Food Speaks
by Bryce McKay Weyerman
As a cook I know food speaks.
Every menu plan, every baking adventure.
Every meal I make isn’t just to be eaten.
The experience gained, every mistake, every bad flavor combination I’ve concocted is represented when I place a dish before you.
When I cook for you I don’t just want you to eat. I want you to eat what I made for you.
Every allergy to food you might have, taken into account.
For you I don’t serve you meat.
And for you I don’t cook with dairy.
Yet for you, I made you your favorite.
Every mental health issue you’ve had.
I made this for you.
Anorexia.
I made this for you, but it’s okay if you don’t feel like eating.
Vegetarian.
I made this for you, there’s no meat in it.
Eating disorders, what is something you will eat?
The patience with every dish.
Don’t like the texture of eggs?
Here I made this for you.
When we share a meal together my heart melts.
You don’t even have to eat, just be here with me till I’m done.
This is too spicy!
Next time it won’t be.
I don’t like watermelon.
That’s okay.
I made you this tofu recipe I found.
Every unseen meal.
I burned the rice.
Every kitchen mistake.
I cut my finger.
This didn’t cook long enough.
There’s too much salt.
It’s burned.
It stuck to the bottom.
It didn’t come out right.
Until it did.
Again and again.
I made this for you.
Every meal I serve you is my heart on a plate.
The food speaks, and it says, I love you!
I already found myself enjoying to cook, but when my son came to me I discovered how much I loved to cook for others. Someone close to me told me about how much love it takes to cook food for anyone, especially if they might have an allergy or aversion to food and that became really important to me. So I wanted to make sure in my house if I cook you a meal, you can eat it.
