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"Venba is a short narrative cooking game, where you play as an Indian mom, who immigrates to Canada with her family in the 1980s. Players will cook various dishes and restore lost recipes, hold branching conversations and explore in this story about family, love, loss and more." - Game description
Venba caught my attention with its colorful artstyle and fun cooking mechanics. But what really left a big impression on me was the heartfelt story. You are introduced to Venba and Paavalan, an Indian couple living in Canada and deciding to stay there to raise their child Kavin. As the parents face their own struggles due to their lack of English proficiency and their skin color, the child becomes increasingly embarrased by his Tamil heritage and wants to be "normal" like his White classmates, for example preferring to be called Kevin instead of Kavin or hiding his lunchbox filled with traditional food his mother made. This creates a rift between Kavin and his parents; Kavin grows more distant after moving out and studying at university.
When Kavin becomes an adult and gets a job as a TV writer, he finally cherishes his cultural heritage and tries to reconnect with his widowed mother, who went back to India to be a teacher. He first tries to follow his mother's recipes all written in Tamil, then enjoys cooking together with his mom and showing more interest in the culture.
I think this game really speaks to those in a similar situation as Kavin. Personally, I have also grown up in a country where my parents did not come from. Though I didn't feel like I needed to blend in with others since everyone had their own different cultures, I felt "culturally detached" from my parents. I only spoke French at school and I couldn't read or write in Thai, let alone have a conversation. My Thai nanny would cook for me but nothing really traditional. I felt like I wasn't truly French nor Thai, so what or who am I really?
When you reach adult age it might feel like it's too late or too difficult to reconnect with your heritage but it's not. Like Kavin, at some point you realize you want to learn the language again, try cooking traditional dishes, visit your parents' countries, read up on your culture... Better late than never, but of course the sooner the better. Our parents aren't getting younger, and they would be more than delighted to help you learn more about your heritage.
Your cultural heritage shapes who you are but it doesn't make you inferior to anyone else. No kid should feel ashamed about what is a part of themselves or need to hide it in order to blend in with others. Cultures should be celebrated and shared with others. Afterall, we live in such a multicultural world where more and more kids are mixed heritage. And one of the best ways to enjoy your culture with others is through homecooked food made with love.
Available on PC, PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch.
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