Shedrack’s Story

“I like the idea of American food ... but I just can’t stomach them.”

This is the 4th edition of Inverted Blackness, a photoblog documenting Africans living in the United States.

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SHEDRACK: “When I think of my American experience so far, I think of my relationship with food. I find that the food here is not actually what I would call food. I don’t really like eating American food because it’s not what I was fed growing up. Before coming here, I used to think I would like the food, only to get here and the food does not sit well with me. I like the way food is presented here: the plating, the gradient of colors and proportions, and how enticing they look. I like to see them, I like to know their exotic names, and how they’re made. But I just can’t stomach them. So I’m still making the food I’m familiar with: jollof rice, swallow, porridge, etc. Basically, I’m always cooking, and that takes so much of my time.”

“America is a potpourri of different cultures. So there’s really nothing like the so-called American food. Everything is borrowed from somewhere. Pasta is Italian. Hamburger is German. Pizza is also Italian. Tacos and burritos are Mexican. Apple pie, macaroni, and cheese are European. And so on like that. This is a reflection of America’s history. Maybe America is not the problem. I just need to develop an international taste buds.”

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Shedrack is a writer from Nigeria. He moved to the United States in 2024 to study for an MFA in Fiction at Brown University.

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Thank you for reading Inverted Blackness! This photoblog publishes stories and photographs of Africans living in America, offering a glimpse into the African diasporic experience in the United States.

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