I love food. I've always really really loved food. And I don't mind gushing about it.
Growing up in the family I did set the stage for me to deeply appreciate food now. Each person had a specialty. Though they were all very different from each other, the thread connecting each of the meals was the pleasurable experience of having it. It wasn't just the taste. It was the aroma, the texture in your hands and your mouth, the sight of the food - pre, prep, and during meal, the sound as it cooked and as you chewed. Walk with me for a moment down the culinary lane of my yesteryear's.
Specialties a la ma
- Chicken breast baked with celery & onions in Campbell's mushroom soup
- Sandwiches with mayo and Dijon mustard with a thick slab of tomato or black olives as the "meat"
Dad's fixins'
- Flank steak with homemade french fries
- Chip beef on toast with canned condensed cream
- Irish stew with a moist ham, thick potatoes, and a head of cabbage
Sis #1
Noodles
and butter. I'm telling you this lady could whip up noodles and butter
like you wouldn't believe. I never knew anything that bland to be so
incredibly flavorful, yet it was.
Sis #2
No memory here, although I associate hot chocolate with her. These days, she is one mean canner.
Me
-
Fried bologna. Oh yeah. Crispy around the edges, puffs up in the middle
until you cut it with a knife and all the air whooshes out.
-
Macaroni, tomato sauce, shredded cheese, and crumbled saltine crackers
on top. All mixed together with my hands of course. Then baked to
perfection. I wanted to swim in it. I'm not lying.
How often I hear of people in a quandary over food - what to eat, what diet to follow, multitasking while eating, rarely sharing a meal. Let this post be an invitation to feast on your food once again. Allow your body to revel in the experience of it. Focus your mind on the exquisite details of nature's creative bounty in front of you. Take a trip to the grocery and walk the produce aisle. It truly is incredible to see the variety of shapes and colors and cooking possibilities that lay before you.
Bring reverence to your food and notice how other areas of your life begins to change right in front of your eyes. That's the beauty of appreciation, it always has a domino affect no matter where you start. To your health and pleasure!
I would love to hear of your fond food experiences, past or present. Do share here...
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