"It needs to marinate overnight" My mother would say as she slid the glass tray onto an empty shelf that she had prepped and cleared out just before she grabbed the newly printed recipe from her binder. She had mixed the herbs and sauce in a slow cooker, heating it to perfection with an aroma that wafted through the house, teasing me out of my room just hours before... and now here she was... letting it marinade in a fridge overnight. She had been cooking all day, I always thought it was silly, all this time and effort for a fleeting moment when your prize creation was consumed.
Here's the thing about my mom, she always tried something new to cook. I was a picky eater yet the aroma's that filled that house had me running to her like an excited puppy. I could never wait either, sneaking fried chicken when she wasn't looking, taking a penne noodle of the mac n' cheese from a corner of the dish that I would hope goes undetected. When it was time for the family to be seated my father and I had entered a sort of race in my mind. The race for seconds that is, that man devoured good helpings of my moms best dishes fast, I had no choice but to keep up or miss out.
I was always ready for the race, my mom on the other hand always set the pace and waited for the reward. The reward for her wasn't about the quantity she could intake, but the idea of creating something that nourished her family, tasted like home, and was as unique as her.
Often people say that they are just trying to stay afloat, ain't that the truth too, however we are all moving so fast with this current called life. What if you stopped paddling so quickly, and slowed your pace just a bit? Maybe you could see what my mom saw in that kitchen, that the reward was all around her, her home, her family and the flavor she added to it each and every day. Enjoy the process and remember that there is no one way in to live life, it is only what you make of it, but try to season it well with love, hope and patience, because only then will it truly taste like home.
Like my mom always said, "for the best taste you have to let it marinate, it takes time but all that flavor will soak right in."
Comments