food
–noun
1.any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth, etc.
That's what dictionary.com has to say about the meaning of food but if that's all food is or was, would there be such a thing as a restaurant? Would a meal bring anyone any joy or excitement?
Look, I know there are those that just eat when hungry and think of food as nothing more than sustenance. Those people who skip breakfast and eat cereal for dinner. They mash and mix their food up because, "It all ends up in the same place". I don't like these people and chances are if you are reading my blog, you are not one of them.
If I were to write the definition of food, it would look much different as I believe that food is as much about experience as it is about nourishment. Food is tied to our emotions. It is sentimental, religious, cultural and political. We remember taste in the same way we do our other senses.
I think we never forget certain meals, dishes, times, people and how they interplay with each other.
Food to me is:
The only time my Nana made duck and my Grandpa dropped it on the floor. We ate it anyway.
When my Dad used to make a big sandwich on really crusty bread. He’d sit in front of the tv with a checkered tea towel on his lap to catch the crumbs.
The first time I ate a raw oyster. I was a little scared of it but I just went for it. Sometimes eating is like taking a leap of faith.
Eating so many pieces of sushi, nigiri and maki that I have to say no to the complimentary green tea ice cream.
The spaghetti we all ate with our hands as children. We would make such a gross mess but for a kid this is so much fun.
Stopping at the deli to pick up different meats , cheeses and olives before heading to the beaches for a picnic in the sun.
The spaghetti with anchovies, bread crumbs and olive oil that we eat only on Christmas Eve. My father’s grandmother and mother made it. My mother makes it and I will make it for my children one day.
Better Homes and Garden’s version of mac n cheese casserole. That plaid cookbook is an celebration of North Americana. I grew up with it and yes, you have to have the slices of tomato on top.
Mixed seafood in bird’s nest in Chinatown at 4 am. Nothing wrong with a little “cold” tea and needing sunglasses for the way home.
That’s just some of my food.
What’s yours?
Noodles covered with cheese and mashed strawberries. So good, my sisters and I used to pretend outside houses were on fire so my parents would turn to look and we'd lick our plates clean. They knew but would still turn to "look" anyways.
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