099 RE-RELEASE with Daniela Wilson

Hello Listeners! I’m so thankful to be back with a new (to most of you) episode. As I traveled out of town unexpectedly for a funeral this week, I did have to deviate from my planned release schedule. But! I’m so excited to bring back only the 3rd episode I ever released, which remains one of my favorites to this day. My guest is Daniela Wilson, author of the powerful, emotional memoir “On Both Sides of the Iron Curtain”.

When I began telling people about my idea for this podcast, I met people in two camps. On the one hand, I talked to people who immediately *got* the idea and, on the other hand, skeptics. As excited as I was, the concerns of the skeptics had me a little nervous. But I remember getting off the phone with Daniela and just knowing this idea WAS going to work.

We traced the role of food through the rejection Daniela faced in the former Czechoslovakia, her courageous defection to Canada , and the redemption she ultimately found in a dramatic conversion and new relationships.

I remember playing this episode in the car for my kids to hear and feeling so, so lucky that I could get to know Daniela this way and that my kids got to hear her story, learn about her culture, and be enriched by the views forged by Daniela’s dramatic experiences.

Listeners, thank you so much for being here and I’m thrilled to share this special episode with you.

Highlights

A name that tells the story of a dramatic life of suffering and hope. Plus the naming conventions that make it easier to find a doctor in Czech Republic!
Life defining memories made as a 5 year old resulting in a life long struggle against feelings of fear, trauma, and rejection
The desperate choice Daniela made between life and death as a 19 year old
Whether communism or openness led to more changes in authentic, traditional Czech cooking
A different approach to meals in Czech Republic
That line between cooking as an act of love or an act of control
A very, VERY different approach to Easter Egg Hunts
Christmas dinner that lived in a bathtub!!
How is it that the Czech people ate meat and flour for almost every meal and were never overweight?
The culture shock of a first visit to a Canadian supermarket