Her travels then take her to Porter County, Indiana, where she meets Kiki Ruff, a self-taught cook who has gained a following on TikTok. Ruff creates videos that help families dealing with food insecurity stretch their groceries, drawing on recipes from the Depression, wartime and other frugal eras. For Lidia, Ruff’s work is another example of how knowledge and care can be shared in simple, meaningful ways.
In Denver, she visits SAME — So All May Eat — a café where payment is flexible. Diners can offer money, volunteer their time or bring fresh produce from their gardens in exchange for a meal. “It doesn’t only get you a meal,” Lidia says. “It gets you interacting with other people and giving.”
From there, she travels to Portland, Oregon, where a Japanese-American community centre offers meals, tai chi and companionship for elders and families. The centre serves as a vital gathering point, preserving cultural bonds while creating space for connection.
The final stop is San Francisco, home to the first legislatively supported free grocery market in the country. Here, residents shop with dignity, choosing their own items rather than receiving a standardised box. “These people came in and they felt good,” she says. “They had integrity in choosing what they’re going to eat.”
Lidia’s own history gives the journey added resonance. Born in 1947 in Istria, then ceded to Yugoslavia, she lived under communist rule before her family fled to Italy, spending two years in a refugee camp. An aid organisation eventually helped them resettle in New York in 1958. Having experienced the generosity of strangers, she views this special as a way of honouring those values.
Her message is simple: kindness does not need to be grand. “Do something for your neighbour,” she says. “That connection makes you feel good. It makes you feel more human, and it gives you back the desire to live positively.”
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Dining and Cooking