Food = Love

I just visited boomama's blog, and she mentioned she was cooking 21 pounds of chicken for an event at her church. I was thinking about all the time, work, pain, etc. that goes into cooking on that scale. Folks, that is a sacrifice and a labor of love. I am telling you, this old, fat, Baptist girl would have to really love you a bunch to cook 21 lbs. of chicken for you. And I am sure there were side dishes and dessert to prepare besides the chicken.

I know that some people don't like to cook. Some have just never been taught, and some just don't have any interest in learning. And that is fine, variety makes the world go round, and likes and talents vary from person to person, thank God, and I mean that sincerely. After all, I have absolutely no interest in learning to sky dive or to be a brain surgeon, but if that's your thrill, more power to you. As for me, cooking is one of my thrills. Here lately I have been doing some introspective (Yay!!, big word for me!!) thinking, and I have come to realize some things about me in particular, and other people in general.

I believe I have mentioned before in this space that I absolutely despise housework, and washing dishes in particular. Hate it, hate it, hate it, with a passion! But, I love to cook......cooking tends to lead to dirty dishes and a dirty kitchen..........and there lies the rub. Thank the good Lord, my hubby washes almost all the dishes, leaving me free to express my love of cooking. And that is what I do when I cook for someone, express my love for them. I am doing better at verbally expressing my love and appreciation for people, but it is something I do better by actions rather than words. I tend to give the gift of food for various occasions and crises, along with the shoulder to cry on and the wise (snort, guffaw, hack!) words. I diagnose the illness, then treat with food.

Examples:
1. Bad day at school for Irma?-----Homemade brownies
2. Family birthday?--------------Their fav meal and dessert
3. Family anniversary?----------See above
4. Spring fever, but too cold and windy to barbecue outside?-------Barbecue anyway and freeze because they want barbecue and you're a good sister, lol......... :) :) ;) (See my Jan. 30, 2006 blog in Archives)
5. Brokenhearted because they broke up with their boyfriend----------Mexican chicken casserole
6. Sniffles or bad cold------------Make chicken noodle soup, warm up twice, and they never ate it anyway
7. That Time Of The Month---------Make chocolate ANYTHING, it doesn't matter as long as it's
CHOCOLATE!!!
8. (Insert school event here)--------Make cupcakes or cookies at 10 pm the night before because Darling
Daughter forgot to tell you until 8 pm that she Volunteered you to supply cookies or cupcakes for her class,
and they have to be ready by 10 am the next morning (this only happened twice, for some reason, ;)
9. Various events at church--------Prepare 12 dozen homemade yeast rolls.....(do you know how much flour
and work is involved in making 12 dozen yeast rolls for one occasion?!)
10. Insert occasion______________---------Insert food required________________-

Get the idea? Preparing good food for people we love is a labor of love. We equate cooking for someone with showing love and concern for them. Sometimes hunger is not just physical, but emotional. Don't believe it? Look at your hips.............No, look at MY hips, LOL. :) It's not always the food that's the focus, it's the fact that someone loves you enough to stand on those tired, hurting feet, with that aching back, and spend 4 hours making that meal for you. Cooking for someone when you don't really feel like it and are not really physically able is a sacrifice we make to self, to show our love for them. I have to make myself take care of my family sometimes when I don't really feel like it. But don't you feel good when you know someone went out of their way to cook something for you, when you know it took their time, and maybe they didn't really feel well, but they did it because they love you?

Cecil will remember this well. When we were about 9 and 10 years old, we got an EasyBake Oven for Christmas. Ever ate anything made in an EasyBake Oven, especially back in 1973? Folks, it doesn't even remotely resemble anything edible. Now, our longsuffering Daddy worked at the Singer Sewing and Furniture Factory in Trumann, Arkansas, and they got off work at 4 pm every day. When Daddy came home, he wanted a cup of coffee every day. We made him something in that EasyBake oven every day to have with his coffee when he came in from work. Poor Daddy!! He never said a word, he just choked that mess down and bragged about how good it was, lol. Sometimes it took 2 cups of his extra-strong coffee to get it down, but he ate it. Now that is LOVE, I tell you. He choked down those inedible lumps every day because he loved us and didn't want to hurt our feelings.

I have another story to tell about the first cake Cecil and I ever made, for Mama and Daddy's anniversery, but I will save that for later. Be sure you have your Depends on before you read it, lol.

I have to go show my love for my daughter and her boyfriend and his friend. I am unexpectedly making chicken and rice and broccoli and cheese sauce for supper. Talk to you peeps later........lol.