What is it about food that draws people together? Is it because we all get hungry and it’s convenient to sit together and break bread? Or is it more of way to be close to those we love? I know from personal experience that food is not only a form of physical sustenance for our bodies but also for our minds. I’ve always enjoyed the process of making something for one of my loved ones to enjoy. Knowing that what they eat will taste good but also makes them happy makes me happy. Working in kitchens from the time I was 20 and for close to the next 20 years I spent a lot of time cooking for other people but I never got tired of someone telling me they liked my cooking or that my dish or dessert reminded them of something another loved one had made or brought up a pleasant memory for them. The picture at the top of this entry is from 2016 and it’s the first time that I had been together with all of my siblings and my parents in I can’t even remember how many years. We are a blended family but it doesn’t matter because all of these people are my family and I adore each and everyone of them. For my husband it was the first time he met some of my siblings and it was the best. There are a few pictures of all of us floating around from that trip and they all seem to center around eating together.
Food is so tied to memories and that has always fascinated me. One of my first “food” memories is sitting on the porch stairs at our old farmhouse eating pieces of musk melon and cucumber. Now I know from family stories that my Mother had a big garden when I was little and she grew all kinds of veggies. The ones I remember for certain are snap peas, cucumbers and musk melon. I know as I got older that my Mother would stick a peeled cucumber on a fork and sprinkle a little salt on it and give it to us kids for a snack. I also remember lots of family parties with lots of food at all of them. It didn’t matter if it was a birthday or a holiday there was always just a lot of food. It gives people something to focus on, making a special dish to take to a family gathering so you can serve your family and offer joy and comfort. I think that’s why when someone passes away the first thought that a lot of people have is that they should take those grieving an offer of food as a way to try to give comfort. There’s a quote I found on the Internet when this topic started forming in my brain and I was digging around for inspiration and I’m going to leave it here to close.♥
“Food is the most primitive form of comfort.”—Sheilah Graham Westbrook
Jenthefoodie 
As always, I have enjoyed another offering from your blog. I am amazed at how well written your blog is, only because I read others that aren’t anywhere near as well written as yours. You always stir my memories of another time when you were little, and the families were closer together, now scattered all over the nation. I love you Jen, and always look forward to the next entry in your blog. Aunt Dawn
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