Ghosts in the Kitchen
A Meditation of Hearth and Heart
“The food we share together today strengthens the bonds we will share forever…”
Stanley Tucci 2022 “In Search of Italy”
(a work in progress)
It came upon me sleeping, that welcome fragrance of home, a holiday meal whose anticipation stirs memory and senses… Somewhere – a turkey and fixings, the whole house warmed by the oven in the kitchen baking its treasures hour by hour…
Stirred into waking – here were memories of home present and homes past, of joy and reunion – celebration and conflict and loss- and the movement of time itself through life – as its “fixed points” somehow stands still…
Close your eyes – take a breath and a moment to remember an aroma…
The “Ingredients” of Evoked Memories…
- People – who once gathered to cook and eat in this place.
- Plants – fruits of the earth and abundant in their season.
- Animals – life-spirits, sustaining our bodies through their own.
- Flavors – essences of remembrances and tradition and culture.
- Memories – recalled with joy and healing, and made with vulnerability filled with promise.
The “Inner Palette” of Life…
Can we glimpse them? In the beauty and wholesomeness of the foods before us…
Can we taste them? In the intricacies of flavors mingling and dancing together…
Do we honor them? In a chain of creation and renewal – of sustenance and respect – and celebration of God’s perpetual gift of Life.
D.S. Lamoureux, 2022
Images:
Unwrapping a great-grandmother and her child – The first logs of a New England Autumn – “The Old Covered Bridge“, Arlington, Vermont – Aunt Annie’s signature Apple Incredible Pie.