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human connection

The power of food and sharing cultures.

Has food ever transported you back to your childhood? Perhaps an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that tastes just like your grandmother's, or soup at a restaurant that takes you back to those moments when you were sick and your mom fed you by the spoonful. (Or, this scene from Ratatouille.) That's exactly what happened when Papua New Guinean chef Wan Maus surprised his friend James with a home-cooked meal. But this wasn't just any meal—it was a Zimbabwean feast, with dishes that hailed from James' home country.

What began as a simple gesture of friendship became something far more profound. This moment—two men embracing through tears, grateful for each other—perfectly captures how food can bridge cultures, remind us of our heritage, and connect us in a uniquely human way.


@wan.maus I surprised my Zimbabwean born friend to some traditional ZAE recipes. What a treat to cook and share! God is good.#pngtiktok🇵🇬 #cookingtiktok #zimbabweantiktok #zimbabwetiktok🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼 #foodietiktok #maize ♬ original sound - wan maus

The video, shared to TikTok, begins with a sentence: “This is why I cook.” James is sitting at the dining room table, chatting away as if it were any other day. He shares a quick anecdote about Australia before a steaming hot bowl of sadza—a maize-based staple at the heart of Zimbabwean cuisine—hits the table. What unfolds is pure magic.

“Oh my god, you are joking,” he exclaims, followed by an admission from the heart: “Do you know when I last ate that? I was twelve years old. That's nuts,” he laughs, never for a second taking his eyes off the sadza.

More dishes appear, and James's emotions grow stronger and stronger. It's clear that, for him, this is more than just sustenance—cooking food from his home country, Zimbabwe, is like telling someone you love them. At times, he's speechless; when the hifiridzi, or beef and spinach stew, arrives, James begins clapping above his head and excitedly taking photos. But it's the okra that breaks him. The final dish to appear, its mere sight triggers an even deeper laugh—one that slowly morphs into what is also a sob.

“Down memory lane,” he says wistfully. Then, “Oh, brother,” as he turns to hug his friend very, very tightly.


The raw, emotional depth this video displays has resonated with 3.5 million viewers. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay wrote, “This is incredible. Well done !”

Another person commented, “We need more examples of male friendship like this. If men felt consistently comfortable to connect this deeply with each other, the world would be a better place.”

“It’s not just about the food,” another person wrote. “It’s the feeling of being home and having someone care about you like that.”


screenshot, tiktok. chef, gordon ramsaySo good, even Ramsay had to give him props. Credit: TikTok @wan.maus

Dishes that tell a story

Sadza, the heart of Zimbabwe.

Sadza is the cornerstone of Zimbabwe's culinary identity. Made by adding water to finely ground white maize (corn), it creates a smooth, firm porridge that serves as both food and utensil—as it's traditionally eaten with hands. “People eat sadza every day, often twice daily, making it more than food,” explains website, The Goldmidi. “It represents Zimbabwe's culture and heritage.”


Hifiridzi, community on a plate.

Named after Highfield, a neighborhood in the country's capital, Harare, hifiridzi is all about resourcefulness and vibrant community spirit that defines Zimbabwean cooking and way of life. It's a hearty dish of beef short ribs slow-cooked with leafy greens, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Made with vegetables often picked from the cook's own garden, hifiridzi embodies the essence of “community-based cooking”—where preparing and sharing meals strengthens the bonds between people.


Okra, the binding force.

Locally known as “derere,” okra is a popular vegetable in Zimbabwean cooking, where you'll find it in stews combined with tomatoes, onions, ground nuts, and peanut butter. Thanks to its unique consistency, okra's texture helps thicken stews and bind ingredients together, mirroring the way it brings people together, too.


The beauty of Wan Maus's video lies not in his technique or culinary prowess, but in this simple act of kindness that reminds us how food serves as a universal language of love. Or, as one food writer puts it:

“Food is colorful. It is flavorful. It nourishes and promotes health. But more than all of that, it unites. It heals… Food is as much a form of expression as laughter or music. It is integral to humanity, and something that certainly holds a special place in my heart.”


a man with glasses is looking at a laptop

Internet comment sections can be Wild Wests of rage-bait trolling, deadpan hilarity, even flat-out cruelty. But if you find the right YouTube music video, you click away feeling deeply moved—and maybe less alone in the universe.

Ironically, a perfect example is The Cure’s lyric video for, well, "Alone." The song was released on September 26, 2024, previewing the iconic goth-rock band’s first album in 16 years, Songs of a Lost World. And, needless to say, some diehard fans were in a vulnerable place—as of this writing, there are nearly 8,200 comments, and many of them are heavy and profound, touching on love and grief and the communal power of art.

