Our Sister Killjoy

Content Warning: This section includes discussions of anti-Black racism and anti-gay bias. 

Food is an important motif in Our Sister Killjoy. While in Europe, Sissie finds she dislikes much of the food she has to eat, which intensifies The Effects of Isolation and Alienation. She misses what is familiar to her, like “plain palm-oil on boiled greens” (120), instead of cold food that lacks the warmth of human connection. It seems like dead food to Sissie, or perhaps undead: In the store, the “vegetables and the fruits that never ever get rotten” (119) unsettle her. Sissie knows other Africans who have spent time in Europe, like Sammy, who speak with effusive longing of the food in Europe. She believes that they are all lying about enjoying it, instead using food to remind people that, having been abroad, they have gained a level of superiority over others in their community. 

For Marija, food is an opportunity for connection. She is constantly feeding Sissie, though the only food Sissie particularly likes at Marija’s house is the fruit, especially plums, from her garden. Marija is desperate to connect, but her attempts never fully bridge the gap between her and Sissie.