Food For Thought: Final Draft

By Lindsey Jones

I sit down in my favorite seat at my favorite restaurant. Squirming with anticipation I wait impatiently for my food to arrive. Although I’ve been to Katie Mullen's many times before, until now I have always ordered the same dish; today is different as I’m feeling exceptionally adventurous. My dish finally arrives, the restaurant calls it marinated mushroom and rice, and looking at it I instantly realize that I’ve had this dish before. However, I cannot recall the exact time and place of the previous consumption. I take my first bite and I’m instantly transported back to my childhood in my mother’s warm and inviting kitchen. Although the dish I remember was always called beef stroganoff, the feelings it evokes are entirely the same; happiness, love, and warmth. One may argue that the sense of smell is the strongest sense tied to memory, and I find it entirely arguable that food may be the strongest tangible object tied to memory. What else can so effectively bring about instantaneous memories of people, places, events, and feelings, not to mention complete recollections of the dishes with which it was served?

Christmas is among my favorite holidays. The overall feelings of joy and good will toward man are cliché, but nonetheless true. More important, however, is the feeling of togetherness and celebration of family and friends, which is all the more compounded by food. As trivial as the idea may seem, nothing says “Christmas” more to me than the snacks, treats, drinks, and delicacies served all throughout this one very special day. A Christmas with my family always consists of a feast fit for kings including succulent honey baked ham, cheesy Christmas potatoes that are golden and crunchy, steaming apple cider lightly spiced with rum, and other such delicious delicacies. The memory of such foods always hits home and makes me long for a family gathering. While I may forget what present I gave to whom, or what I received, I never forget my favorite dishes, or the sense of fulfillment at seeing my family gathered around, laughing, enjoying each other’s company, and marveling at the fantastic food!

Of course, the prowess of food is not only limited to holidays. Gatherings for graduations, for example, wherein wholly-different-than-holiday foods are served, have exactly the same effect. Bar-be-cue is hardly a favorite at Christmas or Thanksgiving, but firing up the grill certainly brings people together. There’s something about the sweet smell of marinating ribs and the cool crisp crunch of the vegetable platter that uplifts the spirits of everyone in attendance. Even under some circumstances in which people are unfamiliar with each other, plates full of happiness have a certain way of easing tension in an otherwise uncomfortable crowd. Perhaps it is the food itself that reminds them of other friendly get- togethers and puts them at ease. Whatever the case, less than enthusiastic guests become wrought with the desire to praise fantastic concoctions from those who might have otherwise been offered less than the time of day.

Great food certainly has its niche in society as a bringer of joy and companionship, but what about bad food? In relation to memory, one never, ever forgets the place he or she went and was sickened by the food. Bad food seems to stick to one's memory like a goopy casserole to my mother's dishes. The memory of the food remains prominent and sometimes even recalling the memory can bring an uneasy feeling to the stomach. For instance, I once visited the restaurant Chili's and was fed a less than desirable chicken entrée. The inside of the chicken was pink and appeared undercooked. Although I had eaten at the restaurant plenty of times before and received nothing short of gourmet dishes, after my bad experience the thought of returning there makes me cringe. Foul food definitely leaves its mark upon our memories. Despite a restaurant’s hordes of other menu items or the praise given it by those you come into contact with, said restaurant will forever be tainted in the soul of an ill-fed patron.


Of course, even good food can take its toll, as nearly everyone has a story about a particular food he or she gorged on to the point of madness, and, consequently, would refuse even if told to eat it at gun-point. Take my mother for instance. She often likes to tell the story of when she had been a broke college student and bought a horde water chestnuts. She loved the chestnuts and they were cheap so they were the only thing she ate for two weeks straight. After the two weeks of gorging she became repulsed by them and to this day she picks them out of her Chinese food. Even the crisp crunch and watery aroma of someone else sinking their teeth into a water chestnut transports my mother back to a time of stomach cramps and overwhelming disgust. It is miraculous how once a food is on your hit list you can retain a life-long contempt for the very food that you once cherished.

Consider a time when a friend or family member randomly invited you out for a meal, and while you really didn’t want to go, you had one of the best times you can remember. The moment you sank into a meal fit to wow even the harshest critics, you suddenly couldn’t remember why you didn’t want to leave home and your Hot Pocket in the first place. Take for example, my reluctant visit to my friend Mandy’s house. I was nervous because we had not known each other long and she was inviting me over for dinner during which I would have to meet her family! Not good at meeting new people, I desperately wanted to avoid the situation. However I did not want to ruin my new found friendship so I attended the dinner against my better judgment. Once her mother brought out the main dish of chicken tetrazzini I began to forget all that worried me prior to the dinner. The dish was delicious with grilled chicken, sauteed mushrooms, onions, cheese, and zucchini baked to perfection with noodles in a cream of mushroom sauce. After I had taken my first bite all my apprehension melted away and I thereafter spent countless nights dining with Mandy and her family. Such is the power of food! It is ever seductive, enticing, mouth-watering, and a force to be reckoned with when it comes to things that are forever bound to memory.