For the Love of Food

Like many people I am in love with food. We plan our daily routine around food, we use it to celebrate, medicate, entertain, and also for reward. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and one thing I definitely look forward to is the feast. Why is it that we don't just whip up a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, seven layer salad, buns, and pumpkin pie on a random Tuesday in May? It would just not seem right. Food has a time and place. You can't have pizza on Christmas Eve, or mom's special Christmas cookies any other time than Christmas. I think as a society we have a very odd relationship with food. It is a love hate relationship. I am so looking forward to suprise spread and ooey gooey desserts because I love them, but I know come Tuesday morning I am going to hate trying to do up my dress pants and have a cream cheese hangover and a whole lot of post turkey day regret.

If you love food and get togthers as much as I do you will know there is nothing better than small towns. Any excuse to go out and visit and not have to cook while possibly supporting a good cause and I am there. I live for a Senior's bake sale and tea (I am going to love being a Senior! Bowling, bridge, afternoon programs, and time for quilting and cross stitch. Maybe I could just get a visitor's pass). I took Olivia to a Valentine's bakesale and tea when she was five here in Swift Current and we walked in the front door and a very lovely Senior lady was there to greet us. She reminded me a lot of my own Grandma Bea. She was dressed in a stylish red dress, jewlery, makeup and high heeled shoes and had her hair done up (oohh there is something else to look forward to getting a roller set once a week. Better than a ragedy old nub in the back of my hair). Olivia looked up at her with the honesty and sweetness only a child could possess she said in awe, "You are so beautiful". We sat down to a small card table with a lovely senior couple and had a visit. The ladies serving brought out Angel Food cake with whipped cream and Strawberries. I had a cup of tea and asked if they had a glass of juice for Olivia. The ladies had to search through the cupboards as they informed me that they never had kids show up at these teas! What fun to get all gussied up and drink tea out of a cute little cup and saucer on a table cloth that someone took the time to stitch some intricate design into. It feels like taking a step back into time when there were no such thing as blackberries or call waiting. You could sit and enjoy the "dainties" and the company.

Another one of my favorite things is a wedding shower or a baby shower. I have on occasion heard others complain about having to go to these events but I am all about the shower. Give me a good game of fill in the blank with the name of a brand of laundry soap or rearange the letters of the bride and grooms name to make as many words as you can in sixty seconds or best of all let me have a microphone and be the mc for the event and I am in heaven. The best baby shower game I ever saw involved 5 different chocolate bars microwaved into newborn diapers and all the attendees who were sitting in a circle passed the diaper around and had to sniff the gross looking chocolate bar diaper and identify the five kinds. It was brilliant, hillarious and disgusting all at the same time. I feel sorry for the girl who walked in late and had no idea what was going on.

The pinnacle of all pot lucks in the community Fowl Supper. There you hit the mother load! I was lucky enough to make my way out to Cabri to the school last week and enjoy their amazing fowl supper. I sat across from the nicest lady and her family and we had a great visit and as I was leaving people were actually thanking me for coming out to support their support to which I thought. Thank me? No No Thankyou! Thanks for a warm, home cooked supper, friendly conversation, as much cake as I wanted and not having to do the dishes! Here's to food I couldn't live without it!!

My family was worried I was going to make a scene. Who pulls out a giant camera in the middle of the school gym at a Fowl Supper. Ok there goes my idea of passing someone the camera so I could be in a shot. Olivia must have been predicting the early snow with her jacket she wore through the whole supper.