"Nothing - not a conversation, not a handshake, not even a hug - establishes friendship so forcefully as eating together." Jonathan Safran Foer
Commensality - or the act of eating together - is one of the most fundamentally human experiences we can have. From the cooking to the serving to the sitting around a shared table, eating with others brings both fuel, and friendship, to our lives. While eating together, we can connect with each other deeply. So we challenge you today to think about a favorite childhood recipe, and update it to work for you and your friends today. You can remake cupcakes or casseroles, fajitas or flan. The recipe you choose is just half the story, though. The real act of connection is found in the sharing - so get cooking, and then get eating together!
The foods of our childhood shape us - the memories found in birthday cakes and Hanukkah seders, wedding feasts and ballpark hotdogs all remind us of shared experiences, and community connectedness. When we eat them later in life, often those positive memories come flooding back. Remaking a favorite dish is a wonderful way to bring back those relational memories - and inviting someone to share in the eating with you is a powerful way to bring new relationships into your world.
Think back on some of your favorite food memories. They might be cookies your grandmother baked every spring, or a bread you bought at a neighborhood bakery each Saturday morning with your dad. It could be something as simple as a summer fruit salad you ate at the beach, or as elaborate as a multi-tiered cake you craved each birthday. Whatever that dish is, write the recipe down. Then invite a friend over to cook it, and eat it, with you. Enjoy the time shared together. And when they leave, gift them a copy of the recipe so they can make it again - a simple way to keep the connectedness going well into 2018.
Enjoy your delicious treats - and we would love to know what you are making! Feel free to leave a comment here telling us what you are planning to recreate!