Likely inspired by the long delay for new Cure music and "Alone"’s melancholy themes of passing time, many viewers note their ages—some are late teenagers, while others are pushing their 80s. Most of them seem swept up in both nostalgia and "live for today" resilience.

"My father was a huge Cure fan," one sure wrote. "He took me to see them in concert in the summer of 2012 for our first gig together when I was 15 in a French festival called Eurockéennes. He passed away on June 27, 2024 at 53. Hope he can hear this song from where he is."

- YouTubeALONE From new album Songs Of A Lost World. Out Now: https://TheCure.lnk.to/SongsOfALostWorldYT Subscribe to The Cure ...

"I’m 76 (EEEK)," added another. "I have lived alone for most of my life (my choice) but so many of the people I cared about are dead. I have always loved sad songs. The Cure are one of my all-time favorite bands."

One commenter, 52, remembered falling in love with The Cure at age 14, after finding a cassette in a parking lot while walking home from school. "It was worn out, no case, no words on it," she wrote. "I picked it up, took it home, curious to listen to it. To see why someone had loved it so much…" That album, the 1986 greatest-hits package Standing on a Beach, "completely changed [her] entire existence" and "awakened something in [her] soul."

In one of the most heartbreaking comments, someone wrote about processing "Alone" in their car, sitting in front of their house at night—not long after separating from their spouse. "It’s absurd to see how much the lyrics are talking about me," they noted. "My wife left me two months ago and there was nothing I could do about that. I'm focused on myself and reacting well because I have to, but all the emotions related to the sadness of loss after many years together must get out of me somehow and this song came just on time. I love the Cure, but I have to manage all that sadness, so I know I will not get addicted to this song. I don't want to stay alone most of my life because I want to share and give the love I feel I have inside."

- YouTubeSubscribe to The Cure YouTube: https://thecure.lnk.to/SubscribeID Follow The Cure : Instagram ...

Numerous people wrote that "Alone"—maybe the song itself, perhaps the very fact that it exists, maybe the emotions it stirred up—made them cry. "Unbelievable," one user wrote. "I’m 56 and cried. I needed this proof that I'm alive." Someone else: "I’m 56 and cried like a baby. It feels like going home."

Not all comment sections are created equal. (Almost every classic rock song in history will bring filler posts like "Who’s still listening in 2025?") It's all about finding the right song in the right space. One Redditor, for example, wrote, "YouTube comment section makes me connect to a song more deeply."

We just have to keep seeking those poignant moments. In the meantime, we recommend you visit YouTube, bask in the post-rock grandeur of The Cure’s "Alone," and have a good cry of your own.

Joy

Guy shares a simple, 2-minute solution to friendship distancing, calls it 'game-changing'

The "Wednesday Waffle" has become a weekly tradition for friend groups around the world.

The "Wednesday Waffle" is taking hold of friend groups everywhere.

One of the realities of adulthood is that friendships morph and change, even if we don't want them to. As friends who were once close embark on individual life adventures—moving away from home, finding jobs, getting into relationships, starting families—it's inevitable that friendships will shift and some distancing will happen. That's life, but that doesn't mean that we can't make an effort to maintain connection and create ways of keeping in touch with the people we care about.

In the olden days, friends would correspond with letters, but technology gives us many more ways to stay in touch. Unfortunately, smartphone use can easily overtake our lives, and figuring out how to utilize technology in a healthy and productive way can be tricky. But a video explaining a "game-changing" weekly tradition that provides a simple, quick way to keep up with our friends' lives has people wanting to create a "Wednesday Waffle" themselves..

"As I get older, I'm getting used to the fact that I don't hear from my friends as often as I used to," says Kirx Diaz. "And I understand, life is lifing, and I live 3,000 miles away from a lot of my closest people, but it's something that I've really had to come to terms with."

"However," he adds, "about a month and a half ago, we were introduced to this concept called the Wednesday Waffle, and basically what this is is a two-minute video life update talking about what we've been up to that week, how we've been feeling, and kind of everything in between. And I can't lie, it's been game-changing. The group chat's always going off, we know who's going through it, who's doing well, who we need to check up on throughout the week. And for the first time in a long time, I actually feel closer to my friends now than I did when I was living back home."

