Clearly, I am way too busy to have a blog.
My inner housewife has a funny relationship with food. And till recently I thought that made me special.
But then I realized, don’t we all have a “funny” relationship with food?
For me, there are various layers when it comes to food and I am not just talking about lasagna [cue drum beat].
Food = Sustenance
Food = Pleasure
Food = Rules*
*kosher, casual kosher, peanut free, dairy-free, aaahhhh, and etc.
Food = Parenting
The layer most present at THIS moment for me is this one:
Food = Nourishment
Nutrition is important but I am talking about a deeper, more meaningful kind of nourishment. In this circuitous way, food as nourishment leads me straight to my core identity as a mother, a “housewife”, a woman…
…so, I read a terrific NYT’s article this morning and it really reminded me of how intensely connected many of us still are to our childhood and adolescent experiences – and, how that is woven into my identity as a mom. The article focuses on an inspiring woman, Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out and founder of a camp for girls and empowerment -- and it’s also a fun read.
I’m seeing my almost 5 year old daughter in one of the most beautiful spirited phases of girlhood. And…
…I keep coming back to food and what happens to us along the way. I love Rachel Simmons’ camp chant that begins every meal, “Food, Good!”
I may incorporate this chant into our own mealtime traditions.
Together – mother and daughter – each with very different needs for nourishment but also both connected through our gender and how we experience food in our lives. I ask myself all the time: How to capture and sustain that incredible magic that is age 4, 5, 6, and 7 and on until…
until 13?
How can I help my daughter avoid the train-wreck of negative body image and disgusting levels of self-consciousness that I, myself, fall into on a daily basis? Food, of course, can be one of the myriad of derailing issues for girlhood. And womanhood.
Just some food for thought.
But…it’s not all so HEAVY! There’s another side to all this NOURISHMENT talk and it’s pretty fun, actually. In experimenting with nourishing and sustaining foods for my kiddo, I make plenty of mistakes and discover wonderful surprises (like cooking together, shelling peas, baking cupcakes, and picnics indoors and out).
I read a magazine with parenting advice from Tori Spelling (yes, that Tori Spelling from 90210). I know, I should have stopped reading immediately but I’m open-minded. She suggests putting hummus in your kids lunchbox?
Cue sarcasm: Wow. Why didn’t I think of that. Now come on! Have you seen hummus that’s been sitting in a plastic container for 3 hours inside a lunchbox? I have – and it’s not pretty. It’s warm and mushy -- yuck. Another time, more recently, I sent Gabi to camp with a healthy mama-made snack pack….whole grain crackers, an ounce of cheddar cheese, fresh washed and chopped carrot sticks and homemade balsamic vinaigrette. At the end of the day I opened the remains of her lunch bag, only to find some soggy crackers and oily cheese – unopened. It’s hard to compete with the ease of individual snack packs from the grocery store. Just sayin’.
Don’t even get me started on dinner again…
Till next time.
