Forest ~ Soil ~ Aliveness

“Carving out time to make a nourishing meal for myself is no different from making a potion! Cooking and eating is a process of alchemical creation, uniting the unique personalities of different foods and herbs, and transforming them via the elements (earth, water, fire, air) into a joyous and sensuous experience of nourishment.”

Together ~ Fresh Air ~ Happy

“The sun is going down, it is golden hour, and the temperature is just right. There is a little breeze, and you can smell the chicken and the potatoes. It’s euphoric! We all line up for food, and the cowboy serving us has a big gray beard and gallon hat.”

Dumplings ~ Tradition ~ Comfort

“It’s so cute to think of little Kyla being so enamored. It was the combination of the soy sauce, the crispy dumpling, and the pork filling. A lightbulb turned on in my little-kid head.”

Kinship ~ Flour ~ Belonging

“It is an incredible thing to feel totally content and happy surrounded by your own kin, preparing one of the things you love most (food!). And then  to gift it to family/friends, knowing that those ingredients will be turned into energy, and nourishment, for their bodies—it is such a rewarding, and near spiritual, experience.”

Family ~ Mala ~ Joyful

“In Chinese, ‘báifàn’, means rice, but ‘fàn’, as a word, can also mean dinner, or a meal. This translation is special to me, and makes me think of abundance, and collective sharing.”

Christmas Tree ~ Onions ~ Safe

“This memory has created a want to have something special like that, surrounding food. Food for me always meant celebration and togetherness. I like to cook for myself and others. My colander is my grandmother’s. It is so old, but it is hers, and I will never get rid of it.”

Laughter ~ Earth ~ Contentedness

“I hear laughter and smell the earth and ocean. I can also taste the earth, because Paco’s hands were covered in soil. He was gardening, his hands in the earth, so when he would open the pine nut to share with us, we would taste the soil on his hands.”

Dawn ~ Bacon ~ Cozy

“Music is so tied into my memories of the shade trees and lemonade and kids running around and falling asleep in hide and seek spots. Oh, and the food was omnipresent. It was incredible. Those memories are tremendously rich.”

Outdoor Oven ~ Fresh ~ Happiness

“I see my mom taking the Briam dish from the outdoor oven. I smell fresh food, delicious, fresh ingredients. You can’t wait to sit down and eat.”

Community ~ Sautéed Chicken ~ Respect

“It doesn’t matter who you are, you have to have something in your belly in order to function. Therefore, wasting food is not something that would be accepted in my culture. We respect food because it is part of us.”