culturally.
Cultivating attitudes of humility, curiosity, and delight in cross-cultural experiences – ***
Not being embarrassed to ask what we don’t know
The role of food in finding delight in Djiboutian culture
Food in welcome, grief, faith, and culture in Djibouti
The role of fasting and feasting in Islam vs. Christianity
Lack of food during COVID in Djibouti – and what American’s can learn from Djiboutians
The communal aspect of making food together
Keeping and adjusting American Thanksgiving traditions in Djibouti
Why they bought their son a baguette-scented candle
Why housekeepers have housekeepers in Djibouti