Culture of kindness

Some sentiments are best expressed in parcels of hot food wrapped in foil and left on doorsteps. “Good luck”, “get better”, “deepest sympathies”, “I’m here for you”; they are all platitudes that swell with meaning when delivered in the form of a home-cooked meal. Sometimes, when arrangements need to be made, the simple act of taking dinner off a to-do list is pure salvation. Other times it’s the connection to community that tells us we are not alone – in a less Hallmark kind of way.

When home feels a long way away, a well sourced care package can take you back to the customs of childhood – because roots have a way of surfacing under duress. Then there are moments when the foods from a neighbour’s heritage, developed over hundreds if not thousands of years of comfort eating, bridges the communication divide.

For brothers Daniel and Luke Mancuso losing their mother Teresa to domestic violence caused unimaginable pain. But they found their way back in the dishes Yiayia, the Greek grandmother next door, passed over the back fence. The Greek-Australian community is particularly good at culinary kindness. They are joined by