Food "the ability to nourish your mind, body, and soul"

In life there are several aspects I feel to be crucial for survival and to sustain happiness in one's lifetime. These factors in my life consist of the basic biological need to eat and nourish my body and the

emotional need to have a family support system to depend on. The extent in which I hold faith in the food I eat to nourish and build my body I hold in my family as well to help me along in my adventure of life. For as long as I can remember every memory of family gatherings were always constructed around food in some way or the family gathered around the dinner table. Growing up I learned and experienced early on that food holds a distinct value or meaning in every culture and religion; Its not just what you put in your mouth, because it tastes good but why you might eat that particular food. Food in my eyes holds a personal connection to those who I hold close to my heart and your personal belief system. Whether it's the biological factor that in the frontal lobe of the brain we store memories that are triggered by are sense of smell and taste; or just the associations I have made with friend's and family over the years with a verity of foods I am always astonished at

the memories which pop into my head when taking a bite of my most favorite treats.

From my adolescent years I can recall the sweet buttery smell of assorted cookies filling the kitchen every year around the time

between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The cookie tradition in my family was passed down from my great grandma to my mother and now to my sister's and I. Each year we pick around five to six cookie recipes to create ranging in spices, flavors, and textures. Peanut Butter

Blossoms, Molasses sugar/cake, Thumb prints, Cuckoo Cookies, and Pecan Balls are our family's favorite cookies to devour.

Holiday cookies are a week long production that is filled with loving memories in the kitchen with my sister's and mother. The cookie event is also filled with building frustrations of executing these recipes correctly and ensuring that each cookie is filled with sweet buttery goodness. In the end it comes down to having the patients and self control to construct each individual cookie without having a buttery belt down.

Curried Chicken or Beef mixed vegetables, served with rice and topped with a dollop of mango or apricot chutney brings me back to every visit from my grandma and grandpa on my dad's side who are from South Africa.

This simple dish has been a dinner served in my family's kitchen since I can remember. The potent aroma of curry and chili spices from the curried meat would overwhelm my nose as the sweetness of the chutney would sooth the bite of the curry on my tongue while still complementing the curry after every taste. This particular dish although made in different variations from person to person in my family has drawn me to feel closer and more connected to my family living thousands of kilometers away over seas. The ability of food to draw you close to those who you don't have the pleasure of seeing everyday captures a deeper connection to be cherished for years to come. Food was not only just the center of attention at my family's gatherings but it was a full intellectual experience shared amongst a group of people who had more then just recipes to bring to the table. I learned from my mother to appreciate where food originated, the construction of a dish or recipe, and the ultimate feeling you encountered while indulging in God's greatest gift. Every memory of traveling in my life has been infused with getting to know the local agriculture, culture, and history of the locations of my travels. On my food explorations during my travels I have loved experiencing the local taste and outlook on cuisine in every location I have visited by trying the locals favorite food joints.

For example down south located in the French Courter in New Orleans the caffeine, and pastries fix, is met by the locals at Cafe du Monde with Cafe Au Laite, and Beignets around the clock. Or a little more south east in Daytona Beach Florida you can drowned yourself in the succulent fresh caught sea food at Down the Hatch on the water front deck overlooking Ponce Inlet. While enjoying the company of the sea gal locals trying to get in on the tasty grub. I have come to the conclusion from my mom's guidance that the best way to get your money's worth when traveling, is to start in the belly's of the locals and work your way out threw their eyes to capture and experience of the breath taking beauty of the locations people call home. So my mission in this adventure I call life is to experience every path tasting my way from one dish to the next. To capture new and reminisce on the old memories attached to every food I taste and to truly understand the meaning, history, and lesson behind the gem we call food.