Travel to Little Guyana with Chris as he shops for his mom's favorite food from her home country, which she hasn't returned to in 30 years. A story about culture, food, and family. Created by husband-and-wife duo Chris Agbanyo and Kylie Miller.

TRANSCRIPT

CHRIS VO

If you take the A train all the way to the end and get off at the last stop, you'll end up in Little Guyana. Little Guyana is a very small neighborhood in Queens where the A train rumbles above your head, where you can find great food, great culture, and great people.

CHRIS

And then can I also get six pine tarts?

MOM

Uh-huh. And one butter bread.

CHRIS

One second, Mom.

CHRIS VO

My mom's Guyanese. She immigrated to the United States in the eighties and she's always been craving and wanting many Guyanese things. So I always go to Little Guyana before I go to visit my mom in Pennsylvania to get her everything she needs.

CHRIS

What, what else do you want, mama?

MOM

Um, Pholourie mix and, and split pea flour.

CHRIS

Okay. All right. I'll get that.

CHRIS VO

She has a really, really strong cultural identity in her cooking, in her accent, the way that she acts and, you know, laughs and yells.

STORE CLERK

What your mom is? Guyanese?

KYLIE

Yeah.

CHRIS

Yeah, she's Guyanese.

STORE CLERK

And what the father is?

CHRIS

Uh, my father is, uh, Togolese from West Africa.

STORE CLERK

Well, he, she made a handsome son.

CHRIS

Thank you.

CHRIS VO

Food is so important to both my parents' cultures. It's the connective tissue that brings people together.

CHRIS

Can I get, can I get one, uh, one chicken patty please?

STORE CLERK

At least he could get something for himself, mom.

CHRIS

The lady said at least I can get something for myself, not just for you.

STORE CLERK

Because he buy all for you.

CHRIS

Thank you so much.

CHRIS VO

I go to Little Guyana, you know, and it's over an hour from my house taking the J all the way to the end of the A to get there. And the reason why I do it is like she hasn't gone home. You know, I do it so she has a piece of home. You know, I come from a place where, you know, that $800 flight, you know, is too much. So if I can spend a hundred dollars at a Guyanese supermarket and call her on the phone and hear her voice, how she's excited to get what she's getting and saying, "thank you, son".

MOM

Thank you son.

CHRIS VO

and just being happy.

CHRIS

Alright, bye.

CHRIS VO

That's what I do it for.

MOM

Bye bye.