Food and Memories
When I first came to college a couple years ago, I was surprised by how immature and goofy everyone’s humor had become. As seniors in high school, my friends and I thought we were so grown up, so knowledgeable and serious. However, coming to college, the low-hanging stupid jokes and Spongebob references again became commonplace. As time has passed, I’ve realized that this has become a pattern for me. In order to deal with the discomforts associated with being independent for the first time in my life, I find myself retreating into my memories for comfort and to relive the wonderful scenes.
Of course, as someone who loves food, I often choose to relive my past through food. There was the time where I bought too much apple cider and heated it up to eat while watching Rick and Morty with a friend. It reminded me of family friends, whose house we would visit several times a year for dinner parties. It was there where I had my first hot, spiced apple cider, ladled in coffee cups from a slow cooker. It was a time when I was too shy to talk to adults, but I could still find comfort and warmth in the deliciousness of the beverage. It was a time when their son who was my age and I could play video games for a while, a time when he was still alive. So as I drank my cider, all this time later, I relived all of those feelings, but not necessarily the memories. It wasn’t the same, but it made me feel so warm and comfortable again.
There was also the time I made s’mores in my apartment. It reminded me of when I was 9 or 10 and we went to Lake Lanier during the wintertime, to see Christmas lights, eat popcorn, sit by a fire and make s’mores. Our family was visiting from India and we wanted to show them the beauty of Christmas. I’ve always loved Christmas, and that night combined my love of food, lights, wintertime, and family together. As I heated up marshmallows in the microwave, I felt a tiny bit of the beauty of the memory.
There are countless other examples, of how food (among other things) has evoked the past and helped me reminisce and reflect. The nostalgia can be uncomfortable at times, but what I’ve found is how much our memories can serve us. Focusing on the present is important and beautiful, but sometimes looking back can remind us what is really important, allow us to re-center ourselves and remember where we come from.
Drops of the Week
where I *drop* recommendations of cool things this week
Playlist
zelda breath of the wild - my brother’s in town and we’ve been playing The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild on his Switch. The soundtrack is beautiful of course, and I found this Spotify playlist filled with tracks from it.
Longread
“Why All the Comedy Men Are So Awful” by Drew Magary - with all of these celebrities being outed for sexual misconduct (and more) recently, Magary takes a look at comedians through history and how they’ve always been this way, but the culture is changing, for the better.
Ceramic Art
Kat Hutter and Roger Lee - I feel like I focus too much on digital art and the like, so here are some beautiful ceramic artists!
Thanks so much for reading! If you have any comments/concerns or fan/hate mail for me, you know how to reach me (links below). Feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends too! :~)
Love,
Nikhil