A couple weeks ago we started the international section of the program. Two of the first days were coincidentally foods that triggered real nostalgia for me.
One bite of a hush puppy took me back to being a kid eating fried catfish at the lake. And I had been talking about wanting to make tamales since December, my dad coming home with two plastic grocery bags full of them and just loving it is a core memory.
My relationship with food as a kid and into adulthood has always been colored as a difficult one. Trying to heal that relationship is what got me into cooking and appreciating food in a different way in the first place. But getting to cook these foods that brought back very pure childlike feelings of joy was unexpectedly healing… and fun! It was an even fuller circle moment for me since we made them all plant based. It was refreshing, enlightening and even heartwarming to realize I have memories with food that aren’t all negative or with “baggage”.
We all have a “food story” starting in childhood that influences the way we eat, cook, and feel about food in general… and ultimately impacts our mental, emotional, and physical health. For me, getting curious about this is so powerful and interesting… and necessary.
