Food Is Joy

Biting into the grilled chicken, I was hit by an explosion of flavors. As I chewed, my heart welled up with emotion. The same way it did the first time I truly heard Ivan Torrent's Skyborn. In that moment I felt blessed to be alive. It was a palpable joy. If I could touch it, I bet it would feel like the sand dunes of the Kgalagadi in the mid morning. If I could see it, it would look like the bouquet of flowers we had bought for our friend - for whom the delicious grilled chicken was celebrating. If I could smell it - in fact I did - it would have the aroma of  the Robertsons spices that had cooked it. This was last week Friday, and we were celebrating one of our friends' graduation. Food is joy! Whether a graduation dinner or a Thanksgiving feast with the fam, food has the power to build and sustain community. It is the currency of love and care. It has healing powers. That joy from Friday has inspired me to reflect on the ways food brings joy into my life. 

Food has the power to build and sustain community. In the busy Stanford life, it is sometimes hard to find time to spend with loved ones. But everyone must eat. During the 4 years of my undergraduate career, my meal times doubled as my socialization times. I love routine, and I got joy from breaking bread with my friends on a weekly basis: Monday breakfasts with CY, Thursday dinners with LS, and weekend brunches with ND. My weekday lunches with MC have even continued into our graduate career. Being the slow eater that I am, I always feel loved and cared for each time my friends wait patiently for me to finish eating my food. The last two thanksgivings, we hosted some friends over for dinners inspired by Botswana cuisine. Seeing loved ones from different parts of my life congregated at the dinner table always feels so sacred. 

It is the currency of love and care. Some months back I was ill and my two friends - KG and JC - came to see that I was well fed. One brought me the groceries that I needed, and the other fixed me a meal. Nothing says I am loved more than someone taking their time to cook food so I have something to eat. Especially, when I am incapacitated by illness or work. One other way that food facilitates love is through the exchange of photos, recipes, and experiences. It is an act of love that I share photos of my food with all of you on this blog. It is me sharing my joy with you. But more personal than a public blog, I am especially grateful that AL and I frequently trade photos of our adventures in the kitchen. Each time she calls me a chef and ask me to describe each day's meal, I feel seen. What is the point of companionship - in all kinds of relationships - if not for your journey on this earth to be witnessed? When my boy EMM shared of his new relationship with goat food - aka salad - it inspired me to incorporate salads into my diet. Even when he and I cannot agree on the right way to cut a tomato, I still feel loved and cared for. That he would show me his approach, is itself an act of love. 

There is some healing power in making food. The past few weeks have been especially tough, as we navigate a deadly pandemic and racist violence. During this time, I have often found solace in cooking. It has been my anchor. The mental energy used to figure out something to cook that we have not had in the past few days, is a welcome distraction. Beyond the current moment in time, cooking sets my spirit on fire. There is a joy to applying the collective wisdom of my family, the recipes on the internet, and my intuition. Yes, sometimes I make bland food. But learning from that experience always reminds my soul that failure is the building block of delicious food; the building block of excellence. Cooking and the associated clean up are meditative activities that afford me the privilege to unwind. To feel at peace in the world; not worried about projects, the injustice of our world, and the issues troubling my loved ones. It is a therapeutic escape. 

So as I swallowed that delicious chicken, I knew without an ounce of doubt that food is joy! To all my friends out there, I cannot wait to share another meal with you, and therefore my love and joy.