I'm making a friend supper this evening.
They are in need of a bit of TLC and a bit of pampering.
Salmon and prawns with a light sauce, home made mini roast potatoes and mixed veg
Tiny sticky toffee pud and a low fat ice cream
And flowers...a small bunch of flowers.
There has to be flowers
I've only just realised that I haven't made anyone supper for maybe six months....
That's a long time for a nurturer/feeder to go without pushing food in a gob.
I miss feeding someone every day.....there is something fundamental in watching someone enjoy their food; almost a primeval pleasure in fact.
An empty plate , the feeling that you have gifted someone not only an enjoyed meal but some time and effort on your part, is a powerful vindication to a caregiver, and it is one I have inherited from my grandmother who showed her affection and love through the gift of good plain cooking.
Set against an upbringing of austerity, rationing, the war and finally the limits of a state pension, meals were planned, often frugal but oh so enjoyed, even to the last crumb
" I enjoyed that" she would often say after what I thought as a mediocre meal of left over ham. Potatoes and gravy and I always knew that she meant it. She was thankful for her food and that pleasure was passed to me , that little boy sat at the Formica topped dinner table tucked away in the tiny annex to her bungalow hall .
Preparing and eating a meal is a privilege for all
We have sometimes forgotten this fact me thinks.....
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Later more postcards! The postman is late today
Under the weight of the blooming sackful of postcards, methinks!
ReplyDeleteLX
Feeding folk, one of life’s pleasures, couldn’t agree more. Oh, that and of course eating!
DeleteLX
Yes, I noticed with my own parents and others of their generation who lived through the Depression and World War II that they always enjoyed their meals too, because they knew what it was to go without. They did not take those things for granted.
ReplyDeleteThank you John. This is exactly why I love to cook. The effort is important.
ReplyDeleteBeing fed, for me, is equally enriching! What a wonderful description.
ReplyDeleteI do believe there is no more a rewarding experience than feeding others. It is 'life-giving' in its most basic form.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful visit.
I like to think I'm that kind of grandma, however they are all grown up now, doing their own thing, and visiting my table has become infrequent. I love cooking and enjoy mostly feeding hubby these days - we both know how different food was and less plentiful certainly in our childhood days. Fortunately we both had mothers (and grandmothers) who knew how to make a healthy, fresh meal from scratch.
ReplyDeleteYour dinner guest will enjoy such a treat from your kitchen John - and the flowers are just beautiful.
Bon appétit!
My two year old grandson is at our house today, and has just polished off a large plate of pasta with cheese sauce, broccoli and a salmon fillet!
ReplyDeleteI love to cook, and my whole family loves to eat, so we're all happy!
If you're ever looking for someone to feed, preferably with a Sunday roast, remember, I only live 19 miles away and am always available to be fed!
Can I move in please?
ReplyDeleteI love cooking...cooking and baking for friends and family is my way of showing them I love them.
ReplyDeleteMakes me think of watching parent, especially mum, spoon feed their babies ... the parent's mouth often imitates the feeding action of the baby! Some really deep lizard-brain part of humans likes to feed others.
ReplyDeleteThis is something I think about a lot. I am a feeder, too. If I love you, I feed you. It is a joy, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteMy problem is that I always cook too much. Even when I had four children at home I cooked too much and now that it's just the two of us, I REALLY cook too much. However, I am going to make a concerted effort not to do that. I am sure that there is some deep-seated psychological reason for my abundance-cooking. I used to joke that in a former lifetime I was the cook for a lumberjack camp. I will say that I have very happy chickens as they frequently get the leftovers we just cannot eat.
But I am sure that the pleasure that the person you cooked for received in that meal was not as great as the pleasure you experienced in cooking it.
I'm like you Ms Moon - I cook waaaaayyy too much. I suppose I got used to having 5 people to cook for and now there's only little ol' me. I don't miss being married at all but since my kids left I do miss having someone to cook for. Still, I do cook for myself - red lentil soup just made and pork and sauerkraut for tomorrow. I'll end up the size of a house!
ReplyDeleteYou’re such a lovely man. 😘
ReplyDeleteOkay, leave it to me to bring down the tone of this very nice post. I latched onto "pushing food in a gob" and pictured a sailor on his knees and....never mind!
ReplyDeleteLoL love it.
DeleteMy daughter calls me 'the feeder'. I always offer food to people who pop in to see me. If I have people to stay, I always worry that they might be hungry so I'm always pushing food onto them. Glad you're getting lots of enjoyment from cooking for your friend and equally sure they will really appreciate the effort. On the postcard front, I never knew how hard it would be to buy a postcard in my vicinity but I haven't given up!
ReplyDeleteI used to be a great cook.
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughter is out cook. I thank her at the end of every meal. I hope the next person she cooks for does the same.
ReplyDeleteI hope you both enjoy eating your supper tonight. x
ReplyDeleteI’ve tired of cooking meals. Fortunately we both like eating leftovers so I can cook a few times a week. Mostly it’s the planning, the shopping, and then the cleanup. The actual cooking is okay. I’ve just run out of ideas of what sounds good to eat.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a good cook....but I love eating....xx
ReplyDeleteI too am a nurturer through food and home keeping. I used to cook for up to 26 people when we lived in a couple Camphill communities (in Pennsylvania and Northern Ireland) so nowadays I almost always cook too much. This works well for work lunches and keeping teenage sons fed without going crazy! Giving a sick friend a quart of home gown and homemade chicken soup is the best...
ReplyDeleteI love cooking for others, and I cook from scratch every evening when I get in.. we eat quite late but it is fresh and wholesome. Hubby also likes to cook so we are well suited and are both good cooks. Weight maintenance is our problem ... sigh!
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland
The postie is probably late because his? bag is weighed down by your mail.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, cooking for others is a wonderful expression of love. As is being cooked for.
I feed, too. Specifically my family. Do you make your own sticky toffee pudding? It has to be one of my favourites. I tried to make it as muffins once, to put the 'caramel' sauce overtop, but they were not good. Do you have a secret recipe? -Jenn
ReplyDeleteAccording to my mom, my grandfather (who I never knew) always said to my grandmother after finishing dinner, "Fannie, that was delicious." After leaving Siberia and settling in New York City, he thought that any decent food was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIrene
Preparing food and eating are such social activities that it can be very hard for someone whose companion is gone out of their life to enjoy cooking and eating. My friend whose husband died recently is having trouble doing much more than peanut butter on a slice of bread.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I love cooking for others. I was thinking how my fathers food prejudices were based on his being born in the depression and living through the war years.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a very tasty meal.
ReplyDeleteYou should invite someone more often John, and don't refuse any invitations yourself to dine with friends.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to seeing you're starting to focus outward a bit more! Very healing!
ReplyDeleteFriends are the best!
Loosely related ... my cousin's widow told me she misses "looking after him." The first time she did laundry that was only her own clothes was a punch in the gut. -Kate
ReplyDelete