When we travel to a new country to live for a long period, maybe as a student or because of our work, most of us feel homesick at one point or another. We miss our friends and our mums - and actually, often many of us miss the comfort of familiar food from home. Is it possible to create a sense of Belonging in a new country by bringing with us food from home and sharing it with others? Chef Norman Musa thinks so. He talks to Author Across Cultures, Yang-May Ooi, about his journey from humble beginnings helping his mum at her hawker stall in Penang to international chef.

Chef Norman has run several restaurants across the UK and Europe, appeared on TV, cheffed for a Formula One racing team and written a number of cookbooks. But throughout his prestigious career, he has always remembered his roots. The Malaysian cuisine that he cooks is dedicated to everything his mum taught him about food, flavours and cooking - and he has brought this personal sense of Belonging and home not just to the UK but also to the world.

Norman Musa - https://www.normanmusa.com/

Chef Residency at King & Co pub in Clapham

MAKAN MAKAN Chef Residency

Mon, 25 May - Sat, 20 June 2026

The King & Co

100 Clapham Park Road

London SW4 7BZ (6 mins walk from Clapham Common tube station)

Wagamama Chef Academy - https://jobs.wagamama.uk/apprenticeships

Rak Patel and Norman’s Asian Cooking Academy - https://www.asiancookingacademy.com/

Norman’s Beef Rendang recipe - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX5FoSparrk

The views expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Podcast Theme Music - World Traveler by Dimmysad, via Pixabaly Content License

Photo - Yang-May Ooi

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From Hawker Stall to International Chef - Norman Musa | Belonging Across Cultures Podcast Episode #004 BGPD004 | Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK

LinksNoteCredits

Is a feeling of Belonging solely defined by place or a community? What happens if you find yourself a stranger in a new place with no support system due to circumstances you cannot control? What if your home life is chaotic and you have no-one stable you can turn to for guidance or help? Is it possible to create a sense of Belonging in such difficult and isolating circumstances? Dr Nafisah Graham-Brown, Deputy CEO of Yes Futures, a charity empowering young people to discover their personal potential, joins cross-cultural author Yang-May Ooi to explore how we can find Belonging in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves.

Links

Yes Futures - https://www.yesfutures.org/

Nafisah Graham-Brown:

Linked in - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nafisahgrahambrown/

Research and publications: https://nafisahgrahambrown.academia.edu/

Note

The views expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Credits

Podcast Theme Music - World Traveler by Dimmysad, via Pixabaly Content License

Photo - Nafisah Graham-Brown

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Belonging in Ourselves - Dr Nafisah Graham-Brown | Belonging Across Cultures Podcast Episode #003 BGPD003 | Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK

Bod Griffiths, founder of Vale House Kitchen, joins cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi to talk about leaving his big city job to teach traditional ways of preparing and cooking food. Going fishing as a boy with his grandfather gave him a respect for the old ways of seeking out and tracking the food we eat. His grandmother’s recipes inspired in him a love of traditional ways of preparing food. Listen to their lively and passionate conversation about the joys of re-connecting with heritage and family through food.

In our busy lives today, it’s convenient to shop for food in supermarkets. Our meat and fish come in plastic wrappers. We pop ready meals into the microwave to save time. And a lot of the goodies we enjoy - like cakes and jam - are pre-made for us in factories. It’s easy to forget that our food comes from the land. And in forgetting this, do we also forget a bit of ourselves?

In this episode of the Belonging Across Cultures podcast, I’m excited to share with you my conversation with Bod Griffiths, one time city trader and now the founder of Vale House Kitchen in Somerset, England. We talk about how we can feel a sense of belonging to different places at different times in our lives. And also how traditional ways of preparing and enjoying food can re-connect us with heritage, family - and ultimately, our humanity.

Links

Vale House Kitchen - https://valehousekitchen.co.uk/

Note

The views expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Credits

Podcast Theme Music - World Traveler by Dimmysad, via Pixabaly Content License

Photo - Yang-May Ooi

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Heritage, Family and Food - Bod Griffiths | Belonging Across Cultures Podcast Episode #002 BGPD002 | Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK

For this first episode of the brand new Belonging Across Cultures podcast, Malaysian book publisher and film producer Amir Muhammed joins cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi to talk about belonging, disconnection and connection in modern Malaysia.

Yang-May grew up in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia but left when she was 12 to come over to the UK to school and university - and then stayed on to follow a career as a lawyer. She also had a parallel creative career as a writer and podcaster. She now lives in Oxford, UK.

Like Yang-May, Amir Muhammed was born and grew up in Kuala Lumpur, or KL as Malaysians call it - but unlike her, he stayed on to build his creative life in Malaysia. Amir is the founder Fixi Books, an independent publisher of contemporary urban fiction based in KL. He also produces indie films at Kuman Pictures. His books and films are written and produced by Malaysians for Malaysians.

Listen to Amir and Yang-May’s wide-ranging conversation about modern Malaysia and how local creatives there navigate the contradictions of belonging in contemporary Malaysian society.

Fixi Books - https://fixi.com.my/

Kuman Pictures - https://www.kumanpictures.com/

Yang-May’s books, The Flame Tree and Mindgame - https://www.amazon.com/author/yangmayooi

The views expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host.

Podcast Theme Music - World Traveler by Dimmysad, via Pixabay Content License

Photos - Amir Muhammed

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The Contradictions of Belonging - Amir Muhammed | Belonging Across Cultures Podcast Episode #001 BGPD001 | Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK