Food + Stories
I stood in the kitchen, eyes closed as the smell of the crab traveled through. That is exactly the crab Mama used when making her highly loved crab salad. The aroma immediately took me back to my little girl self sitting at the kitchen table, fork in hand, waiting for my first fork full of that delicious, refreshing crisp lettuce, loaded with crab, tomatoes, and more toppings tossed in delightful salad dressing.
All of that moment happened within a matter of minutes, standing by the kitchen counter after a visit to the grocery store. I “saw” me sitting in the chair in the kitchen at our round glass dining table. I saw Mama by the sink in our home, where we lived until the mid-1990s. I heard the sound of the big silver bowl she always used for that salad. I listened to the crunch of the lettuce. It felt so real.
Our favorite dishes are not solely because of the flavors. Food has the remarkable ability to evoke a combination of emotions and memories. When a dish’s narrative resonates with experiences, it becomes deeply personal. The flavors in a dish, the aroma, and the texture can transport us back in time to special moments, bite by bite.
On every road trip to visit family when I was 11, 12, and 13 years old before we moved to another state, my uncle would stop at this little grocery store and get us sandwiches – turkey sandwiches, to be exact. Thinly sliced turkey, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy iceberg lettuce sandwiched between two slices of white sandwich bread. There was a thin layer of mayonnaise spread on each slice of bread.
All of these years later, every time I make a turkey sandwich, it’s like the turkey sandwich on our road trip back in the 90s. I eat it with Lay’s Potato chips. It may sound like just a sandwich. Not to me. It’s a part of a memory that means so much to me. I can still see my uncle getting in the car, opening the bag, and passing them out -first to Mama in the passenger seat, then back to my aunt, Cynthia, and me in the back seat. We’ve had plenty of food on road trips during that time, but the moment that stands out the most is that stop at the grocery store to get our turkey sandwiches. It was the stop we made each and every road trip.
I tried to search for the store online. It’s permanently closed now. I saw a photo of it. The windows were boarded up. I remember when it was open and thriving. Customers going in the doors, customers walking out, cars pulling in the parking lot. I remember being parked in front of the store, waiting for my uncle to walk out to the car with our favorite road trip lunch. I was just inches from Mama as she sat in the passenger seat. Just inches from my aunt to the right of me.
Have you ever pondered on how every day is a new day, yet yesterday is now years away?
I wonder who made those sandwiches. I wonder if they know a sandwich they made nearly three decades ago could mean so much to someone.
When I’m baking chocolate chip cookies with my children, when the oven beeps, they get so excited. Lol! I think about when I was in the kitchen with Mama, baking chocolate chip cookies. My reaction when the cookies were ready was just like my babies’ reaction. Lol! It’s so beautiful! Moments like these matter so deeply to me. I am a deep thinker. I am a deep feeler. I hold special moments very close to my heart.
Have you ever read The Beginning of A Foodie?
In our previous conversation on A Fun Story About Love, Jane, remember I mentioned that music, writing, and food are all universal? That touched me because three of my creative passions reflect my personality. I love meaningful moments. Meaningful moments are forever. We get to own them in our hearts.
Mama remembered the lyrics to her favorite song when she had dementia. Music lasts. Food is universal. Stories are forever.
Tell me, what’s your favorite food and why?
