QuickWrite of the Day #28: Food that feeds your soul
"Writing can be used as a vehicle to express ourselves as we negotiate the journey through our lives” (Gallagher, 2011: p. 24)
Today’s QuickWrite of the Day:
In some places in the world, comfort food is having a moment. Famous Italian chefs are teaching people how to make pasta at home. Airy loaves of fresh sourdough grace people’s Facebook and Instagram news feeds. Simple 5-ingredient recipes are swapped, and people are making warming soups with whatever is left in the pantry at the end of the week. My own neighbours have been dropping off different sweets every week: Anzac biscuits, chocolate chip cookies, carrot cake smothered in cream cheese icing (yes, I am humble-bragging about my generous, dessert-baking neighbours —wouldn’t you?). Even simple pleasures like the crunch of plain toast bring comfort.
With this in mind, what kinds of foods make you feel calm, satisfied and cared-for? What sensations do you experience when you eat this food? How do you feel? What does it remind you of?
If you’re hungry, go to your fridge or pantry right now, eat some of this food and write down what you are sensing (what you taste, smell, feel, see, hear). You might even think about food that your loved ones make and what it’s like to gather around the table for a satisfying meal. Write about it!
For inspiration, check out the last stanza of the poem ‘In Praise of Okra’ by January Gill O’Neil on the left and take a look at the pictures of Time Magazine’s feature on what some kids around the world eat in one week:
