This entry belongs to Rice Bowl Journal’s October 2008 Collaboration.
There is a lot of love that goes into homemade cooking. It differs from the mass produced meals ordered at restaurants. It is far more warm, evoking a feeling of being loved, when compared to fast food. There is a certain depth that even estranges a homecooked meal from a haphazardly thrown together plate. A good dish takes preparation, but it also takes a lot of heart. I believe there is a heartfelt difference between opening a can of soup, plopping it in a bowl, and heating it up.
My boyfriend has been sick lately, so I went to a local gourmet food market. It’s relatively cheap, and stocked with a vast selection that’s rather dizzying. A person could spend literally hours there, sampling foods, testing the ripeness of vegetables, and if lazy, selecting pre-made meals ranging from sushi to chicken fettucine or sandwich wraps. With a bag full of fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and the grand surprise – smoked gouda – I trudged the mile or two back to his place, fighting against the cold weaving through the microscopic gaps in my sweatshirt’s fibers.
Greeting him briefly, I made my way to my unofficial office, my pride really, the kitchen – and set about getting ingredients in order. The harsh realities of living in a downturned economy, and not being well-established on one’s own yet has been clear in our choice of food items and grocery lists. I don’t remember the last time we ate fresh vegetables (not counting potatoes or onions) that weren’t frozen or canned. It’s simply cheaper and more long-lasting to buy stuff that won’t rot away in a week.
Ignoring the 3 lbs of chopped turkey meat that would probably kill someone if it ever accidentally fell from the freezer onto one’s unsuspecting cranium, I removed a box of chicken stock (shh! it’s not cheating!) and prepared a combination of stock and water in one large stock pot. Then, I set about adding seasoning to water in another, and poured whole wheat noodles in to boil and soften. I added seasoning – bay leaves, basil, parsley, oregano, some salt and pepper, and a touch of olive oil to the stock/water, and set it to boil as well. I washed all of the vegetables, then proceeded to chop lettuce, an onion, tomatoes, a cucumber, gouda cheese, and carrots for the first salad we’ve sadly been able to consume in weeks. I added grapes saved from the school cafeteria from lunchtime, and topped the whole thing off with a caesar parmesean yogurt dressing. I took small portions of meatloaf cooked and sent up from his mother (prepared with love too), and breaking it into bits, dropped it into the stock. I finely diced more vegetables, this time adding potatoes, and added them as well. Yes, even lettuce.
I drained the noodles and sliced each in half before transferring it over to the soup, already pleasantly boiling, and let the thing go for another twenty minutes until all the vegetables were soft and the broth was rich in flavor and nutrients. My boyfriend smelled the air expectantly, a hint of a smile on his face when he saw the salad, and offered me a cup of coffee. We set the table together and had a very nice meal. Aside from the initial purchases and decorative steps that we had taken in the apartment thus far since August, this particular meal felt like home.
And, Happy Halloween.
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