The Foods that say I love You

A little while back, I read the Gastronomy of Marriage and wondered what it is like for Andrew and all other significant other's of foodies to cope with us. Earlier today, we went to the handfasting ceremony of two of our friends. Apparently, I just bawl at all weddings (or even wedding receptions I've helped cater, heh), but this time, there were a bunch of us, so I didn't feel so alone.

I was reminded today (and sometimes it was difficult to listen to, I admit) of everything that needs to be done on a daily basis to make a happy marriage and a healthy relationship work. I was so filled with gratitude for everything we have, that I just wanted to say I love you. Of course, all things must relate back to food around here, so this post I'm writing about food and love. I'm dedicating this post to all the foods that remind me of our relationship and that make me swoon a little every time I smell or see them even to this day:

Dill: Dill is #1 on my list for sure... It reminds me of when you first invited me over. Because you had just moved into your (what would so quickly be our) new apartment, your fridge was pretty empty. It was one of the only things in your vegetable drawers, and the anise-kissed smell of dill would waft through the entire kitchen every time we'd open the door. It reminds me of your "bachelor" days, when we were just beginning to know one another, when everything was still new and there was so much possibility in everything that surrounded us. I never ever wanted to throw out that dill because that's what it represented to me... I think it stayed in our fridge for at least a month or so.

Boiled (or Boiling) Tomatoes: It might seem silly to say for someone who loves to cook, but I had never really boiled tomatoes before until you showed me how. Whether it was or not, it's what I remember as one of the first things we cooked together. You stood behind me at the store with your arms wrapped around my waist, and showed me how to put them in the water while I'd take such glee in watching the skin burst just right. In those early weeks, you always made me whole wheat pasta with your homemade tomato sauce, and as simple as that might seem, it was always so perfect.

Caramelized Sweet Potato Salad: The first thing I ever saw you eat, and I'm pretty sure that's when you first talked to me about your veganism and food choices. You told me how you preferred to eat small meals throughout the day rather than 3 squares meals, and I knew you shopped at health food stores (bonus!). I told you about how interested I had always been in veganism... and really, those sweet potatoes just smelled really damn good. More than that, I'll always remember the plastic tupperware they came in, because now that our lives are completely intertwined, we use those containers all the time to get bulk nut butters and things at our favourite health food stores. It's still funny to see an object so foreign or that belonged to you now be such an integral part of my every day life, even years later.

My First Dinner for You + My Chocolate Cookies of Doom: I've thought very often as to whether or not I should post the recipe for those cookies on my blog, but I think I'm still saving it for a special occasion... I know that you know the story. The first month we were together, you went out one evening and I stayed at "your" place because I wanted to surprise you by making you dinner. I was so nervous to cook for you, because I'd never prepared food to impress a boy before. I decided I'd stick with my staples, because they're delicious and 100% no-fail. I made my notorious veggie couscous, which I panicked while making and made too watery for the first and only time. Paired with that was my very labour intensive roasted peppers with baked onions... I later found you were not that big a fan of roasted peppers nor onions, but you lovingly ate them anyway. And as the piece de resistance, I had planned for a chocolate raspberry cake, because I knew you loved raspberries. I was going out on a limb here because I decided to try my hand at vegan baking for the first time. I can't remember what recipe book I used, but I was so nervous I blended the two recipes on the page (one for cookies and one for cake), and by the time I noticed, it was kind of too late to start again and I was running out of time... The result was actually delicious. They have been called "cookies of doom," "round brownies," or the cookies my boss would beg me to make when I'd run home for my 30 minute lunch break. See... the best things grow out of love.

This is where it all began:

There are so many other foods and so many other memories. I never know how personal I can get here, because otherwise there would be a lot more... but these are definitely the ones that stand out. I love you.