Announcing Ramadan Special 2014 – Inspired by the great people I met On The Path Of Food

“No man is an island,

Entire of itself,

Every man is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less.

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thy friend’s

Or of thine own were:

Any man’s death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind,

And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; 

It tolls for thee. “

– John Donne

Earlier this year, I found myself thinking of my journey with food. I was working on a project – away from my usual surroundings – and in a clear moment found myself reflecting on the path I have taken, when I followed the path of food. There I was somewhere random, with random people, in an experience that forces one to find their bearings amidst all the randomness and its people’s thoughts that force themselves upon you. In between collections of conversations and actions, in a project designed to be inspirational, I started trotting through my own journey (which I refer to as “the path of food”). Throughout that project and reflecting on all the action, a persistent thought kept ringing in my head. I kept thinking of John Donne’s “No man is an island”, which had me thinking of all the great people I have met on the path of food. Many people whom I cannot in anyway count and many interactions – filled with inspiration, knowledge and real passion – have helped me shape a passion that I already possessed, refine a skill that I was starting to learn, as well as challenge my very inquisitive mind…

Then, found myself thinking of how lucky I had been to have always worked with like-minded people on amazing projects that have enriched all my experiences.

I have done a great deal of reflecting on that phrase and now believe that there is no way to appreciate our experiences and current situation until we understand that we are who we are, but shaped by the people we cross paths with. When we are fortunate enough to meet great people, we should be humbled and appreciate what they bring to our lives.

I knew that this is where inspiration truly is, and knew I wanted to share this with you. What better time to do this than during Ramadan, the month when we reflect, give back and appreciate all the blessings that we have? Therefore, and since this blog has a yearly tradition of posting daily during Ramadan (what you have come to know as Ramadan Special), and since every year I go by a different theme throughout yet focus on inspiration, I thought to give you the chance this year to reflect on John Donne’s “No man is an Island” to encourage you to think of all those people you rubbed shoulders with who somehow enriched your experiences and who you are. And also to ask you, to give back to the community within which you live – so that you too can be one of those great people – as well as give back to those great people in your lives, because there is nothing more blissful than telling those you appreciate that you do!

So with the help of my great people (whom I have met on the path of food), those who have been so valuable to me, who have supported my journey at different intervals, who have inspired me hugely by the way they are as human beings, and professionals, I present you with this year’s

You know I like to embrace new experiences, and always like to do things differently, so this ‘Ramadan Special’ is different because unlike the previous specials, 2014 Special comes to you in the form of a series of YouTube webisodes instead of the usual written posts . I thought that since I am celebrating my great people, I did not want to describe them using my own words, but rather wanted you to meet them and see for yourselves how they are great. So you will get to see them, hear them and hopefully be inspired by them, most importantly I want you to get to know the person behind the name. In this line of work, some people become very well known for what they do, but somehow the brand takes over. We tend to forget that behind brands are great people whose vision, style, thought and personality as well as dedication and hard work are really what allowed the brand to succeed. Yes there are many brands out there, many of which we come to like, follow and even become loyal fans of; but how many times do we stop and think of the people behind it or why it is so great? Through these little videos, I want to introduce you to the people and show you why they are brands I love and follow, hoping that you too will follow them, support them and show them some love.
With that said, I also hope that you will find the inspiration should you ever decide to become a brand yourself 😉

(do subscribe to my YouTube channel here so you don’t miss any)

Each webisode is designed to pause a question for you to think about (the usual food for thought section of my Ramadan Specials). The webisode also answers the question as per the featured guest, however do take the time and think about these because they are all questions relating to our daily lives and the world we live in. Important to consider.

Since every featured guest has their own style, background and line of work, each will bring you their tips, expertise, as well as of course a recipe of their style. So yes, recipes are still part of Ramadan Special, we are making sure that you learn something that you can prepare this Ramadan and beyond. We are also making sure that these webisodes help you somehow with areas that you may find challenging in your life.

All the content, the recipes, the webisodes as well as the links for the featured guest’s social networks will be posted as a blog post on this blog, starting the first day of Ramadan and daily from then. Make sure to drop by everyday and check out the new post with all its content and of course the featured guest. And as ever, do let us know what you think, we really love to hear your feedback.

So please help us make this an amazing Special and share with your friends, like, comment, connect with us, give us your feedback, follow the guests you are inspired by … & give us back a little love :))  

Here we go #DSsecretproject #onthepathoffood all announced and looking forward to sharing all this love with you.