What I Learned About Myself From a Cleanse

A month ago, I shared some thoughts over at The Collaboreat about a 10-day cleanse that I undertook in October. I hadn’t shared this with you because I have never intended for this blog to be a healthy living experiment, but in light of writing earlier this week about capturing memories, I thought it was a good time to reflect on the fact that memories, for me, often revolve around food.

Most moments in life are made better by sharing food with others.

I shared earlier in October my family’s recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls, and how the memories I have of making them with my grandmothers on both sides of the family are priceless – and that I wish someone would have captured that at least once.

What I remember most about Thanksgiving mornings growing up was making Golden Puffs (a donut-like deep-fried pastry rolled in sugar – what’s not to love?) and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

What I remember most about birthdays was Paw Paw always showing up with a crisp two-dollar bill and a bag of plain old pretzels.

What I remember most about getting my wisdom teeth out in high school was Scott, my then-boyfriend, showing up with a quart of cookie dough ice cream to cheer me up (just one of the many reasons he is now my husband – he thinks in ice cream terms).

There’s a certain ceremony in food, a special way that it marks the moments of our lives.

A lot of people get annoyed about people sharing (or over-sharing) photos of their food on Instagram or Facebook (Guilty!). Maybe it can be annoying, but I also think its us attempting to connect with the world through the food we eat.

We remember the first time we saw our favorite movie and how it made us feel. We remember reading our favorite book for the first time, something that then becomes a part of us and shapes the way we view the world.

So why not strive to remember the food we eat that does the same?

What are your favorite food memories? 

P.S. The above photo is Squash Gratin that I shared on Instagram. Here’s the link to the recipe. Pro tip: always double the cheese.