Ẹ n lẹ o!

Greetings!

Hey foodie friends!!!

Welcome to my monthly newsletter to share how my love for food and life as a content creator contributes to my journey through my twenties. Ẹ n lẹ means Hello in Yoruba, my native language. I used to enjoy writing  blogs many years ago, so to be back doing this again feels really good. I will be documenting my experiences as I grow and gain, the highs, the lows, when things get ugly, when things are falling into place and some of my best recipes I’ve created over the years. But I’ll let you in on a secret… so shhh don’t tell anyone. This is the alias to the TokePlusFood brand, so don’t think of me as Toke, think of me as Just Another Foodie. 

One of the biggest downsides to taking on the title of “creative” is when people expect you to constantly create at a certain standard, and in turn you put so much pressure on yourself to put out your best work every single time that you get in your head and start feeling like nothing you’re producing is up to par. It has been a struggle getting through moments like that and when I start to feel that pressure, I stop to remind myself why I am doing what I’m doing in the first place: to explore, express and enjoy. I tell myself “Toke, be kind to yourself. The world is already filled with so much oppression so why add on to that?”.

The older I’ve gotten, the more i’ve come to understand that people project their feelings by trying to force their opinions on you, so let’s talk about one thing I’m truly tired of. I’m tired of people correcting me when I introduce myself in two different ways. It gets on my nerves because why are you concerned about how my name is pronounced? To be honest, sometimes I introduce myself based on the vibe a person gives off. I could say Toki because I feel like I have no interest in getting to know them more or because I have prejudged them and don’t expect them to pronounce my name correctly. I am fully aware my name is not pronounced Toki but my grandpa used to call me “Toki Poki” when he was alive and honestly it just stuck for me. However, if I introduce myself as Toke, pronounced /toh keh/, I’ve either picked up on your ability to say it right or my spirit feels connected to yours and I want you here for the long haul. So before you try to correct me on how I pronounce my name, think about the possibilities of why I do that in the first place. That is just my stance on the topic so good luck trying to convince me to think otherwise. Now that I’ve had the chance to go on my little rant, comment one thing people always do that gets on your nerves every single time so we know we’re not alone in this.

If you made it this far and you haven’t subscribed already, I'm side-eyeing you. Just kidding… but please join the fam. Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, O dabọ!

Coming up NEXT:  

We’re going to talk about all things that make me just another foodie. Who I am and why I'm on this journey of exploring life through food.