“Food has a culture. It has a history. It has a story. It has relationships.” – Winona LaDuke
Research has shown fast food has changed the family dynamic all because less time than ever is spent in the kitchen and around the family table enjoying eating together. Back when daily gathering for meals was the norm, family bonding, relationship nurturing and all the feelings of love that are associated with food played an essential role in the culture of a unified family.
How many of us love certain foods because memories of loved ones are stirred up every time we eat a particular recipe? Every fall, I crave apple butter and there is a story behind my hungering for it. I associate it with two people whom I loved very much – my grandmother and my father. As the colorful crimson, apricot and amber autumn leaves turned to copper, sienna, burnt umber and chestnut, my ancestors always popped a lid on a jar of apple butter sitting in the pantry. What is in the jar contains more than just healthy food ingredients. For me, it is made of heart-warming feelings of family.
Last weekend I went to a small colonial village, Jerusalem Mill where food was cooked over the open hearth embers and it just happened to be a big pot of apple butter. How about them apples?
All Things Fulfilling 