This Much I Know is True: To Taste and be Happy
How beautiful it is to find and eat something delicious. Tasting and eating, drinking and savoring, enjoying food in any capacity is one of my favorite experiences as a human being.
Whether it is cookie cake, pasta, chocolate ice cream, spanakopita or Thai iced tea– food and drink captivate me and have a real connection to my soul. As I am trying to determine where I will go and what I will be after my Maryville identity fades behind me, my favorite food and drink are helping.
Like that Oreo milkshake I got at sonic last week that took me far back to my sophomore year. It was there in the parking lot over this creamy treat that I realized I made a new soul friend, Kristin, who would become like a sister to me for the next three years.
Or how about the night I had my heart broken by someone I thought I loved. I made a pot of Kraft macaroni and cheese (extra butter of course) and split it in silence and in tears with my roommates. It was radically processed and gently healing.
What about my vegetarian meal extraordinaire in Ecuador, much to the humor of myself and my traveling companions, that was literally 4 whole sliced avocados, salsa and rice. It was one of the most interesting and uniform meals I’ve ever had, but good people earnestly accommodated to my requests and I felt happy and full when I finished eating.
And who can forget my mother’s macaroni and cheese. I’m talking about real macaroni and cheese made with sharp cheddar, not mild, whole cream, butter and baked. It takes me out at each holiday get-together, but I feel the love in each bite!
Or the Christmas Eve trip to waffle house my family takes after we attend our annual Christmas Eve service. The food always tastes holy for some reason, and we try and leave a good tip, expressing our appreciation for people willing to serve us as we all enter into the fresh hours of Christmas day.
Food, if you know how to eat right, is powerful and radical! It is sustaining, engaging, elating and will forever be my first love.
I still don’t know where I’m going or what’s next. I will know about graduate school in February or March, so for now I’m just waiting and finishing J-term patiently. But one thing will never change, and that’s my love for food.
I know that I’m indulgent, maybe even hedonistic, and good food will always entice me and mesmerize me. In moderation of course, I’m going to eat some things that taste good and have a good time doing it, knowing that the future will reveal itself soon and that waffle house is always open.