My favorite movie is Kate and Leopold. I just love Leopolds strong sense of morality and this quote: "Where I come from, the meal is the result of reflection and study, menus are prepared in advance, timed to perfection. It is said, without the culinary arts the crudeness of reality would be unbearable." Like Kate, many Americans choose not to cook and one third of americans can't cook, so I ask you dear friends, have you tasted the finer things in life?
As many of you know, my mom is a chef and a vegetarian so the finer things in life were not associated with expensive foods, but time intensive foods. My father went to work at 6:00 a.m. and mom would be up earlier than him preparing his breakfast and lunch, the intoxicating smell woke us up every day. It wasn't the smell of bacon and eggs but sauteed onions and garlic. Today, many people would consider that a waste of time, but my parents are happily married 50 years later because although my mom never said it, she cooked my dad an "I love you" every day.
I was a book addict from a young age. A scrawny, spectacled girl with pigtails and dark skin wasn't popular in real life but in books I travelled the world and was glamorous! I would forego sleep and food for books. One night I read all night and my mom saw the light on in my bedroom as she headed to the kitchen. She came in and saw me reading. Instead of scolding me she came back with my favorite breakfast, peas porridge. Although she was such a stickler for cleanliness that we had to wash our face before we could kiss her, she said "I love you" every day with the nourishing food she made.
My second love became food. At 10 years old, I would walk into a restaurant and order meals. I was never given the kids menu. I guess I love Leopolds quote so much because it combines my passion for reading and food. I love reading cook books and nutrition books so I understand the balance between flavor and nutrition. I love making menus in my head for five course meals. I love preparing the food to perfection. At Pizzetta 211 they threw out the toast because it was slightly too brown for our appetizer, I love that kind of perfectionism. In my caprese salad this week, I studied about the benefits of balsamic vinegar and its use in the raw diet. I purchased an aged 30 year old white balsamic vinegar, I purchased fresh Basil and Arugula from KMK farms at the farmers market. I used heirloom tomatoes and made a punchy cheese. Like the tapas of Spain, you were meant to eat the tomato wedge with the basil leaf, arugula, balsamic and cheese in the same bite. Few things more delightful have ever entered my mouth.
As others prepared the salad, they didn't seem to care about the perfection of the combination and I think the taste didn't shine. Their attitude was more like Kate's, I'm feeding you, it tastes fine, eat it. Like Leopold, I am tempted to push my plate away in situations like that. I've been to many restaurants and thought this meal could be spectacular if only... On one hand I can count the restaurants that I've been to where the food was perfect. On one hand I can count the number of times I've been to a meal at someone's home where the food was perfect. I lose count of how many times my mothers meals enveloped me in love and delight. Those moments in time are what every day aspires to. Is today going to be the day when reality will be escaped while I revel in sensory delight?
My life is spent working on creating those moments. I am restricted because I have to balance taste with affordability but never do I have to sacrifice love. May you too be inspired to settle back to a gentler time when people planned what they were going to make and took the time to make it well. The lyrics of this song are apprapo: Saying I love you, is not the words I want to hear from you...More than words is all you have to do to make it real, then you wouldn't have to say that you love me 'cause I'd already know. by Songwriters Nuno Bettancourt and Gary Cherone. It was a motto my mom lived by, she never said I love you, because from 4:00 in the morning on, we already knew.
For true health, inside and out, may you learn how to say I love you so your family can escape the crudeness of reality.
Ta-raw Hamilton
www.makeloveinthekitchen.tv, www.organicfresno.com, www.facebook.com/revivecafe
tarahamilton@me.com
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