In Exit West, the first attempt at physical intercourse between Saeed and Nadia resulted in a rather interesting encounter, involving “barbequed chicken and lamb, and fresh-baked bread” (Hamid). While food before a courting is the historical way of the gentlemen, I find the mention of barbequed food interesting in such a situation where an attempt at intimacy was unsuccessful. Still, the couple was able to strengthen their connection in a non-physical way. Furthermore, the occasion also encompassed psychedelics, forming the perfect bridge between food, intimacy, and drugs and providing insight into what each partner desires from this interaction (and why drugs should be involved at all).
I want to focus on bread for this genealogy because of the significance of ‘breaking bread’ and its implications when dealing with the story of a relationship between two migrants. There is evidence of humans gathering wild grains from at least 100,000 years ago and the earliest evidence of humans grinding these grains dates to ~30,000 years ago in the form of starch residue on stones. Furthermore, the earliest proof we have of humans cooking bread is from 14,000 years ago somewhere in Jordan where scientists uncovered structures containing a large stone fireplace with the charred remains of breadcrumbs. Starting around 9500 B.C., some of the earliest crops grown in the ancient Eastern Mediterranean and Middle-East included wheat, barley and rye. This is also around the time where the modern idea of fireplaces or firepits originated. Since, bread has become a staple commodity worldwide.
The Spruce Eats
https://www.thespruceeats.com/bread-history-timeline-4783245#:~:text=%20A%20Definitive%20Timeline%20of%20Bread%20%201,it%20grow%20into%20food%20must%20have…%20More%20
Exit West