What We Cook, and Why.

"They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried."
—Tim O'Brien, in The Things They Carried



In Tim O'Brien's book about the Vietnam War, he offers his readers a collection of powerful vignettes that tell the semi-biographical stories of several of the men in his infantry. They are all very different stories, with different outcomes, but the main focus of the work, and perhaps the most telling, is what the soldiers must lug with them—both literally and figuratively—as they march: food, canteens, flak jackets, and weapons, as well as grief, terror, secrets, and memories. It is in these details, these seemingly unimportant nuances, that the reader can begin to empathize with O'Briens's characters.

I was inspired by O'Brien's work, and when I thought about what sort of stories I wanted to tell, I knew that it had to be centered around food and cooking, since that has been a central theme in nearly every thing I have done or will continue to do in my life, whether personal or professional. 

I wanted to create a platform for those of us who cook to tell our stories-- a place where cooks can write about what they have created, and why.  Food is such a huge part of our lives; it's not just about  eating for sustenance; its about the WHY, and the HOW. It's about that recipe that we all make over and over and over again, and when we eat it, we are flooded with memory, with love, comfort, joy, or maybe even tears, guilt, and solemnity. 
It's about things we give to others; like the bottle of Nahe Riesling that made my mother cry when she tasted it even though she has never even been close to the area where it was made.  Or the first time I cooked for my partner; I was broke, and had very few ingredients, but we still remember how that dish tasted, and where we ate it.  It's a beautiful memory for me, and makes me smile every time I remember that period of my life.  It's about simple things like the first time you tasted a real, full-fat, whole-milk cappuccino, or made bread, or smelled something that reminded you of your grandmother's kitchen. It's about beers and grilled meat shared with strangers in a foreign country that becomes one of the best meals of your life...

It's about all of these food and cooking memories; memories that bring us closer to emotions that we may not realize are there.  Lurking under our surfaces are the secrets, hates, loves, guilts, fears, dreams, hopes, sadness, and successes, that we all experience. And somewhere in there, are the delicious bites that remind us. 

That is what this blog is about. Carrying memories through cooking, and food.  Because they are always intertwined, aren't they?  We all have a story to tell, and we usually tell it over a plate of this, a bowl of that, a nibble of a bite, or a bottle of something wonderful.

I invite anyone to contribute.  We all have a story to tell. 

 Vanilla gelato with fresh watermelon and thai basil--Summer 2011.