About Jini's Ethnic Gourmet

Jini Aroon

"Life is God's gift to us -- what we do with our life is our gift to God" ! I also feel, "To love what you to do, and do what you love"... is a great gift and I am very grateful, indeed!

My vision is that the world should simply be a peaceful place where we could live, work and play harmoniously, accomplishing whatever it is we have come here to do.

My mission is to live consciously, with gratitude and compassion to all other beings on this planet as we are all connected through an invisible source of energy which brings us abundance and joy!

An interest in food and preparing it in delicious ways is a passion I acquired at a young age growing up in the tropical island of Sri Lanka, with its lush vegetation of rice, vegetables, fruit, nut, spices, and an ocean brimming with fish and sea food!

Little did I know that at the age of 10, when my dad taught me to cook a simple meal, known as "dhal and rice" in my native country Sri Lanka, that I would have the love of cooking so deeply ingrained in me! Since leaving home in the early 70's, to follow office careers in secretarial, computers and communications in Sri Lanka, England and Toronto, I arrived in Vancouver in 1990. What started as a hobby and an insatiable desire to learn and experiment with various global cuisines has steadily grown into a passion and career - all entwined in one!

I am an ardent fan of Food TV and love watching and learning from great cooks like Vancouver's own Rob Feenie, and TV Gurus like Emeril, Michael Smith, and even dream of having my own Community Cooking show in Vancouver where people of various ethnic origins could show case their talents!

As I look back with mostalgia to my childhood days in Sri Lanka, I remember mealtimes were an important part of our lives. The aroma of fresh, delicious cooking would permeate the entire household and draw us magically to the dining table at supper time! I wish families in the western world can have this bonding experience!

I gave up eating meats in the early 70's having seen the cows being hauled to the slaughter houses daily on my way to school. I became a partial vegetarian eating fish, eggs, beans, lentils and tofu in place of meat. As I learned about nutrition, my cooking styles and ingredients also shifted towards healthy balanced meals, avoiding high-fat and deep-fried foods.

In the last 20 years I have taught cooking through local school boards and community centers, started a catering service and published a cook book - "Ethnic Pleasures" available for download through this site! A portion of sales from the cookbook will be directed towards re-building housing for Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka, and your support is greatly appreciated.

Hippocrates once said: "Food is our greatest healer". But learning how to eat and what to eat is a life-long experience!

Remember, taste is not the destination -- it is the journey - so stick around and enjoy the ride!

Contact me today for meal planning services and customized recipes.