The Wednesday Waffle idea originally went viral from another guy on Instagram, who explained how he and his group of three friends send one another brief video updates every Wednesday. As @nonpractisinggenius explains, "waffling" with friends is "a game changer for maintaining long distance friendships." Some of the benefits he points out include:

- It takes just two minutes
- Fights feelings of loneliness
- Brings joy to the week
- Deepens connections
- Accommodates different schedules / timezones

When Americans hear "Wednesday Waffle," they may assume that it's something like Taco Tuesday, but "waffle" in this case is an Australian slang term for talking. "It’s just Aussie talk for speaking at length about nothing in particular. (think jibber jabber, yammer, natter, babble)" the originator explains.

It wasn't until he showed his partner a "waffle" from a friend who had recently had a baby that he realized how impactful it was. "She was really blown away by the fact that we'd been sending these Wednesday Waffles to each other every Wednesday for a couple of years," he said. She just thought it was such a great thing for friends to do to stay connected, and it made me kinda think about it. I've been taking it for granted, but it is such a good thing and I look forward to their video every Wednesday. So maybe this is something other people can introduce to their life."

People in the comments have been sharing their experiences starting up a similar habit with their friends. It doesn't have to be on Wednesdays and it doesn't have to be any specific length, but keeping the videos short and sweet help it become a sustainable practice.

"Put this vid in a group chat with 5 of my boys… everyone participated and it was a pretty great, and connective experience. I hope we are able to keep it up. Except we waffled on a Thursday."

"I sent this video to my 2 best friends in our group chat about a month ago and we have been doing this every week since. It’s been amazing because they both have crazy travel schedules with work and we have been able to see so much from each other in such a short time. Thank you for posting this, I can’t wait to see how we evolve it moving forward. ❤️"

"Started Wednesday waffles with the boyz this morning. Thanks for the suggestion."

"Dude! Me and my mates started this a few weeks ago. The absolute joy it brings us all every week is irreplaceable. Thanks for the inspiration. Legend. 🙌"

Whether you're wanting to keep in touch with one friend or a handful of them, a weekly "waffle" on a specific day of the week might just be the simple solution you've been looking for. Friendships do change over time and life legitimately makes keeping up with friends a challenge, but we don't have to resign ourselves to losing touch with people we care about when we have the technology to stay connected. All it takes is a few minutes and the ability to press record and send.

Joy

Guy forgot to change his address in his Chipotle app and it resulted in the sweetest exchange

"Take it with you bro" turned into a tear-jerking story of human connection.

Shahid Davis told a delivery driver to keep his meal and the result was a sweet moment of human connection.

This article first appeared on 3.3.22.

Sometimes the silliest of mistakes can result in the sweetest of coincidences.

Shahid Davis had ordered dinner from the Chipotle app and was checking on the map to see how far away the driver was when he realized that the driver was half a continent away. Davis had been staying at a hotel in Iowa the last time he ordered, and he forgot to go back and change the delivery address to his home in Hagerstown, Maryland. He contacted Chipotle, but the customer service person told him they couldn't do anything since it was already out for delivery.

So when the delivery person texted Davis to let him know they were there, he explained what happened.

"I'm here with your order," the person texted.

"Take it with you bro and enjoy the lunch," Davis responded. "I forgot to change my address and I currently in Maryland."


"Umm…okay thhanks," the person responded.

But then a short while later they sent another message that made Davis' sharing of the story go viral.

"I wanted to thank you again," they wrote. "It's my brother's birthday today and he is laid to rest not far from where you had me take this delivery. I'm having lunch with him today because of you. You have no idea how much that means to me. I truly appreciate it."

Well shoot. Someone pass the tissues, please.

Davis told Upworthy that he was really happy to receive the message. "[I] felt like I made an impact in his life even though I don't know the person's name or anything about them. But it doesn't matter at the end because I did something to help brighten his day up!"

"I think we humans all have a kind soul inside, we just have to push out the negativity and push out kindness," Davis added. "Only we can make the world a better place."

Davis' Facebook story has been shared more than 100,000 times since he posted it on Sunday, and people in the comments celebrated the unexpected human connection.

"That's wassup!!" wrote one commenter. "The universe always repays, good or bad. When your reward comes, you will know exactly why. Spread love, we all need it right now. Thank you."

"Dude that’s simply amazing," wrote another. "Just proves that you never know what someone is dealing with and how a kind gesture may impact their life."

"That's awesome, you definitely made his day," wrote another. "I'm saying this as a mom who lost her baby and eats lunches with my baby occasionally this would make my day too."

Truly, we are all connected in ways we can't always see, so it's lovely when something like this happens to show us how true it is.