Food Joy II
Mamaw taught me how to cut the stems out of hearty greens. She said, “my mom always did it like this.” So every time I cut collards or kale, it makes me think of Great Mamaw Warner.
That’s only one reason why food brings me so much joy. Here are a few more:
- The sound and feel of slicing through those rolled up collards. Something about them specifically that is just different. Dense, maybe? Then how once they’re cut they break away from the knife with a fluff. So good!
- Onion and garlic melding together in an olive oil AND butter bath.
- The bowl of vegetable ends and peelings that you may or may not freeze to make stock. (hint: not if they have a little mold on them)
- Looking in the fridge to see what I have , deciding how to use it to make something, cooking it and then watching my husband and daughter love it. *pats self on back*
- When chefs pair wine or beer with foods and give you these big long instructions on why they go good together and how to get the most out of the pairing experience and you’re like, “WOW, you are so right and this is SO good.”
- Watching people cook food in their own home where they’re comfortable. Socks, lounge pants. Their dish towels. How they interact with the space when they cook. I envision both my friends Sarah and Kelly in this way when I’m trying to paint the picture with words. I love watching them cook in their homes. (Geez, love letter much?)
- How the spice cabinet smells or if I have to travel with spices to cook, how the bag smells when you open it up. Wish my house smelled like this. Maybe it does.
- When dogs clean up the crumbs.
- Eating out, not having to cook sometimes.
- How owners of restaurants set up their spaces and how the BEST restaurants—its almost like the decor all the way from the curtains to the plates to the staff and especially the bathroom, goes perfectly with the food. IE. In Lexington, the places that do this the best are County Club, Stella’s Kentucky Deli, Sunrise Bakery, Wallace Station, Tortilleria Y Taqueria Ramirez. All of them have the vibes DOWN.
- One million more reasons.
What I want you to truly know is that there are moments like these for me nearly 90% of the time when I’m cooking. Really, it makes me quite happy. Maybe someday I’ll burn out? Hard to tell. But even when I’ve been cooking all day i still love to cook for my family.
What do you love about food the most?
