and sometimes y March 21, 2008

Y is a wonderful letter that casually associates with vowels and hangs out at the end of the alphabet soaking up all the previous letters without the pressure of being the final one…..anyway-I digress. About two weeks ago, I was starting off my morning with some free writing and had difficulty locating the Y key on my keyboard. As my brain began to wake up and direct my finger to the Y key, I started to think about why this lapse occurred, but seconds later my phone rang and the standout Y assumed its place with the rest of the letters.

Hours later I was chatting with a friend on my cell while struggling to plug the charger in, and as a result I dropped my phone on my keyboard. After explaining the incident to my confused friend, I noticed that my Y key had popped off (my first keyboard damage ever). I attempted to do DIY keyboard surgery but failed and passed the task on to a professional at a computer store who quickly attached my Y back to its lettered family.

Although this may seem like an insignificant experience to anyone else, I found it rather interesting. I had two unique encounters with the Y key in one day, and I asked myself why Y? or simply stated, Y? Was my keyboard telling me to ask more questions, question things more? If so it succeeded. Maybe it was lonely and wanted some attention. The Y key should be happy to know that after that fateful day it sits a little higher than the rest of my keys after its reattachment. Crazy how one simple letter can spur an entire blog post!

taste history March 4, 2008

This past month I decided to create a cookbook filled with my grandmother’s recipes, which would be a birthday gift for my mother. I started by searching for few pictures of my grandmother, one of which would become the cover photo above (my grandmother is the woman in the middle). I then began scrambling around my mother’s kitchen on an edible treasure hunt for scraps of paper with my grandmother’s recipes. After enduring a few paper cuts while paging through cookbooks for hidden recipe cards, I came across the long lost prized possession, my grandmother’s green Betty Crocker recipe box (hidden behind stacks of books). The avocado green plastic suddenly resembled a treasure chest filled with culinary treasure maps, her recipes. I quickly swiped the box, and upon returning home I carefully opened it and was overwhelmed by the scraps of notebook paper, old calendar pages, and note cards filled with delectable concoctions.

 

While compiling her handwritten recipes, I discovered a true sense of her passion for food and family. I can imagine her feverishly writing a recipe on a scrap of paper, and quickly placing it inside her green Betty Crocker recipe card library. Now the recipe box is filled to the brim, and upon opening it you feel as though you are unlocking a secret to happiness, to her spirit, to her love.

 

After typing and organizing around 60 recipes, scanning in photos of family at the table and writing a brief introduction, I was ready to press print. When the book arrived, I was delighted to hold culinary history in my hands. I felt as if I had printed and preserved a bit of her spirit that would hopefully have a better chance of being passed on for years to come.

 

(Quick shout out to blurb.com. I was easily able to create and print this book with the help of their fabulous application and services. I’ve already been inspired to start creating another book-more on that later)