#reverb10: Soul Food

Today's #reverb10 writerly prompt is: December 26: Soul Food. What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul? (Author: Elise Marie Collins)

Three food experiences immediately came to mind when I read this prompt, all for different reasons. Here are three things I ate this year that I will never forget:

1. The tomatoes from our CSA. This was our first year participating in a CSA and it was amazing. And while some vegetables (e.g., root vegetables) are so sturdy and reliable in flavor that the CSA veggies didn’t taste all that different from grocery store variety, the tomatoes were a completely different story. Beautiful, rich, juicy, and sweet, the tomatoes were phenomenal. One week we were allotted 20 pounds of tomatoes (!); I had anticipated doing some canning and preserving but the tomatoes were so spectacular that we gobbled and shared them before I even had a chance to think about Mason jars.

2. The lattes and cookie sampler that Jon enjoyed during our short retreat for our 10 year anniversary. Not only were the treats delicious, but the context in which we enjoyed them enhanced the flavor all the more.

3. And probably due to a recency effect -- and the irresistible play on words (um, Seoul Food) -- bi bim bap. On Christmas Eve Day we called a half dozen places before finding somewhere that was open for lunch. Of course it was a Korean restaurant (and they were also open on Christmas Day, those crazy Koreans). I was fighting a bit of a cold and nothing warms and sings home to me like bi bim bap sizzling in a stone pot.