Soul Food

I have returned, dear readers. The past few weeks brought some considerable changes to my life; some pleasant, some not so pleasant, all of them deeply needed. (This of course, was no easy revelation).

Ironically, a better part of the last couple of weeks rendered me with virtually zero appetite. Food was the last thing on my mind. In fact, I felt physically sick thinking about consuming anything. But then, I had an epiphany. After many days of feeling as though I was in a fog, of being in a "not living but simply existing due to sadness" sort of state, I came to a realization. It happened in two parts.

The first was last Monday, when I spent six hours laughing, talking and enjoying a home-cooked meal and many bottles of wine with my wonderful roommate and our dinner guests deep into the night. I went to sleep relishing in the remnants of wine on my tongue, delicious food in my belly and the echoes of colorful conversation in my ears. I realized that I had eaten an entire meal and more importantly, that I truly enjoyed that meal. It made me feel better than I thought possible.

The second occurred a mere two days ago, on Friday. I was out of town, visiting dear family friends whom I had not seen in several years. To repay them for their generosity in hosting me, I cooked them dinner on my last night there. Bearing witness to their gratitude and seeing their faces as they consumed my meal, caused me to realize the true meaning of the phrase "soul food."

You see, for me, food is inextricably linked to warmth and human connection. Think about the times you enjoy with the people you love. I am willing to wager that food often plays a key role in those interactions. We laugh over food, we cry over food and we realize important things over food. We are living beings in need of food to sustain, nurture, and heal ourselves.

That was my revelation. Food can heal. And it helped to heal me.

More recipes coming soon, I promise. I'm back at it and here to stay.