Cooking is Love made Visible ----Final Draft

Cooking is Love Made Visible

Food can have varied meanings, as everyone has their own interpretations or memories. For me, food is representation of meetings, family and friend get togethers ect. Being able to hae food be the center of my activities has brough me to a peaceful and happy time in life. Remembering old recipes from when I was ten and possibe even younger, there is something so pleasant about knowing I can pass these on. It is similar to a family airloom, that gets passed from generation to generation, yet stay within the family. Food in acts as a binding for my family, being togther can be and is enjoyable. However adding food to equation can make the experience more palattable and devine.

Growing up in a split family brought to the table many options for meals, introduced at an early age. As, I had four parents at the age of four with everyone finding pleasure in different tastes and falvors of food. I can remeber the simple nights with the most heavenly Macaroni and cheese with cylender shaped meat cut up and tossed in with the Macaroni for a little protein. I remember being at my mom/dad's house and calling the other parent to see what they were having for dinner. The answer to that question Solely depended on where I stayed that night. In reality, all one would have to say is I'm baking cookies for dessert. Going from a child to an adult brought many changes for me, when it came to food.

Becoming a young adult has definetly impacted my life in multiple ways, but the most promenant way has got to be food. I can now cook and prepare meal for myself, meaning that I am no longer help to what is prepared for me. I enjoy attempting to cook. However, I have always found pleasure in baking which does not suprise me as, that is something passed down generation's. My grandma alwasy had a knack for baking, my favorite past time of her baking is that nothing she made came from a can or a box. Thus made her Chocolate Chip Cookies a treat, not only did the aroma fill the air with a sweet scent but, when taking a bite it was a fluffy sugary delight with a tuch of chocolate morsales in every bite. Family Traditions still remain in my family and we take them seriously. It is a tie fr all of us to join as one and take pleasure in our family and too see the old recipes come to life.

One of our biggest family traditions, is Christmas Eve. My family would pile into the car with excited eyes and hands full of present's and sweet treats, from Grandma's Recipe book. As we would head out on to the open road of Interstate eighty we would sing along to Christmas songs playing on the car stereo, as music is cover of our binded family. We always did a pot luck for dinner on this night. Green Bean Casserole was a delight for me to bring as it tasted so delicius with tender green beans in a soupy flavor mixed with crunchy onions atop. Although, visiting with what felt like long lost family members I found pleasure in seeing a part of my Grandma at Christmas . I often wondered if she was there in spirit with all her old recipes taking life and breathing and being able to live through her children and grand children.

My Grandmother was an amazing baker. However she never did bake proffesionaly it was more of a hobby for her. She found true happiness in baking. Some of my Grandma's Recipe's that are still consistent in my family is her fudge. Home made and of all different types from Chocolate to White Chocolate, some with nuts and fresh fruit.With every bite I took of my Grandma's fudge the more I wanted as, it just completely had the melt in the mouth affect. When I was a child I loved to eat cake and sweets, yet becoming an adult flavors and textures changed for me. I despise the sponge texture of cake, the only cake I will eat is Chocolate Chip Cake. (Grandmas Recipe) For the longest time I had assume the recipe belonged to mom or dad, as I got it every year on my birthday since the time I was eight. Come to find out that not only on Holidays but, even on my birthday's a peice of my Grandma was with me. My parents also enjoy cooking and baking following my grandmas recipes for the most part.

Food has a way of happiness in my family. I beleive for my family it's a gene that's in out blood stream. My Dad finds happiness in baking as, his mom did. (my Grandma) Baking puts a smile on his face and makes his eyes glisten, as if to resmble him helping hi mom as a child. In 2004 my dad was diagnosd with Diebetes, this changed everything for him. Learning to bake all over again was difficult but he found a way, a new way of life some would say. Finding a way to make my Grandma's recipes in his baking, shortly became natural. My father also enjoys to cook, but preparing meals as me and my sisters were little were not so pleasurable. Coming home from a long day at work and sometimes school and prepare meals for three children was difficult. Thus, making easy dinners best suited for him. Now that all three of his children are grown, he can now enjy cooking and preparing amazing meals and he continues to bake frequently.

My mom also takes pleasure in cooking for her family. Although, it was not always this way. I can remember being a child and having her cook dinner, for her three children after a long day of work. She would often make easy dinners as sh had three mouths to feed, hers being the fourth. So as a parent having to work and then come home and be a mommy to her kids, I can see how simple worked for her. Now that all of her children are grown and can now cook for themselves, I find pleasure in cooking for her and my step dad. I often see why easy dinners worked, as I work part time and go to school full time. Easy dinners always took less then thirty minutes. My parents were not always worried about Nutrition but what was convenient for my family.

None of my family worried about what was healthy, however we worried about what pleased and gave pleasure to our palette. Growing up i always assmed healthy food can be good for me. Althugh, I have been able to find alternatives for sweets, like a substitute for sugar or I can make food with fresh herbs grown in my own backyard. Food is a neccesity to life so, why not make it have flavor and be toothsome.

Making food have flvor doesnt mean it is healthy, as my Grandma's baking was never really healthy but is tasted so scrumptious. The definition of happiness will not have the word food in it, but it is however an open ended Defintion. Make it what I want, withought having food as a big porion of my family activitis I would not have such fond memories o family and happiness within.

In the end, my famly will remain bound by food and fond memories of family recipes and the presence of my Grandmother in the kitchen whenever I myself or others in the famly are baking, she resides next to us the whole way through our baking experience. Overall enjoy it while you can and while you have thse to enjoy it with, even though my Grandma is no longer around it is like she is beking with me whenever I'm using her recipes.