Food and how it connects us
One of the things that I love about the 52Frames group is that it is made up of people from around the world. Some of my favorite framers live in Australia, Israel, Great Britain and many travel to the far corners of the world. So when I was browsing through the new cookbook section of the Gail Borden Library and Shabat (Recipes and Rituals From My Table to Yours) and Jewish Comfort Food, I had to pick them up.
I will never forget learning of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. My heart stopped as I reached out to my framer friends throughout the country and waited to hear if they and their families were ok. Every day I checked in and was left feeling completely helpless– thousands of miles away– able to do nothing more than tell them I was sending courage, love, and strength and the hope that this nightmare would end sooner rather than later. I am writing this entry on March 2– almost five months later and the war continues on.
I must have grabbed the book in October after the war started, because I remember messaging my friend Karen on Halloween about the book. We texted back and forth for some time– she from her bombshelter in her house 50 miles from the border of Gaza and me from the foyer of my house in between handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.
I selected a few recipes–a vegetable kugel, a potato kugel, and an apple noodle dessert to try. Karen was interested in both the recipes because she happened to have the ingredients at home. I snapped a quick picture of both recipes and we agreed to compare notes on how they turned out.
I made my dishes the very next weekend. I was overwhelmed with worry for our friends throughout the area. The stories of what was happening were horrifying. This was one small way that I could connect and show our friends that they were seen– by enjoying a meal that embodied something special in their culture.
The potato kugel was AH-MAZING! The vegetable kugel was excellent and even better the next day as the base for breakfast. The apple noodle dish was one of the most unique desserts we have ever had. Think of upside down apple cake, but the cake was made of noodles instead of cake. It was SO good. I remember bringing in a piece for my intern to try and he was just blown away by the uniqueness of the dish.
A few weeks went by and Karen eventually was able to try the recipes, too. I loved that we had that connection! We were finally ready to put our pins in the map when I realized I was not sure if it was appropriate to attribute these recipes to Israel. Afterall there are Jewish populations around the world. I reached out to Karen again and she was amused by the question. She truly had no idea, but through a friend was able to confirm that the recipes were from Poland and Tunisia. How fun is that!
For me, the kitchen is my creativity security blanket. I am fearless and brave and constantly inspired by a stack of cookbooks and a list of ingredients. What is your creativity security blanket? What is your constant companion on this journey? What could you not live without? What do you rely on to help you find your way again?
Until next time, oodle on!
