A food perspective

"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate." -Julia Childs

Subscribing to this thinking, I have another ten years before I have to get serious about cooking. That does not mean, however, that I don't have to be serious about what I eat. I'm over half way through my year here and I've been spending more and more time wondering where all the time actually went. When I think back over the last seven months the things I think most proudly or fondly of are, not surprisingly, food related. Here- I'll highlight a few for y'all...

"Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts!" -James Beard

So, every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday DFCI runs afterschool programs for the wee kids in the estate, and part of the program is the promise of juice and toast. I picked up on the art of dilutable juice pretty quickly (1/5 concentrated juice, 4/5 water), and once that was mastered I cockily made my way to the nexus of true afterschool power: the toast preperation table. I mean, how hard can making toast be? It's toast! You put it in the toaster, spread butter on it, cut it in half (down the diagonal) and there you go. A piece of toast. Let me tell you something- that's a dangerous attitude to have. What I didn't account for was the speed at which two whole loaves of bread needed to be toasted, buttered, and cut. After months and months of practice I can now proudly say that not only do I evenly butter the toast and cut it, but I can do a stack of toast 4 slices high in less than 10 seconds.

"And I find chopsticks frankly distressing. Am I alone in thinking it odd that a people ingenious enough to invent paper, gunpowder, kites and any number of other useful objects, and who have a noble history extending back 3,000 years haven't yet worked out that a pair of knitting needles is no way to capture food?" -Bill Bryson

I've spoken about how important the families I've met have been in my life this year, and they continue to be incredibly supportive and very much a blessing as the year goes on. One night Amy and I were invited over "just for tea" to the Campbell's house and arrived to find that Gillian had ordered a veritable feast for us to share with them- more Chinese take out than you could possibly imagine. I was SO excited until they pulled out the chopsticks from the drawer- I had forgotten that they lived in Hong Kong for a year and would definitely be using chopsticks to navigate this meal. As many of you know, Tim Hyde, you in particular, I'm total rubbish with chopsticks. But for some reason on that night I was able to triumphantly lift piece after piece of chicken and ended up absolutely stuffed. Maybe it was the pressure of their entire family watching me, or maybe it was the competitor in me not wanted to fail at something (who would've thought?) but I finally figured out how to use them. Ultimately, though, the thing I really remember from that night is how good the food was, how good the conversation was, and how great it was to be sitting at the table for supper with a famiy. And when I'm back in the States and forgo a fork and spoon for chopsticks, you better believe I'll think of supper that night.

"You mightn't happen to have a piece of cheese about you, now? No? Well, many's the long night I've dreamed of cheese." -Robert Louis Stevenson

One of the favorite stories/jokes of folks up at the church to tell about me is of an encounter that Cheryl, a good friend, had of Amy and I earlier in the year. She came by to give us a lift and found us sitting on our living room floor eating cheese and crackers and an apple for our tea. The whole churh thinks it's hiiiiiiiillllllllarious that we sit on the floor to eat, but truth be known our table is currently acting as our entertainment center, so what are girls to do? We've both grown quite fond of our picnics, and it's when we have our best conversations, both stupid and serious. We also really like cheese, so there's a good chance that whatever we're eating that night incorporates the good stuff one way or another.

The night before my family flew home (life news: my family was over for a week last week!!!) we all gathered in my flat for supper. Mom made grilled cheese (I told you I ate a lot of it) and soup, and for lack of seating for all five of us, Sara, Holly and I ended up on the floor eating together. It was the perfect fusion of my life here and the people I love at home. It was also delicious, and it's widely known throughout Davidson that my Mom makes the best grilled cheese in the world.

So friends, when you're daydreaming of me, as I'm sure you often do, it wouldn't be far-fetched to picture me battling through a meal with chopsticks or sitting on the floor with Amy eating cheese and crackers. But the most important part of the daydream isn't the food but the people and the relationships and the memories being made; the food is just a delicious afterthought.