Yeny Mora, owner of Antojitos Latin Food Cravings, speaks with her staff on March 26. Some employees at the restaurant have moved to Canada as recently as one month ago. Photo by Lenna Isleifson.

The need for food is one thing every human being has in common. It brings friends,
families, lovers and even strangers together.

According to a 2025 publication from the World Happiness Report (WHR) written by Jan-
Emmanuel De Neve, Andrew Dugan, Micah Kaats and Alberto Prati, there is an undeniable
connection between health, happiness and shared food.

“Sharing meals proves to be an exceptionally strong indicator of subjective wellbeing – on
par with income and unemployment. Those who share more meals with others report
significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and positive affect, and lower levels of
negative affect. This is true across ages, genders, countries, cultures, and regions.”

True, anybody who has ever been on the defending end of an argument about whether
pineapple belongs on pizza knows the power food has to divide, but there is a reason the
homesick traveller seeks familiar flavours.

“For the Latin American people food means everything, it means comfort,” says Yeny
Mora, owner of Antojitos Latin Food Cravings in Lethbridge.

Mora noticed a gap in the restaurant scene regarding Latin cuisine when she moved with
her family from Columbia to Lethbridge 22 years ago.

“We started with the idea and then we decided to start with the farmers’ market.”

From those markets she moved to festivals and eventually found herself cooking out of a
licensed kitchen and catering for events. This year marks 15 years since Antojitos joined
the farmers’ market and two years since the restaurant opened.

“Everything is around food for us. I remember my holidays with my family. Everybody was
working on the food, on the menu and celebrating, having fun around the food,” says Mora.

It is the same for Tha Dar Hfae, an immigrant to Canada from Myanmar.

“Our food is more communal food. If you look at western food like sandwiches you can eat
them by yourself, but our food is mostly communal. We will have a lot of dishes and then
we eat with rice, so we share. That’s the basis of our food.”

According to the earlier report by the WHR countries with cultures defined by meal sharing
are more likely to show higher levels of connectivity and social support. People in those
countries are also less likely to be lonely.

As an employee for immigrant services, Hfae has had the chance to share the food that is
close to her heart.

“In our workplace we have a women cooking group. Everybody came from different places,
Somalia, Afghanistan, so everybody comes and they teach each other recipes.”

For Mora, her restaurant has become a space for immigrants and visitors to find the taste
of home as well as advice and information about life in Lethbridge. It is also a place for
intrepid explorers to embark on a flavourful adventure.

“Some people that are picky eaters are a little bit skeptical about the ingredients. But the
good thing is, as soon as they give us a chance to try, some people don’t love it, but most,
most of the people like it and they become regular customers.”

She says she is the happiest with the restaurant when people are delighting in her food.

“You know, when people say, ‘oh, this is so delicious,’ ‘oh this is so unique.’ Or ‘I didn’t
know that you exist, now you became my favorite restaurant.’”

But if sharing culture through food is about trying new things, the journey doesn’t stop at
tasting.

Hfea says she has been thinking of ways to foster connection in her church through a
cultural cooking exchange. The trade would be her own Thai and Southeast Asian culinary
expertise for a little Canadian instruction.

She laughs and admits that until recently, she didn’t know the difference between a
teaspoon and a tablespoon.

“I don’t know how to bake, but I would love to learn how to bake.”

From licensed kitchens to farmers markets and street vendors, to home gatherings,
exploring the cultures of the world through food means sharing a slice of life with the
person across the table. If the studies are true, one of the best cures for loneliness is only a
smile and a few spoonfuls away.