Soul Food

Soul Food. Dishes cooked with love, laughter, and Lawry's! It fills the belly and warms the spirit (when executed properly). You have to include macaroni and cheese, greens and potatoes. You have to take your time with each dish. There's no such thing as fast soul food. Everything has its own separate process. Most of the food requires contact with human hands. During the cooking process the food and soul become one. For the first time, I felt the connection between the food and the people.

When I invited a few amigos over for some creative inspiration, something in me had the urge to cook food. Usually when I cook it's a simple menu. Maybe baked fish or grilled salmon, wild rice, and broccoli. Easy, quick and light. This time however, I wanted to make some soul food. It may have been the holiday spirit, or maybe I was hungry at the time. Whatever the reason, I started to mentally prepare my meal. I knew I wanted to make turnip greens, macaroni, baked chicken, and potato salad.

That's exactly what I made. I was a bit insecure about the seasonings and taste of all the dishes, so I let my godmother and godsister try some. They liked it! They said it was good, and they were honest. I was proud of myself, and my confidence soared when they asked to take home some of the greens I made. My entire apartment smelled like Angie's restaurant, and I knew I was ready to share the food with my friends.

I'm always on the other side. I'm always showing up to eat, not cook. Whenever I go to someones house and I know they've cooked a bunch of food, I'm full of anticipation. I can't wait to see, smell and taste the food, especially when it's a reputable cook. Most likely the thought of the food was on my mind all day. I go in preparing to be served. Now that I'm reflecting, it is a selfish approach. I didn't buy the food or help prepare it. I have no intentions of staying and cleaning. I go in to eat, drink, be merry, take a plate, and go home. Thankfully, I'm a changed woman.

I finally understand why our Grannies, moms, aunties and other loved ones do this year after year. The way they kept complimenting me on the food made me want to go back in the kitchen and make some more. When those guys walked down into my apartment, they could smell the food before they came into the door. They said that it's easy to tell when someone actually baked some real macaroni because of the smell. I started off with some all natural fruit juice; Simply Lemonade and Simply Fruit Punch. Then they dove into the main course. One friend commented about the way the chicken was falling off the bone.

Now, some people are great actors. They'll compliment the food, eat it, and convincingly lie about how good it was. But these guys couldn't fake cleaning their plates, going back for seconds, and asking to take some more food home. If they were deceiving me then they both deserve Oscars. Those guys praised my food throughout the remainder of the evening. They didn't even have to add any salt or pepper. I was on cloud now, beaming with pride. All of my self doubts dissipated last night. Another rite of passage.

Why is this so important to me? Because in my family the ladies who can cook well are revered and respected. Because one day I'll be expected to fill those shoes. Some day Ryan and his friends will pull up to our house anticipating his mom's famous dish. One year, I'll be hosting the big Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday meal. In the future my significant other will bring his family over to my house for our first dinner together.

Learning to cook these meals and actually perfect them means a lot to me. It's soul food. My energy is transferring from my soul to the food. I hold the greens, potatoes, and meat in my hands. The force that I use to stir, mix and marinate comes from within. The thoughts I think and my state of mind go into the oven with that macaroni and cheese. I've never seen a mad woman in the kitchen. When cooking the mood should always be positive, fun, and relaxing. Whether you acknowledge it or not, your mood affects your food.

There are a million definitions of "soul food." This is my interpretation.

Happy Holidays!