Dalesha and Manny, stars of the popular YouTube series ‘Dalesha’s Life’, are a legally blind couple who share their day-to-day life, achievements and sometimes struggles of being one of the America’s only legally blind interracial couples.
And while they may be blind, that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy their heightened taste buds!
We sat down with the couple to find out more about their cooking habits, favorite foods and more!
- Who is the better cook between the two of you?
Well, this one is easy, it’s Manny for sure. What’s funny though is that Manny would be okay with cooking the same things over and over again, whereas Dalesha is always finding new and creative recipes to try. Somehow, we find a way to make it work!
- What is the most challenging thing to do in a kitchen as a blind couple? Walk us through the process of preparing a common meal?
Good question. I think we’d have to go with cutting and slicing as being the most difficult thing. For example, if we’re cooking a meal and have to cut potatoes into equally-sized, ½-inch wide slices, no matter how hard we try—they won’t be ½-inch and they won’t all be evenly sliced. Another one that Dalesha is always making fun of Manny for doing is cutting a frozen pizza into perfect, triangular slices. Let’s just say, none of the slices ever come out equally-sized and some don’t end up having pointed ends! Since we only cook for ourselves though, we take our time and do the best that we can.
- What are your favorite meals to cook?
Well, if we each had to pick just one thing, we’d have to go with pasta and shrimp. Dalesha loves shrimp and when we cook it, we always bake it. Each time, we get creative and try different seasoning for the shrimp. For Manny, it’s pasta. The way he prefers to cook it is by starting with some boulion cubes to season the water, then adding some garlic, butter, and shredded parmesan cheese to the pasta after it’s strained. Manny also does not add any pasta sauce when he cooks it this way.
- How has getting groceries and cooking during COVID-19 changed in regards to your normal habits?
When it comes to groceries, we’ve decided to do all of our shopping online and have them delivered. There are times when we forget something and have to make a quick run to the store, but because we don’t want to take any chances, we try our best to get everything delivered. With respect to the cooking during COVID-19, since it’s not quite as easy to run out to the store, we’ve been cooking things that are easy and will last a longer time to avoid having to order more groceries. For example, we’ll cook multiple boxes of pasta or boil many more cups of rice than we’d usually do at a time.
- And finally: What’s one type of food you each hate? And where in the world have you travelled to that you loved the food their most?
Alright, well, let’s see. Dalesha has never been able to appreciate the taste of brussel sprouts. To her, they are just too bitter. Manny, somewhat similarly, does not enjoy eating any green, leafy vegetables—at all! And when it comes to our favorites, we’re going to be a little biased! Manny loves all the food from Buenos Aires, where all of his family lives and where he spent all of his summer vacations growing up. Dalesha though, being born in Belize, says that nothing compares to that wonderful Belizean food because it incorporates both Central American and Caribbean flavors.
You can watch their fun cooking episode by going here:
