Reverb 10: Day 26 - Soul Food

Today's Reverb 10 Prompt:

December 26 – Soul Food

What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?

(Author: Elise Marie Collins)

Anyone who reads my daily 5 lists on a regular basis knows that food has an amazing power to make me smile and that it often makes the list of things I'm thankful for.

That said, a couple of meals this year stand out.

I've had some pretty great food prepared by family members this year, including yesterday's turkey dinner.  (And I say that as someone who actually doesn't like turkey!)  I have a cousin who is training to be a chef, and the food he and his mom have been preparing for our family gatherings has been pretty incredible.  Yesterday's meal included appetizers, a soup course, a salad course, and then the main buffet dinner, and it was fantastic, particularly the spinach salad my cousin made.  So good.

I ate some "new" foods this year, including the "butter burger" from Culver's in Wisconsin and Minnesota.  My dad had been raving about that burger for a while, and I have to tell you, it was pretty tasty.

Some of my favorite food memories from this year involve friends, and the best of those happened during my trip to California.  One of the first things we did after I met my friend in the airport was go for lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory.  My friend introduced me to a dish called Mizithra, and, well, I may have fallen in love.  (So in love that I was absolutely delighted to discover that I can get that particular delicacy here in Calgary, and that I found a friend who would indulge my tastes and meet me at Old Spaghetti Factory here for dinner!)  In California I also ate the best steak dinner I've ever had, some fantastic authentic Mexican food, and what was quite possibly the best cheesecake I've ever eaten (and I say that as someone who doesn't like cheesecake very much!)  Oh, and I almost forgot, but I had these crazy good chicken bite things for breakfast on the way to Disneyland.  I can't remember the name of the fast food place where we got them, but they were TASTY, and I've wished since that I could find them here.

And then, there's the comfort food category.  For me, that includes Almond Joy bars, Vietnamese, Subway, and Macdonalds.  Almond Joy bars fall into a unique category, because they can't be purchased in the part of Canada that I live in, so any Almond Joy in my possession is either purchased when I travel, or sent/delivered to me by friends who live in the United States, or travel there for work or pleasure.  The other three categories are simple, because I order the same things every time.  At Vietnamese restaurants I always order "bun" - rice vermicelli with veggies, pork, and spring rolls.  At Subway, it's always a turkey breast sub on honey oat bread, with lettuce, cucumber, sub sauce, sweet onion sauce, and light mayo.  At Macdonalds, it's some combination of a cheeseburger, fries, and mcnuggets.  These are the foods I eat when I want familiar and happy.

I love that taste has the ability to make me smile, and I look forward to meals, particularly when I can share those meals with the people who are dear to me.  There's something unique and beautiful about sharing fabulous food and conversation with loved ones that I can't quite put words to, except to say that it is fabulous, and I long for more of those moments.