I have memories of my five-year-old slurping down my beef stew, sneaking bites of our salads, of eating okra! For a time, we found a lot of joy in the food we ate together. But then there was the pandemic, a third birthday, another baby, and somewhere in the bowl of mush that was the past four years, food had lost its fun for us.
To compensate, or to conjure, I sometimes write children’s stories about food. Silly stories, fun stories. These stories sometimes inspire me to cook with a little more feeling, and I know that makes a difference at the table.
Here is one of those stories, along with two illustrations by the lovely Caroline Corrigan. Happy love day.
Dads make soup for moms who are sick
and moms make milk - like love to drink.
There’s heart behind every egg beat
dough rolled, and apple plucked.
That’s why a warm piece of pie
feels like an inside out hug.
(And so many foods look like hearts -
don’t you think?)
On Valentine’s Day, try a bouquet of flour
to mix into biscuits, or cookies, or chowder.
I’d grow olives on my branches if I could
but my branches can at least cook food that is good.
Cooking takes time
and time’s what we got.
When you don’t know how to say it,
put your feelings in a pot!
Food can be fussy
food can be quick
but behind the best food
there is love -
that’s the trick.