and on...

As I write entries in this blog, you’ll witness my understanding and interpretation of classic techniques and dishes. I am going to share recipes that are special to me. I am going to share unique views on eating and nutrition. I am going to talk about the way that children should not only share in…but fully participate in food preparation. In my opinion, cooking has always been at the center of strong communities; think of your own community and family – isn’t a warm meal one of the few things that can get our modern families to slow down and come together? Our need for food is constant, but food itself is subject to change. Our attention to food will either increase or diminish. The contents of our meals will get heartier or more nutritionally devoid. Sometimes when things change slowly, sometimes we forget that they are changing at all. When was the last time you really thought about how your diet has changed throughout your life? Where do thoughts about the quality of your food rank in your daily thought process?

We would all agree about the importance of preserving a family and bringing together our communities…but do we realize that our modern foodscape is limiting the ability to do that through cooking and enjoying food together? Our modern meals still fill us up, but are they nourishing? Do we remember that those who make the food that we eat have an active role in influencing and sustaining the people who eat it…they can create and change moods…they can comfort us in rough times…they are truly connected to us. Think about the simple example of how comforting it is to smell a pumpkin pie baking in the oven. Traditionally, cooking and enjoying food has been a means of relaxation, a form of celebration, a coping mechanism for mourning families. When we think of food in this way, we realize that learning a recipe is one thing, but having respect for the culture and history behind the cuisine responsible for that recipe is another equally important thing. When we acknowledge that food has a soul, we are able to bring dishes alive and create feelings within those who consume it. A part of that is realizing where ingredients come from and why they are used in particularity. Consuming locally also helps to create a modern food heritage that supports our thought that food is more than just instant gratification. Just because products are globally accessible, doesn’t mean we should throw out our concept of embracing indigenous foods or meals. A burger frozen in Idaho, a piece of lettuce from Peru, ketchup from Pennsylvania, and a week old bun from New York shouldn’t represent lunch for a middle school student in Boston, MA almost every day of the week…but more often than not, it does. In our ever-evolving societies…urban…suburban…and rural alike, we must not forget how empowered we are to influence our bodies, our moods, our families, and our communities through all of the food choices that we make. Those choices can affect a lot more than our growling bellies.