Love Muffin

Thinking back to my favorite meals, I always come back to a home cooked one. No matter the price tag of a meal or the quality of a meal I have ate in a restaurant. They will always peril in comparison to one at my parents dinner table.

I am sure that as you are reading this you are recalling a meal cooked by your mother or another family member. You can taste the ingredients, feel the texture and remember every bite you took. Yea it was that good wasn't it? OK, so why am I talking about this all of the sudden?

Just the other day I wasn't feeling well at home, being lazy, and trying to stay warm in the midst of the frigid weather conditions outside. I could tell that my mother was busy as usual. It was a Monday and she was making another meal for us to devour (she is really talented in the kitchen). So she was prepping her "super lentil soup", which is unlike any soup you have had. Unless you are an Arab than you probably had this pureed soup with a mix of boiled veggies. She had worked on it while multi-tasking between her day to day tasks. My mother is meticulous, she tastes and tastes her product. The kind of person who takes pride in her work and perfects it. She went out to the store just to get more cumin because it "Didn't taste right". As I ate the soup that made me feel 100 times better than before, I asked her how she goes about making the soup. I wont bore you with details but just say it was incredibly simple recipe that my mother even made it feel simple. As if anyone can just put together this simple dish and it would come out half as good.....no way!

I thought about it and yea it probably is simple, at least the idea is. The process is not, she is a mother and a caretaker. She is a respected woman who has high moral standing and shows everyone a high level of respect. When it comes to her food its the fact that she is making the dish with love. Now this may sound a bit strange but its the truth, she is able like all caretakers and great hosts to infuse their food with love and tenderness. Its what makes your favorite dish so special, not the ingredients (yes those are important). Its the love involved with it, the pure passion it takes. They are not just making a tasty dish, they are laboring for the love of you. When the meal is placed before you, it may not look like a 5-star restaurant but it tastes so good. The kind of taste that makes you eat slower and spark conversation just so no one asks you any questions while you focus on the task at hand (and pretend to be listening). No matter what is on the stove at home, its always the perfect meal at the perfect time. I can always count on having a full belly thanks to my parents. I can always count on having the best tasting food thanks to my mothers love.

So enjoy being the "Love Muffin" and be thankful someone cares that much to bring your taste buds into it. Have a good day everyone, thanks for reading.