Tea with Tooting Mama
Tea with Tooting Mama
Podcast Description
My personal Substack tootingmama.substack.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on Sri Lankan culture, food, resilience, and personal journeys, with episodes like Mahesha Rice's story of overcoming adversity, Tasha Marikkar's exploration of Sri Lankan cuisine through her cookbook 'Jayaflava', and Krisha Puwanarajah's insights on her food business connecting people to heritage.
Join Ranji Thangiah, also known as Tooting Mama, as she sits down with chefs, cookbook authors, restaurateurs, hoteliers, and food entrepreneurs to explore Sri Lankan cuisine. In each episode, guests share personal stories, food memories, and their favorite Sri Lankan dishes.
Expect laughter, life lessons, and even heartbreak, as they reflect on identity, family, and rediscovering their roots. Whether you’re after insights into authentic Sri Lankan recipes, connecting with the vibrant Sri Lankan food culture, or hunting for the best Sri Lankan food spots, Tea with Tooting Mama is your perfect podcast companion.
Baobab: How Jollof Rice and Biryani are building a new Sri Lankan-West African fusion lifestyle brand
Zaynab Zubair, or Zee, grew up in the foothills of Kandy in Sri Lanka, which prepared her for life in Devon, by way of Bahrain and Australia.
This global childhood has left its mark on Zee’s life and its found its way into her relationship, her family, the book she’s writing, and Baobab, the brand she’s launching with her Gambian husband.
I talked to Zee about her soon-to-be-published novel, Finding Serendipity, which was started during lockdown. The novel began to take shape once Zee had met her husband. The Sri Lankan and West African voice is an integral part of the novel, and we view this through the eyes of the main protagonists.
Zee used food, in particular, jollof rice and biryani, to help her characters explore their culture and identity as people growing up far from their homeland. This draws from Zee’s own life experiences. The fusion of West African and Sri Lankan cultures and identities continues to leave its mark on Z’s life.
We talk about Zee’s dual heritage relationship and family, and how, by fusing their cultures, Zee and her husband launched Baobab, which expresses Sri Lankan and West African culture through food, fashion, events, and wellness.
Because I recorded this episode in the evening, and even though I told everyone to be quiet, my son gets a little overexcited during his PlayStation gaming session – apologies for that!
Go grab your cuppa, and settle in as I chat to Zee.
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
00:47 Childhood and Cultural Identity
05:26 Writing ‘Finding Serendipity’
08:18 Food and Cultural Fusion
11:46 Sri Lankan Literature Recommendations
16:52 Pilgrimage to The Gambia and Sri Lanka
21:52 Exploring the Ga Literary Festival
24:03 The Fusion Brand: Boabab
24:28 The Mission of Boabab
28:11 The Supper Club Experience
30:14 Perfect Dinner Party Menu
33:51 Favourite Sri Lankan and West African Restaurants and Future Plans
Zee’s restaurant picks
Sri Lankan restaurants
West African Restaurants
Zee’s guide to getting started with Sri Lankan literature
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