The Purpose of this Blog

I was discussing blogging with some friends of mine recently. One friend was interested to find out that I do indeed have a blog. She wanted to know more about it. I was about to tell her about my blog until another friend of mine interjected and said, "Oh, it's just about food."

JUST about food? JUST about food?! I was a little bit peeved by that statement. I asked him, "Well, what else would I blog about?" He replied with, "Ummmm....your life?" First of all, food is my life. Second of all, I don't blog just to record what I do. This isn't meant to be some digital archive of my life. Besides, I feel like there are plenty of whiny college students out there that blog about their lives (not to knock anyone else's blog. There are many that I very much enjoy reading). But I want to accomplish something with this blog. So I feel like maybe I should share with you my purpose in blogging.

I was raised in a family where food was more than just something you put in your body so you wouldn't keel over and die. My parents are incredibly passionate about health, so I was taught from a very young age to be conscious of the food I put in my body. Not just any old food would keep me operating at an optimum level. Even when I was a baby, I didn't eat baby food out of a jar. Oh no. My mom would take the time to cook food until it was soft, and she would puree it for me. Even from the beginning of my life I was eating real food. Also, my family has kept a rather large garden every summer since the time I was six years old. I worked a lot of long hours in that garden during my growing up years, and was so lucky to reap the benefits around harvest time. I've had the privilege of enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables as the majority of my diet.

Those factors have influenced my philosophy about food greatly. However, I think the largest contributor to my appreciation for food has got to be my mother. First of all, she is a wonderful cook. But more important than that is the fact that she never let me be picky. If I didn't want to try something that was on my plate, that was just too bad. If I left the table without finishing something, it would end up on my plate at the next meal. Also, because of my mother's abilities, I was able to experience a wide variety of flavors during my young life, which did a lot in refining my palate.

This is going to sound totally cliche, but I have a lot of fond memories of sitting down to eat a home cooked meal with my family. In fact, if I think about some of my best childhood memories, most of them involve people gathering together to eat. Think about it. Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, Easter dinner, birthday dinners, lunch dates with your mom, dinner and a movie with your girlfriends...food!

I guess what I'm trying to say is food brings people together in a way that not many things can. And sure, I guess people can be brought together by a box of pizza. But to me, that's not all that special. As much as I enjoy the creativity and the skill it takes to execute a meal with flair and culinary perfection, where I find the most satisfaction is in the happiness I can bring to others with the food I make. Few things are as precious to me as the way a person's eyes will close as they savor a bite of something I've made. Then they smile, open their eyes, and with a twinkle in them, say to me, "Jana. This is amazing." When I spend six hours making you a birthday cake, what I'm really trying to say to you is, "Hey! I think you are so awesome that I didn't just want to buy you any old generic birthday cake. I wanted to put my heart and soul into it and make it something special. Because to me, you are worth those six hours and so much more. You are worth my time and effort."

To me, food is an expression of everything good in life- energy, passion, creativity, and love. I want to share those ideals with as many people as I can. If I can do that by posting recipes, and helping people feel the joy that I feel when I make something delicious and share it with others, why wouldn't I do that?

I want people to be able to have the same kinds of experiences with food that I was so blessed to have in my childhood. But so few people know how to cook. How are they supposed to find that joy that I found when each member of their family shuffles off to their corner of the house with a piece of frozen lasagna that says, "Our family isn't important enough for me to make time for family dinner." That's bogus. Other people say, "I just don't know how to cook." Also bogus. Learn. That's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to teach people a skill that was central in making my childhood great. Something that has shaped who I am today. That's why I blog about food. Because food is about so much more than sustenance. It's about joy.