Today our visit brought us to the ever delightful West Center. By now I am sure if one has read my previous posts, my adoration and appreciation for this jack-of-all-trades social/health/wellness epicenter has been made well known. This time, we were graciously given the education space to commune with our local elders to converse and enjoy refreshments. I had the honor and privilege to speak with a multitude of wonderful individuals, each with their own unique memory treasure trove despite the common denominators of kind smiles and warm hugs. As always, Grace and I were on the hunt for willing contributors to our ongoing cookbook HAP, and the individuals I talked to were both agreeable and enthusiastic - all but one consented to participation, making two small to-be cookbook makers very happy. Miss Nellie recalled her mother’s soup and dumplings, Cindy reminisced about her grandmother’s sweet and sour meatballs, Carmen missed her mom’s seafood stew, and Korra loved (and still loves) chicken adobo to this day. Each of these women related their favorite dish to a fond memory (family was an overarching theme), which has reminded me about the integral role that food plays in our interpersonal and cultural relationships. Food and the giving of food is akin to the gift of life; without sustenance we wither away. Food allows the gathering of a community, the pause of work and worries, and the space to socialize and share. If anything, today made me miss eating with my family at our dining room table. Food really is a core foundation of family, and it makes me that much more excited for this HAP. I really hope that we will have a substantial amount of entries before it’s too late to produce them, and I can’t wait to give back a finished copy to the gracious individuals who contributed.
|
Andrew NguyenWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2019
Categories |