Food Memories

During a nutrition assessment I often ask…Tell me about a positive memory around eating a certain food?

My most common answer is I don’t know. However, with some pausing and digging I get a variety of answers that are both recent or years past. This question can tell a lot about someone’s relationship with food as well as upbringing. I am not looking for a particular answer when I ask this question, more as a door to open a conversation about food.

I recently went to a child’s birthday party and there was a beatuiful display of cupcakes. The Green Tea Matcha Cupcake jumped out at me the most. Matcha strikes my interest because I always enjoy eating foods and flavors I normally don’t prepare for myself on the regular. The other reason it was appealing was that it brought back fond memories of my study abroad trip to China and it was matcha everything! I remember ordering green lattes and ice-cream that were smooth, creamy with a hint of sweetness. Eating does bring joy and people together and that message often gets forgotten in this world of “eating for fuel”. Biting into that cupcake made me think of a lot of great people that impacted me on that Nutrition & Cultures course.

Whether you are a foodie, professional or in eating disorder recovery I hope you can take a moment to find that connection with food again. Maybe you can create a new memory or go back in time to an old one. Savor each bite, enjoy the moment and feed your soul.