Why Your Food Will Never Taste Quite The Same as Your Mama's Cooking
Even when you've followed her exact recipe.
It wasn't the finger-licking experience I was hoping to hear.
His question instead caught me off guard.
"Mom, are you sure you gave me the correct recipe for the mushroom chicken”?
Is my son suggesting his Mama's losing it?
To make worse a lousy situation, I stupidly answered Nick by asking him a question.
"What did you do wrong now"?
"It doesn't look or taste the same as when you make it,” Nick said, the disappointment in his voice evident.
"Did you follow the recipe as I told you"?
Nick wasted no time reading back the ingredients and method I gave him a few hours earlier.
2 Large chilled chicken breast
1/2 cups mushroom
One small onion …
He continued, "Now, tell me what's missing"? His tone suggests I'd held back a secret ingredient from him.
Unsure if I was rescuing myself or trying to console him.
I responded, "I'll demonstrate the process when next you visit." — This is a plot I occasionally use to get my son and his girlfriend to visit.
But not this time.
I wanted my son to get it right. Millenniums seldom cook at home and are more inclined to eat or order food from outside. It's a fast and easy way of living — a significant shift from the GenX era I grew up in, where my parent taught me cooking skills.
I was thrilled when Nick asked me for the recipe.
My son did include all the ingredients and followed the method of preparing the mushroom chicken recipe precisely as I told him.
I, too, was disappointed that his two hours in the kitchen didn't reward him with the expected results.
But why didn't his recipe deliver a similar result — just like how I made it?
The truth is, other than the essential ingredients required to cook a specific meal; I never follow a strict recipe whenever I cook for my family.
Too much or little salt, spices, sugar, or water can significantly alter the taste of the food you make.
But heartfelt love has no portion.
There is no measuring cup, spoonful, or scale in my kitchen to weigh or measure the love I bring whenever I cook.
The love portion mama pours into the food she prepares to feed her family is magical. But unfortunately, it cannot be replicated or shared with anyone.
Each family, it's different.
Food brings people together, but Mama's food unites her family.
Imagine hosting an event without food. Your guest will certainly miss it.
Mama's food unites and brings her family closer whenever they are apart for too long —Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter are just some of these special occasions.
The familiar sweet aroma from the kitchen brings back heartfelt laughter when families are together.
Mama's food fosters sweet conversations and memories that get the family talking. It builds back bridges after a feud or disagreement.
Family eating together is priceless.
If there is one way to get my son and his girlfriend to come over for an overdue visit, I would mention I'm cooking one of their favorite Jamaican dishes — Oxtail and butter beans, Jerk chicken, Curried goat, rice, and peas; send their taste buds watering.
But for me, it's the togetherness I feel as a family when we sit at home at the dining table to eat a meal I prepared for them.
Is there a favorite mama's meal you tried cooking that never seems to turn out quite the way Mama does it?
Tell me about it in the comment.
I invite you to read Tasneem H Yousuff's "My Easy Peasy Dessert Recipe That Has Won All Hearts. Tasneem Reminds us that eating healthy is a choice that can be fun with a little effort.
And for those who want to shed some extra pounds, Check out her article's recommendation on how to do it. "Three Healthiest Ingredients To Kickstart Weight Loss"
