I think we all recognize food is not just a fundamental necessity for survival. That if you’re lucky enough, food can be a tapestry of flavors, textures, and aromas that have the ability to transcend the physical and enlighten our spirits.
Each experience has the ability to insure a mental record of that moment while profoundly connecting us to a past otherwise locked from our conscious. In Marcel Proust’s early 20th century work “In Search of Lost Time”, the narrator dips a madeleine cake into a cup of tea, and the taste triggers a flood of memories from his childhood. Its character reflects the geography and people of its origin.
For me, lasagna connects me to my childhood and parents. My mother, of Italian heritage, makes the layered pasta dish traditionally for Christmas and a bite instantly takes me back to my past home in upstate New York, opening presents. Much to my Italian ancestors’ chagrin, I smother it with parmesan. The combination of meat, cheese and pasta is comforting as it is tastey.
Through food, I appreciate the geography of the places from which the ingredients originate. It’s important to me to understand the nature of the environment in which it was grown and produced. And it made the most sense to me also for one rule of wine pairing: similar/same location sourced wine and food(style) pair well. Italian red with Italian pasta. Each enhances each other’s geospatially derived characteristics.
Food also serves as a bridge to cultural heritages, acting as a medium through which traditions are preserved and celebrated, telling stories of who we are and where we come from. Getting to know a place and culture is deeply connected to sharing the local foods and flavors and it is a priority for me (as with many) when traveling. Seeking out both, Hole-in-the-wall local dive can be as equally eye opening as a Michelin star restaurant.
One food (and smell) that immediately connects me to a culture that wasn’t my own, but rather my wife’s, is guava. Often, our family visits the Dominican Republic, where my wife spent her childhood. And guava isn’t just used in juices but also a flavoring in meals. It only takes a whiff of this amazing fruit and I feel like I am on the Caribbean beach
While I do enjoy the creativity and craft of making meals, I also enjoy the privilege of being treated to gastronomic delights. Living in New York City affords access to an amazing array of foods from all over the world. It is one of the cities’ features that keep me ground here; that I can experience other cultures and places through New York City’s plethora of gastronomic choices
Not everyone can enjoy food in these ways. Caught up in dangerous or environmentally challenging worlds, some don’t have the opportunity to experience the flavors and textures beyond sustenance. And I am appreciative of the luxury not often afforded to others in the world. And yet, I know, even in with little, carefully prepared food can not only satisfy but uplift.